I have a major sweet tooth. It’s been passed on to my kids. I must have eaten a lot of chocolate when I was pregnant with C because he considers chocolate a food group. Or should I say THE food group. As much as a love to cook, I’ve never been much of a baker. Sure, I started out making chocolate chip cookies in high school, even made a from the box cake that I decorated as a clock for a new year’s eve party my senior year, but I wouldn’t say that baking has been a strength. I have a number of baking books in my collection – a testament to my attempt to improve – but nothing inspired me to get to that “omg good” that I hoped to achieve. Until I found Flour.

I’ve had this cookbook about 4 years. It started when I was watching the Food Network with Jeff one morning and he saw an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay that featured sticky buns. He thought they looked pretty great, so I grabbed the recipe online and made it for fathers day. It was a 2 day process that pushed my baking boundaries, but I had that “omg good” moment. So when I saw the book at Barnes and Noble, it was a must buy. Full disclosure for the review – this is my go-to baking book, so I’ve made a number a birthday cakes from this. But all the recipes I tried for the review are brand new and unpracticed…maybe not bakery pretty, but let’s just say I had happy kids this week.

The Recipes
Raspberry-Rhubarb Muffins
French Lemon-Poppy Pound Cake
Basic Brioche
Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream
Coconut Macaroons
Intense Chocolate Brownies
Granola Bars
Classic Carrot Cake (Cupcakes) with Cream Cheese Frosting
White Coconut Cake with Coconut Frosting
Country Ham Cheddar, and Tomato Quiche
Pate Prisee II (pastry for the quiche)
Oatmeal-Maple Scones  Continue reading →