Miscellaneous Baking

These are restaurant (think IHOP) style pancakes. They are tender but hearty and probably the best pancakes you will ever make. I am already working on a multi-grain version but these are holiday makers. They positively shriek: we are on vacation!!! The malt powder is another trick in this recipe and the source for malt powder online, is included.

Are you a baker in a hurry or terrified of scratch cakes?
Shhhhh. We all get there sometimes. Here is a doctored up, high standing cake that wows but is, essentially (and simply) two cake mixes swirled into one stupendous cake. Dunkin Hines still reigns supreme in cake mixdom.

This is perfectly balanced between tart and sweet, cake and pastry. It is a make ahead dessert (up to three days) and pleases a crowd. It also looks beautiful. Beauty and brains in baking – bravo!

Ah, another inspiration via Canada’s famed coffee spot, Tim Horton’s. Their new Caramel Apple Bagels are an amazing concept. But alas, when I bought and ate one, I just wasn’t thrilled with the artificial taste (something was just off). Luckily, my own version is all-natural and makes the most of my original great bagel recipe, along with butterscotch chips, caramel hunks and diced apples for a quintessential autumn bagel. How good are these? I traded some for regular bagels at a local bagel shop (for Montrealers, St Viateur Bagel). The pros fainted with delight! They called me at homewhen I barely walked back in the door to ask for the recipe. I kid you …not.

Old fashioned, easy baking at its best.

These bars, aka Hello Dolly’s, Layered Magic Bars, are a standby since the sixties, probably, and a back-of-product favorite recipe from condensed milk cans, is still a great, sweet, treat. Literally made in minutes, it features a graham crust and then you simply pour or layer on the ‘good stuff’ like caramel and chocolate chips, coconut, walnuts, and of course, the condensed milk. It lasts forever or freezes for an eternity and is a nice stand-by on a dessert table or in a lunch bag.  I usually double this recipe and make massive 7-Layer Bars (of course, bake long until bars appear set). Kraft now has mini caramels (unwrapped too so they're easier to use in baking) that would work well in this recipe to replace the caramel chips.

The most caramely, easy, decadent, crunchy, sweet munch ever - wonderful, old-fashioned homemade caramel popcorn. I use a unique electric popper for this such as the Toastess Cinema Corn Popper or the regular Toastess Air Popcorn maker (Amazon has it, Canadian Tire is the place for Canadians or check  http://www.toastess.com/products/product_categories/view/corn-poppers- It's easy to find and well priced). What I like about either unit is that they actually pop fluffy popcorn quickly and with little or no fat. A rotating blade in the Toastess Cinema Corn Popper ensures corn heats evenly and pops perfectly. I tested several other units and out came unpopped kernels faster than I could clean them up.  Homemade caramel popcorn also makes a great gift. And for peanut allergy folks - there's nothing to worry about if you make your own batch (store-bought caramel popcorn often has peanut allergy warnings).