Monthly newsletter for anyone passionate about baking science! Join 4,200+ subscribers and expect dessert recipes, seasonal inspirations, and baking courses.
Sweet Life: October ππ
What's Inside:* Everything you need to know about cinnamon, caramel, and pumpkin!β π Hello Baking Buddy! π I hope your autumn has been beautiful so far! I just wrapped up my 2-week visit of spending time with family and friends in Colorado. The image below was taken while I was on a morning nature walk in the mountains. The autumn color change of the yellow Aspen trees was simple, yet stunning, and I just wanted to share these rays of sunshine with you. Itβs sweater weather (IYKYK!) the coziest time of year, and the best way to embrace the cool temps of the season is by baking up some fabulous treats! π October Flavors πCinnamonDid you know there are different types of cinnamon? The two most common are Ceylon (true cinnamon) and Cassia. While Cassia is what youβll typically find in stores, it contains higher levels of coumarin, a compound that can be toxic in large amounts. If you bake with cinnamon often, consider using Ceylon for its milder flavor and lower coumarin content (lower toxicity). If youβre unsure what type of cinnamon you own, here's a quick & easy visual guide. A few of my favorite cinnamon-forward recipes to try:
CaramelIf thereβs one thing a novice baker is intimidated by other than yeast, itβs making caramel. The problem is usually timing β a caramel can turn from a beautifully deep brown to dark and burnt in just a few seconds. But if you leave your fear aside and watch the sauce carefully the entire time it cooks, then thereβs no reason why you canβt make your own perfect caramel sauce. Caramelizing sugar is a delicate process involving the breakdown of sugar molecules at high heat. The key to perfect classic caramel sauce is patienceβlet the sugar slowly melt and turn golden without stirring too much. If you're not a patient person or easily intimidated by baking, I also have a quick and easy caramel sauce recipe you can try instead that doesn't require a thermometer! A few of my favorite recipes using caramel:
PumpkinPumpkin: Should you use canned or fresh? Canned pumpkin is convenient and consistent, but fresh pumpkin can have a more robust flavor. If youβre using fresh pumpkin, make sure to steam or roast it and drain excess moisture to avoid soggy bakes. Fun fact: Canned pumpkin can be a blend of squashes. I prefer the Libby brand 100% pumpkin puree for this reason. Pumpkin pie filling is not the same as pumpkin puree. View my favorite pumpkin dessert recipes. Spotlight Recipe: Chocolate Pumpkin Torte (GF)βββββ
"This is a divine and decadent torte. My husband and grown sons have declared this is their new favorite. It tastes like a high end dessert you eat while gazing at the Eiffel Tower. Thank you for sharing this recipe, making it easy for anyone to bake!!" - Alissa
I created this dessert to be rich, moist, and decadent with a creamy silky-smooth texture - like a cheesecake but also NOT. The best part? It is perfect for anyone trying to bake a little healthier this season! Itβs naturally gluten-free, can easily be made dairy-free and refined sugar-free too! Pumpkin is a superfood loaded with antioxidants! The pumpkin flavor is barely noticeable in this dessert... in fact, none of my taste testers detected the pumpkin flavor before I revealed it! βRead more about how to make this easy chocolate pumpkin torte.β π Trending on Pinterestπ« Ultimate Chocolate Brownie Muffins - dark, rich, dense, and fudgy with a deep to-die-for chocolate flavor. *viral recipe* π Cherry Almond Muffins - moist muffins are filled with sweet cherries and have a lovely almond scent. Recipe works well as a quickbread loaf too! β Vanilla Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles - soft and chewy cookies rolled in a sugar-spice mixture. These spiced snickerdoodles taste just like a vanilla chai latte! π Funfetti Cookies - super soft and chewy sugar cookies dotted with sprinkles. They have an amazing buttery vanilla flavor. π₯¨ Oktoberfest Celebrations: Make your own soft pretzels, beer cheese dip, sauerkraut soup, German potato salad, and Black Forest cake! π On The CalendarMark your calendars with these special days in October to celebrate with something sweet: π― Rosh Hashanah (Oct 2-4): Make traditional Jewish recipes like π― Honey Cake or π₯ Challah Bread. Oct 14 - National Dessert Day: Perfect excuse to make your favorite cake, cookies, or cheesecake! Oct 31 - Halloween: Get ready for spooky treats! Halloween Treat Ideas πHalloween is just around the corner, so here are a few spooky ideas for your October kitchen adventures:
π Perfectly Baked Cakes πβ βLast month we released a brand new guide to help you bake perfect cakes every time - the scientific way! Itβs loaded with helpful tips, tricks, and my favorite cake recipes! Iβm giving this away for a limited time, so download your copy of Perfectly Baked Cakes now while it lasts (if you haven't already)! π©βπ³ Highly Anticipated Cookbooks πSupporting fellow food bloggers and recipe creators is close to my heart, and I love sharing their incredible work with you. These talented women have crafted some of the most anticipated cookbooks being released this fall. Here are the five NEW cookbooks youβll want to add to your collection too (and why theyβre worth it): π Salty Cheesy Herby Crispy Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy, Savory Recipes for 24/7 DeliciousnessβJessie Sheehan bakes up