Quarantine Baking: Ten Recipes to Try Now
Like the rest of America (and the world?), I’ve been stuck at home waaay more than I had anticipated this spring, and I am baking, baking, baking. I love to bake, but I don’t do it as much as I’d like because I never seem to have the time. Well, I’ve got time now. Even with a newborn and a 3-year-old clinging to me, I was able to knock out more than a few baked goods while in quarantine. Here’s a list of ten recipes I tried out in our kitchen during the last two months.
Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can’t beat the original Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie! We have made multiple batches of these over the last few months. They are best eaten warm, a few minutes out of the oven.
Rhubarb Custard Bars
I was driving one of the busier roads in my little town when I saw a sign in front of someone’s house for free garden starts. I quickly pulled over and investigated. Along with some wild pansy and strawberry starts, I grabbed some stalks of rhubarb that this house was giving away. I found this rhubarb custard bars recipe online and I must say I am pretty proud of myself. They were delicious.
Blueberry Muffin Bread
I made this blueberry muffin bread with frozen mixed berries instead of just blueberries, putting in extra flour like the recipe says to do. All the berries sank to the bottom of the bread, but it was still good.
Contest-Winning Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it never disappoints. My cousin has suggested using applesauce instead of oil to make it healthier, but I didn’t have any applesauce in the fridge and I wasn’t about to run to the store for one item during a pandemic. The recipe makes two loaves and I gave the second one to my aunt, who raved about its flavor and velvety texture.
Giant Double Chocolate Cookies
These double chocolate cookies really are giant! Be forewarned that you have to weigh the dough for each cookie, so you will need a kitchen scale. The cookies themselves are yummy, but they are so big we had to share them with family.
Martha Stewart Banana Bread
I have been using this recipe for banana bread ever since my aunt gave me a Martha Stewart cookbook in middle school. The sour cream is the ticket, making the bread nice and moist.
Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
These were pretty good, though I think we all prefer the regular chocolate chip cookies we usually make in our house. I love a good chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, and this recipe was okay but not great.
Bisquick Coffee Cake
My grandma was a huge fan of Bisquick and she used to make coffee cake with it. Maybe it was due to nostalgia or maybe it was due to a shortage of sugar and flour in our house, but I baked a Bisquick coffee cake. It was on the dry side, but not too bad.
Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix
Ain’t no shame in using a box mix! We bought a huge box from Costco before the pandemic began with six bags of mix inside. They’re all gone now. You just can’t beat Ghiradelli’s brownies.
Fisher Original Fair Scone & Shortcake Mix
If you are from Washington State and have ever been to a state fair, you know the delight that is a Fisher scone. The scones you make from the mix don’t taste quite as good as the ones you get on a summer’s night at the fairgrounds, but they ain’t bad, either.
What have you been baking lately during quarantine? Any recipes I should try?
