Baking Class

This book is dedicated
to my sweet family

Acknowledgments

To make this book, I had lots of kitchen helpers. Three cheers and many thanks to the great kids pictured on the pages: Amalia, Amelia, Anna, Caleb, Coco, Dante, Djamil, Eden, Ella, Ethan, Finn, Inez, Luca, Maceo, Maisie, Malia, Ryland, Saenger, Sarah, Sophie, Tate, Tessa, Theo, Zadie H., Zadie S., and Zora.

I also want to thank our photographer, Carl Tremblay, and his assistant, Julian Chappell, for the beautiful photos, and talented food stylist Sally Staub. Special thanks to Jessica Armstrong, Lisa Hiley, and Deborah Balmuth, the team at Storey who helped make this book the best it could be. Thanks, too, to my partners at Kidstir.com for inspiring some of the recipes in this book. Lastly, I couldn't have made this book without the support of my family, who tested and tasted many of the recipes. Thanks Ella, Maisie, and Doug!

To my baking friends: Thanks for picking up Baking Class. I hope you enjoy baking up a storm with the recipes in this book. Please share photos of your kitchen creations with me at DeannaFCook.com — I'd love to see what you bake up!

Contents

Chapter 1: Welcome to Baking Class!

Lesson 1: Bake Like a Pro!

Lesson 2: Gather Up the Right Tools

Lesson 3: Stock Up on Bakery Basics

Lesson 4: Baking Vocabulary

Lesson 5: Measure Carefully

Lesson 6: Kitchen Safety

Lesson 7: Serve Up Some Special Treats

Chapter 2: Good Morning Treats

A Toast to You!

Mix & Match Toast Toppers

Toaster-Oven Tarts

Pumpkin Patch Muffins

Bursting with Blueberries Muffins

Carrot Applesauce Bites

Fancy French Breakfast Treats

Cranberry Orange Scones

Chapter 3: Crackers & Quick Breads

Crunchy Tortilla Chips & Nachos

Quick Croutons

Puffy Popovers

Crispy Cheese Squares

Buttery Biscuits!

Silly Sticks

Crackin' Corn Bread

Mix & Match Under the Sea World

Monkey Munch Banana Bread

Zombie Zucchini Bread

Chapter 4: The Bread Bakery

Garlic Bread Sticks

Easy-Peasy Bread Dough

Simple Sandwich Loaf

Braid Away Bread

Sweet Cinnamon Rolls

Mix & Match Bread Art

No Need to Knead Bread

It's a Party! Pizza Dough

Chapter 5: The Cookie Jar

Chocolate Chip Cookie Factory

Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

Sweet & Simple Sugar Cookies

Mix & Match Cookie Craft

Snickerdoodles

Crispy Gingersnaps

Coconut Macaroons

Brownie Magic

Lots of Lemon Squares

Chapter 6: Save Room for Pie

Dig in the Dirt Pie

Farmers' Market Fruit Tarts

Perfect Piecrust

Mix & Match Piecrust Shapes

My First Blueberry Pie

Teeny Tiny Apple Pies

Peachy Keen Crumble

Go Bananas Cream Pie

Chapter 7: Cake & Cupcake Factory

Cocoa Cake-in-a-Mug

Very Vanilla Birthday Cake

Buttercream Frosting

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

Mix & Match Cupcake Decorating Party

Say "Cheese!" Cake

After-School Apple Cake

Mini Strawberry Shortcakes

Index

Bonus Features

Other Books You Will Enjoy!

Copyright

Share Your Experience!

Chapter 1

Welcome to Baking Class!

Grab your apron and follow these tips and tricks for kitchen fun!

Recipe Ratings

Each recipe is rated with one, two, or three rolling pins so you know the skill level needed to complete it. If you are a new chef, you can start with the easier recipes and work your way up.

Most of these recipes are "no-bake" and can be pulled together without having to use the oven.

These recipes involve baking in the oven or toaster oven, so brush up on your oven safety skills before you begin. These are good recipes to work on with a parent or older sibling.

These recipes involve cutting with sharp knives, using an electric mixer or food processor, and using the oven. They tend to take more time to prepare, too.

Lesson #1

Bake like a Pro!

Start good habits from the get-go by following these basic kitchen rules. To begin with, ask an adult for permission before using the kitchen. Ask for help, too, if you have questions along the way.