scrumptious, savory treats that are perfect for a snack board (βgirl dinner,β anyone?), offer sustenance for game night, and can easily stand in for lunch or grace the table at brunch. Think Hot Pepper Jelly and Cream Cheese Stuffed Muffins, Smash Burger Hand Pies with Cheese, Pepperoni Pizza Galette with Ricotta, or some Butter Crackers with Melty Cheese and Sour Pickles. π The Cake Bible, 35th Anniversary Edition: A perfect book for serious bakers and cake lovers from acclaimed baker Rose Levy BeranbaumβNow updated with new ingredients, equipment, and methods. A lot has changed in thirty-five yearsβand The Cake Bible has changed with the times. The original Cake Bible is a guiding light in the worldβs baking literature, with Rose Levy Beranbaumβs deep knowledge and respect for craft to be found on every page. Itβs for home and professional bakers who want to make glorious, technically perfect cakes and understand why the ingredients in cakes work the way they do. The book was hugely influential from the moment it first came out in 1988, selling hundreds of thousands of copies and going through sixty printings. It introduced the reverse creaming method, incorporating flour and butter first instead of butter and sugar. It was among the first United States cookbooks to offer measurements in weights, highlighting the superiority of the metric system, which has become the gold standard in baking books. π The Elements of Baking: Making any recipe gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free or veganβArmed with a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, Katarina Cermelj lays out the science behind baking and the ingredients that make it work, so you can easily adapt your baking to your diet and lifestyle, and still make sure it tastes spectacular. With an abundance of mouth-watering recipes together with quantitative modification rules that you can use to convert any recipe into whatever version you fancy, The Elements of Baking will transform the way you think about ingredients. It will be a constant companion in the kitchen and the book you refer to every time you want to bake. π ZoΓ« Bakes Cookies: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Favorite Cookies and BarsβNYT BESTSELLER - The expert baker, author, and fellow Minnesotan, ZoΓ« FranΓ§ois (of ZoΓ« Bakes Cakes and ZoΓ« Bakes on the Magnolia Network) takes us through her life with 75 cookies and bars from her Vermont roots and Midwestern living. π The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook: 125 Ridiculously Good for You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the DayβNYT BESTSELLER - Millions of readers know Monique Volzβs website, Ambitious Kitchen, as a go-to resource for inventive, flavorful recipes that are full of nutrition, comfort, and personality. In her debut cookbook, Monique wants others to find their own Ambitious Kitchen and discover their own version of health, bold flavors, and above all, the unique happiness that food can bring to your life. This cookbook is perfect if you're stuck always wondering what to make for meals. Curious about all my favorite cookbooks? Peep my baking library here.β π Recipes You LoveHere's a guide to the most popular recipes at Pretty. Simple. Sweet. Our #1 recipe yesterday was Easy Pumpkin Muffins! One last thing... Have our recipes made their way into your kitchen recently? We'd love it if you would review the recipe you made so that others can find it, too! Your support means everything and helps us to continue sharing helpful baking information to empower home bakers! Cheers, Stephanie Gonzalez P.P.S. You can always learn to bake like a pro in the comfort of your own home in our new Mastering Baking Basics course! This email contains some affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links at no additional cost to you. Not all links are affiliate links. |
Sweet Life.
Monthly newsletter for anyone passionate about baking science! Join 4,200+ subscribers and expect dessert recipes, seasonal inspirations, and baking courses.
Every Christmas Eve as a child, our family filed into an old country church pew at 9PM and participated in an annual candlelight service. We sang hymns while being surrounded by family, friends, and community. I learned from an early age that Christmas magic stemmed from love and spreading joy. I'd go home with so much anticipation of what Christmas morning might bring... an Easy Bake Oven?! Barbie dolls?! My very own camera?! A brand new Series of Unfortunate Events book?! My head swirled...
Hi Baking Buddy! Part of what makes the holidays so special for our family is making loads of scratch-made goodies - from cookies to breads to breakfasts to candies... you get it... I make everything from scratch this time of year. I'm not a huge fan of fully made or baked store-bought desserts because they're often loaded with preservatives or made with more chemicals and oils than I care to eat. Making your own desserts at home is not only more delicious, but it feels so satisfying when...
Hi Baking Buddy, I'll keep this email short and sweet to simply serve as a helpful reference guide for you during your holiday cookie baking! This weekend is the perfect time to make cookies and freeze them for Christmas Day and other holiday parties. HELPFUL COOKIE RESOURCES: How to ship cookies + which recipes are best for mailing How to set out cookies for Santa + involve your children in the process 15 easy cookie recipes to bake with kids (that Santa will love, too!) Our 40 Best...