Joy the Baker Cookbook Review

Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes

Author: blogger Joy Wilson

Publisher: Hyperion

Softcover 246 pages

I'm pretty sad that the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off challenge is ending, but so glad that I've got this cookbook to continue my baking journey. I was already a follower of Joy's amazing blog, but reading her cookbook made me feel like I knew her even more. Just an old friend who understands my love of cooking! She refers to her cookbook as "A celebration of butter and sugar". Sold! Hooked. I do.

I loved her down-to-earth, approachable writing style. Her short anecdotes before each recipe made reading this cookbook very easy and more personal.

The cookbook itself is also very easy on the eyes. It's bright and colorful and pink.... and I love pink. I'm all about pictures in cookbook too, and I loved all of Joy's beautiful photography for each recipe. 


I also loved that the recipes weren't too advanced for a beginner like me. At first I was a bit intimidated and thought I wouldn't be able to make many of the recipes. But they are very do-able, and I'm sure there are some that will challenge me a bit, but now I'm excited to learn and take on new baking challenges!

Besides all that, I wanted to make nearly every recipe in this cookbook! Seriously, I will be cooking from it for sure for sure. I have pink little post it notes bookmarking pretty much every other page of the cookbook. But I didn't get around to making them all obviously. But I did make some good stuff.

Remember these?

Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

 


Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

Mommom's Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread

Peanut Butter Birthday Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting



Did you all love them as much as we did?!

So yeah, now I wanna get my bacon bakin' on more often. Joy was a self-taught cook, and she inspires me to follow my dreams and do what I enjoy doing, which is cooking and now baking. It truly has been a pleasure baking from it. I've learned some things along the way about baking that I didn't know before, and made some delicious new recipes that I didn't necessarily know I could do.

I hope you've loved this series as much as I have! Now go buy that cookbook and help a bloggin sista out!

*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

 

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Peanut Butter Birthday Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting (Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off}

I've made another fantastic recipe from Joy's cookbook for the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off challenge. Go me! And go Joy! She helped me make a special someone's birthday even better.

You see, Wednesday, March 7th was PJ's 30th birthday! The big 3-0! And I wanted to make it special. I already felt like I didn't do nearly enough to show him how important he is to me, but this cake definitely showed him. It's Joy's Peanut Butter Birthday Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting. Peanut butter lovers... doesn't that just sound amazing?! I agree. I agreed. So I made it for my love!

We both agreed that it was decadent and delicious and were yearning for more, but it was like midnight when we tried a piece and didn't wanna go overboard. Oh that frosting, oh that frosting! How do people come up with these recipes?! If I ever could whip up a recipe this good myself, I'd be so proud. I dunno how Joy came up with this masterpiece of a concoction, but I sure am glad she did. 

Peanut Butter Birthday Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

from Joy the Baker Cookbook by Joy Wilson

Peanut Butter Birthday Cake 
*makes one 2-layer 8- or 9-inch cake

• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. Nonstick baking spray works well too (that's what I did). Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together peanut butter, butter, and sugars until fluffy, for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating at medium speed for 1 minute between each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Slowly pour in all of the buttermilk. When mixture just starts to come together, add the remaining flour mixture, beating on low speed until mixture just begins to come together. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish incorporating the ingredients with a spatula.

Divide the batter between the 2 prepared baking pans. Place on 2 racks in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the cake pans to alternating racks, and continue to bake for 15 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting. Frost cakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows). 

Cake will last, wrapped, in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
*makes enough to frost one 2-layer 8- or 9-inch cake or 24 cupcakes

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the cream cheese for about 1 minute, ensuring that it is soft and pliable. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the butter to the bowl. Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 1 minute until thoroughly combined.

Add 1/3 cup of the peanut butter to the cream cheese mixture. Beat for 30 seconds on medium speed, until well combined. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and powdered sugar followed by the vanilla. Beat until almost incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Beat on medium speed until all of the powdered sugar has disappeared and mixture is velvety soft. 

If using immediately, dollop 2 tablespoons of peanut butter into the finished cream cheese and fold in with a spatula. Don't completely mix, leave streaks of peanut butter throughout the frosting. Use immediately to frost cakes or cupcakes.

If storing for later use, spoon frosting into an airtight container, add peanut butter, swirl into the frosting and store in the fridge until ready to use. Bring frosting to room temperature before frosting a cake or cupcakes.

Frosting will last, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Printable Recipe


























Oh, and as you all know I don't have a mixer so again, I just had to mix everything together myself. Use a mixer if you have one though for sure. Obviously I'm a newbie to this whole cake-baking thing. I should have read up on Veronica's cake tips for dummies before I frosted this cake, cuz I did a bad job! You can't see the frosting layer on the inside. Oh well, I'll just have to practice, buy the right tools, and keep getting better. Hopefully my later photos will be much better than this and I can see how much I've improved. I'll just keep doing my best and I'll get better and better with practice. Definitely need a cake leveler too... my cake's looking a little lobsided. But still just as tasty.

I can't wait to get home after work to devour the rest of this cake! Oh yeah, and of course PJ can help me. It is his birthday cake, after all  :)

Happy 30th birthday, my love! And to many more together!!!

*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

Also linking up to Cookbook Sundays and here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mommom's Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off}

Here's to week 3 of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off challenge! I don't want it to end. At least I've got this great cookbook to keep cooking from once the challenge is over. I wish I had time to make more this week for blogger's choice week.

I had a hard time choosing. I was really tempted to make a birthday cake for PJ since his is coming up this week. But this banana bread won me over, because I had some bananas and bourbon in the pantry to use up. 