1. 1. Wash your hands with warm water and soap before you handle food.
2. 2. Roll up long sleeves & wear an apron. Tie back long hair to keep it away from food. You can even wear a bandanna or chef's hat!
3. 3. Read the recipe from start to finish before you begin. Follow the steps closely.
4. 4. Put out all the ingredients you'll need (see the Here's What You Need list) to be sure you have everything.
5. 5. Start each recipe with ingredients that are at room temperature. And be sure to check expiration dates (don't use baking soda or perishables if they are past their dates).
6. 6. Take out all the tools you need for your recipe from measuring cups to bowls.
7. 7. Measure carefully (see the tips in Lesson 5: Measure Carefully).
8. 8. Always use pot holders when moving pans in and out of the oven, and remember to turn the oven off after you're done baking.
9. 9. Arrange your oven racks. Cookies, cakes, and breads bake most evenly in the middle of the oven. So before you preheat, arrange the oven racks so that one is in the center.
10. 10. Preheat. Let the oven come to the correct temperature before you put in your pans or cookie trays. Otherwise, your food will take longer to bake or will cook unevenly.
11. 11. Leave the oven door shut. The temperature drops every time the door is opened, so don't keep opening it to check your food. If your oven has a light, use it to keep an eye on your baked goodies.
12. 12. Use a timer. Always set a timer, and don't leave the room when your cookies and pies are baking. Trust your sense of smell. If you smell burning, turn off the oven and take your food out, even if the timer hasn't gone off. Ovens heat at different rates, and no one wants burned baked goods!
13. 13. Leave the kitchen sparkling clean! Put away the ingredients, wipe down the countertop, and wash the dishes.

Lesson #2

Gather Up the Right Tools

To make the recipes in this book, you'll need some basic baking tools, such as cookie sheets, dry and liquid measuring cups, mixing spoons, and pot holders. You can put together a personal baking kit with your favorite tools and cookie cutters. Just find a big cardboard box or clear plastic container and stock it with your favorite baking tools. Label or decorate your container with the stickers in the back of the book.

Lesson #3

Stock Up On Bakery Basics

Look through the recipes in the book, then make a list of the ingredients you need to make a few of them. If you plan to bake often, it's a good idea to stock up on some of the basics listed below. With the right ingredients in your cupboard, you'll have everything you need to bake up a storm any time you get a craving for cookies!

Lesson #4

Baking Vocabulary

Many of the recipes in this book call for some basic prep work, such as melting butter or crushing graham crackers, before you start the other steps. Read the ingredients list and directions all the way through to find out what you need to do before you start baking. Here are some words you'll see in recipes:

Stir. To mix rapidly with a spoon, whisk, spatula, or electric mixer until smooth.

Cream. To mix butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until it turns fluffy. This adds air to your batter, which helps your baked goods rise.

Whisk. To combine ingredients with a whisk. You can whisk dry ingredients, like flour and baking powder, or wet ingredients, like eggs and milk.

Mix. To use a spoon or electric mixer to combine ingredients evenly. Use a bowl that is big enough to hold everything with extra room for the mixing activity.

Process. To mix ingredients in a food processor. Read the machine manual, and ask an adult for help when using a food processor for the first time. (See Lesson 6: Kitchen Safety.)

Grease the pan. To rub butter or vegetable oil (or use baking spray) on baking pans so food won't stick. Don't forget the sides and corners of the pan!

Grease and lightly flour. Once you've greased your pan, add a tablespoon of flour. Tap all sides to lightly flour the entire surface.

Line with parchment. To lay a sheet of parchment paper on your pan, which will keep cookies and breads from sticking to them.

Knead. To fold the dough in half, press with your palms, then turn and fold again. This makes your scones and breads light and airy by developing the gluten.

Melt. To turn a solid into a liquid by applying heat. You can melt butter or chocolate in a saucepan over low heat or in a bowl in a microwave for 10 to 20 seconds at a time.

Brush. To paint melted butter or egg wash on dough or bread with a pastry brush.

Sift. To process flour and other dry ingredients through a sieve or sifter to break up any clumps. Most flour you buy in the store is presifted, but if your baking powder or baking soda looks lumpy, you might want to sift it with the flour to mix it all together.

Add dry ingredients. To add a mixture of flour and other dry ingredients to a batter. If you're using a stand mixer, you can prevent the flour from flying around the kitchen by carefully holding a dishtowel around the bowl, keeping fingers out of the way.

Cut in the butter. To use a special pastry cutter, or two forks, to combine butter or shortening with dry ingredients until crumbly.

Roll out. To flatten out dough with a rolling pin. Rolling between two pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper prevents sticking. You won't need to add extra flour, which can make your baked goods taste less buttery.

Cut with cookie cutters. To cut into shapes using cookie cutters. Use the sharper side to press into the dough. Cold dough is easiest to cut. If it sticks to the cutters, dip them in a little flour.

Cut with a Wheel. To cut dough or piecrust with a pastry wheel or a pizza wheel. The pastry wheel makes a zigzag pattern. The pizza wheel makes a straight line.

Crimp. To pinch the edges of a dough into a decorative pattern, or to press two edges of dough together to seal them.

Grate. To shred ingredients, such as carrots or zucchini, against a grater. When the food you're grating gets really small, stop grating to protect your fingers. Grating citrus rind is called zesting. (Note: you can also use a cool tool called a zester to grate the rind.)

Scoop. To make drop cookies or fill muffin pans using an ice cream scoop. It's less messy than using a spoon, and the cookies, muffins, and cupcakes will come out evenly shaped.

Scrape with a Spatula. To get every last bit of batter out of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula.

Test for doneness. To check to see if your baked goods are finished baking.

Cool.