SPCA Bake Sale Recipes

December 12, 2008

Lots o' baking is going on in my itty bitty kitchen this week!  I've tried to choose recipes that have universal appeal, and that are holidayish.  Most are pretty easy to make, with a decent “profit margin” but I've thrown in a few that are a bit more challenging and expensive to keep me on my toes!

I thought you might like to see what's coming out of my kitchen, since this IS the primo baking season and perhaps you're in the market for a good sweet recipe.  So far, just since last Saturday, I've already prepared multiple batches of each of these:

  • Gingerbread from Cooks Illustrated.  A subscription is required to access this recipe, but don't be put off by that.  Cook's Illustrated is the only food site that I pay a fee for, and to me it's totally worth it.  Their product reviews alone are invaluable, and their recipes always work.  They have total credibility with me.
  • Chocolate Sheath Cake – it's a classic recipe that you can find lots of places, including on RecipeZaar.  Moist, chocolaty, delicious!
  • Super Moist Pumpkin Bread with walnuts (vegan) from AllRecipes.  This is a unique recipe with coconut milk but no eggs and no dairy.  It's fabulous!  I made lots of them for our last bake sale.
  • Cranberry Pumpkin Bread from RecipeZaar. I first found this recipe when my freezer went on strike recently and I had to use up a giant bag of thawed cranberries.  It's very easy, extremely moist, and the combination of flavors is surprisingly good.
  • Strawberry Bread.  I've been making this forever, and don't know where I originally got the recipe, but this version from RecipeZaar is similar to mine. In this bread, the pecans are non-optional in my book.
  • Root Beer Bundt Cake from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. This was a new recipe to me, and I'm glad I tried it.  It's really really moist and deeply chocolate.  I don't get that much root beer flavor without the icing, but it's wonderful regardless.
  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from the back of the Nestle's package.  You can find the recipe on RecipeZaar too.
  • Texas Pecan Pie Bars from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather. This recipe makes a ginormous batch of these wicked bars, but I still made a second batch.  They were that good.

Still on the agenda for this weekend:

  • Almond Toffee from CookieMadness.net.  Absolutely an A+ recipe!  I made bunches of it last year, and got rave reviews.  You MUST have a thermometer to make this!
  • Soft Peanut Brittle from CookieMadness.net.  Another great one from Anna!  I don't usually care for traditional peanut brittle, but this is nothing like that.  It's flavorful, tender, and just delicious!
  • Pralines from The American Family Cookbook by the Culinary Arts Institute. I think this cookbook is out of print, but I've seen it on ebay.
  • Outrageous Oreo Crunch Brownies from Culinary in the Country.  Christmas Oreos and brownies together in a recipe adapted from the Barefoot Contessa?  How bad can that be?  I'll also do some without the Oreos.
  • Chocolate Fudge from the back of marshmallow cream jar.  You know the one.
  • Mrs. Busch's Caramel Bars – a finalist in the Dallas News' cookie contest a few years ago.  The recipe's been taken offline, darnit.  I'll post it another time if these come out as good as I remember them.
  • Razz-Ma-Tazz Bars from CookieMadness.  I've never made these, so I'm trusting the Cookie Queen that these will be incredible.  I'm doing them with my homemade cranberry jam instead of raspberry since that's what I have.

That's it!  I've already eliminated 2 or 3 things from the weekend's list, and I still have more than one little elf can do!  I better eat my Wheaties this weekend, you think?  All of the expense and all of the work will be SO worth making some money for this incredible charity!

~BigSis

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2 Comments so far

  1. Posted by Anna

    December 21, 20083:28 pm

    Congratulations on a successful bakesale!

    About that soft peanut brittle. Someone at my husband’s Christmas party remembered how good it was last year and asked me to make it. I’d almost forgotten about it! Thanks for jogging my memory.

  2. Posted by BigSis

    December 21, 20086:33 pm

    Thank you SO MUCH! We’re still in disbelief that the bake sale was blessed to that degree!

    I don’t usually waste my calories on peanuts or peanut brittle, but I adore your soft brittle recipe. It’s become a family favorite, and people ask me for the recipe all the time. It reminds me a little bit of another recipe of yours – that crunchy crumbly peanut butter candy that’s like butterfinger. I love that one too, even without the chocolate!

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