When I went to use the lemon juice, I realized that it was expired so I didn't add in the teaspoon of lemon juice, but I'll leave that in the original recipe. I also didn't have the whole one cup of walnuts, so I used a mix of pecans and walnuts. 


Oh, and since I don't have a mixer I couldn't do that whole thing. Just had to use my hands and good old hard work. Isn't that what people did before mixers existed? I need one though. I'll still leave the original recipe the way it was regarding using the mixer in case you guys have one. I'm sure it's a lot easier!

Mommom's Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread 

from Joy the Baker Cookbook 

*Makes one 8x4-inch or 9x5-inch loaf

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x4 or 9x5-inch loaf pan. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. 

Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add bananas, lemon juice, and bourbon. Beat until well incorporated.

Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat until almost incorporated. Stop the mixer and remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the walnuts and chocolate chips and incorporate the rest of the ingredients with a spatula. 

Spoon mixture into loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow loaf to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

*Banana bread will keep for up to 5 days, well wrapped, at room temperature.

Printable Recipe

This was some mighty delicious banana bread. I loved the addition of bourbon. Next time I may skip the chocolate chips and walnuts, to really get that banana and bourbon taste. This was very chocolate-y, and I think I may have even used less than the 6 oz of chocolate called for. I can't wait to make this again with those modifications!

Be sure to check out my other posts from Joy's cookbook - Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, and Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits.

*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

Linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off}

I'm back for week 2 of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off!
Can I say it's been so much fun checking out this cookbook! Sooooo many recipes that I want to try.

Next up were these tasty biscuits. I'll admit, I had never used whole wheat flour before and was leery about it. But they turned out pretty good. I didn't taste too much of the honey or goat cheese in the biscuits, so next time maybe I'd increase the amount. 

These are best served warm from the oven. I sliced them open, slathered them in some butter and honey, and I was set! 


That's how I love my biscuits. With butter and honey.

Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

from Joy the Baker Cookbook

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes, plus more for pan
• 4 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
• 1 cup buttermilk, cold
• 2 tablespoons honey, plus more for topping if desired

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven as it preheats.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With your fingers, quickly incorporate the cold butter and goat cheese until the flour resembles coarse meal. Some of the butter and cheese chunks will be the size of small pebbles; others will be the size of oat flakes. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

Whisk together buttermilk and honey. Honey may not completely blend into the buttermilk, that's okay. Pour the buttermilk into the well of the flour mixture. Use a fork to blend together the wet and dry ingredients. Mix until all of the flour is incorporated and no dry flour remains. Set aside.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and add 1 tablespoon butter. Swirl the butter around the bottom and sides of the pan until butter is melted and pan is coated. Spoon batter by the 1/4 cupful into the hot skillet. About 6 biscuits will fit into the 10-inch skillet. Biscuits should have about an inch of room separating them, but will bake up to touch one another. That's great!

Place in the oven to bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden and tops appear dry and slightly firm. Remove from the oven. Let rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. For a glossy finish, brush the biscuits with slightly warm honey. These biscuits are best served immediately, but will last for up to 3 days, well wrapped, at room temperature.

Printable Recipe

  

These biscuits would also work nice on a breakfast sandwich... some bacon, egg, and cheese on these biscuits.... next time I'm doing that!

*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off}

Hi there my lovelies! 

Today, and for the next few weeks, I'm participating in the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off hosted by Heather at Girlichef.



I am so stoked to be participating in this challenge, as I love Joy's blog. Can you say AH-MAZING and INSPIRING!? If only I could come within an ounce of her baking talents, I'd be a happy girl. That woman can bake her butt off.

Insert these brownies. You see, I'm used to brownies from a box mix, which I was never crazy about. Thanks to Joy, now I've seen the light and now know how brownies are really supposed to taste.

Rich, topped with a velvety frosting, and homemade!

Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

from Joy the Baker Cookbook


*Makes one 8-inch pan

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. In a medium heatproof bowl, add butter and unsweetened chocolate. Place the bowl over, but not touching, the simmering water and allow to melt. Stir to incorporate. Once melted, remove the bowl from the simmering pot. Whisk in brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk in eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once to the chocolate mixture. Fold together with a spatula until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the brownie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.

Frost with half recipe of The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (see below) when cooled. Brownies last, well wrapped, without the frosting, at room temperature for up to five days.

The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

from Joy the Baker Cookbook

*Note: this is the full recipe, the  brownies only call for a 1/2 recipe 
*Makes enough to frost one 2-layer 8-inch or 9-inch cake or 24 cupcakes

• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2.5-3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup Ovaltine

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, cocoa powder, and salt. Mixture will be very thick, but cream for about 3 minutes at medium speed.

Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on low to incorporate 2.5 cups powdered sugar while adding the milk and vanilla. As the sugar incorporates, gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat until smooth.

In a 1-cup measure, stir together cream and Ovaltine. Turn the mixer to medium, and pour the cream in a slow steady stream until the frosting reaches your desired consistency: smooth, creamy, and spreadable. Add more powdered sugar to adjust consistency. Spread or pipe frosting onto cooled cakes or cupcakes (or brownies). 

*Note: Putting the frosting in the fridge for about 30 minutes makes it harden just a little and makes it easier to spread as a frosting.

Frosting will last well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Printable Recipe

I didn't put the frosting in the fridge first before frosting. But I did refrigerate the brownies once they were frosted. You can heat them in the microwave if you like them warm, or let them sit out at room temp for a bit before serving or eating if you like them at room temperature.


I don't think I'll ever eat brownies without frosting again.

Our host Heather is doing an interview with the ever-so-talented author of this cookbook, Joy the Baker herself. I suggest you head on over there, cuz you can enter to win a copy of the cookbook yourself! Do it!!

*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*


Also linking up here and to Cookbook Sundays.

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad