It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas?
by jillbcooks 11/5/2010 12:41:00 PM

Have you seen the commercials for pre-Thanksgiving “Black Friday” sales and lay-aways already?  Some people ardently dislike the way the Christmas season seems to begin earlier and earlier. I don’t mind, since I love so many things about Christmas, especially the food and treats.  Looking ahead on my calendar, I see that this weekend is the only one between now and Christmas that doesn’t have ...

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Tags: baking, cookies, Christmas, organization

Caramel Rolls for Mother's Day
by jillbcooks 4/29/2010 8:26:00 PM

I love breakfast and I love bread, and I especially love the two together.  I have been really into caramel rolls lately.  I had one at brunch a couple months ago and sort of couldn’t get it out of my head.  I decided to start experimenting with different recipes. I tried making my own dough.  I tried using frozen bread dough.  I tried using refrigerated dough. Here were my top favorite recipes from my experimenting: ...

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Tags: baking, Jill Bloomfield, mother's day, caramel rolls, pecan rolls, apple caramel rolls

Unsuccessful Baker? Maybe It's Your Oven
by jillbcooks 2/5/2010 7:10:00 AM

Famous for underbaking foods or always burning them?  The problem could be your oven. Inspired by my recent blog post on chocolate chip cookie cakes, I made a batch of cookies today.  I am famous for forgetting food in the oven, so I made sure to set a timer.  The bake time for the cookies was supposed to be 8-10 minutes.  I set the timer for 8 minutes, and went to fold some laundry.  I went back to the oven when the timer rang and the cookies were not even browned.  Set the timer for two minutes.  Came back, still not don...

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Tags: baking, chocolate chip cookies, thermometer, oven

Bakers: Avoid Baked Good Overload
by jillbcooks 5/5/2009 8:53:00 AM

A concerned mom posed a great question on the Betty Crocker message board last week.  Her daughter is an avid baker who aspires to be a professional chef when she grows up.  The trouble is that the would-be chef enjoys making treats like cookies and brownies as hands-on learning, and perhaps enjoys too many sweets, according to mom. As a cookbook author and recipe developer, I can definitely relate.  Often it takes me a few tries to pe...

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Tags: Bake sale, baking, baking club, charity, children

Silver Lining Ice Cream Sandwiches
by jillbcooks 4/23/2009 8:58:00 AM

My friends and family often think that because I am a cookbook author, everything I try to cook turns out beautifully.  Not true..not at all.  In fact, I tried to make cookies yesterday and I missed the mark.  Since the cookies were for my husband’s book club, I wanted them to be good tasting and nice looking.  The cookie dough was simple to make: stir together a package of Betty Crocker brownie mix, ¼ cup of oil, a tablespoon of water and two eggs.  I even used a very small scoop so my cookies would be uniform and bite sized, but they spread in the oven, running into one another.  A bit dismayed, I knew I couldn’t send these off to book cl...

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Tags: baking, brownie mix, ice cream sandwiches

…And Mom and Dad Can Hardly Wait for School to Start Again
by jillbcooks 12/30/2008 9:10:00 AM

With most schools still on break until next week, at this point parents could probably use some inspired ideas to keep kids happy and occupied.  There are a multitude of activities for kids and families like roller skating or going to an indoor water park.  But these activities can cost a lot.  Stuffing teddy bears at the mall or playing games at an arcade is fun for maybe one day of winter break, but done repeatedly these activities can break the bank.  A fun alternative is getting kids active in the kitchen.  Cooking and baking appeals to toddlers and teens, and it can create memories as meaningful as any that cost many times more money.  Who knows?...

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Tags: baking, Contest, cookies, recipe, activities, children, cookie mixes

Looks Like Latkes Cupcakes
by jillbcooks 12/4/2008 8:32:00 AM

I positively adore watching those cake decorating contests on television and just marvel at the ingenuity of the decorators crafting these tall and elaborate masterpieces.  A few years ago I took a cake decorating course where I learned the basics.  Each week we were to bring a cake to frost and design. My husband, who signed me up for the class as a gift, especially loved when I came home from class, toting along a cake decked out with chrysanthemums, barnyard animals or intricate vines or whatever we learned that week.  Though it might be crazy to admit, we found ourselves with too much cake week to week with all this decorating practice, so I decided to make cupcakes and...

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Tags: baking, Cupcakes, coconut, decorating, family fun, hanukkah, holidays, latkes

Bread and Chocolate
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 4/7/2008 4:13:00 PM

Rose Levy Beranbaum was at General Mills today to talk about Heavenly Cakes, her new book coming out next fall. If you're a baker, you're familiar with her name. For those who don't know, she’s also written ...

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Tags: bread, baking, cake, Rose Levy Beranbaum

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 2/27/2008 4:09:00 PM

We had a Bake Sale today at work with all the proceeds benefiting Second Harvest Heartland, a hunger-relief organization. This is the fifth year we've hosted the sale. The first year we made about $90. This year is looks like we're going to top $800. As is the case every year, General Mills matche...

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Tags: Bake sale, baking

Valentine's Day
by AndiatBettyCrocker 2/14/2008 1:42:00 PM

On my way to work today I was listening to a public radio story about Saint Valentine, a holy priest of Rome. He performed wedding ceremonies for young couples in secret because Emperor Claudius II had cancelled all engagements and weddings. Claudius was having a hard time getting young men to enlist in the military and he believed it was because the men didn't want to leave their loved ones, when it fact it was due to bloody and unpopular battles. Saint Valentine was jailed for his actions and fell in love with the jailer's daughter before he was beheaded on February 14, 270 A.D. Story has it that he signed his farewell message to her: "From Your Valentine."How sw...

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Tags: baking, cakes, chocolate, Valentine's Day