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Saturday, October 20, 2012

Tate's Bake Shop: Baking for Friends by Kathleen King: cookbook review


author:  Kathleen King
publisher: Ingram Book Company
photos: yes
hard cover: 208 pages

chapters/sections:  muffins, scones, & shortcakes - tea loaves & quick breads - pies, tarts, & crisps - cookies - party cakes & cupcakes - healthy & lifestyle baked goods - icings, frostings, & sauces

fun features:  A warm, personal introduction to Kathleen and this book, plus a section titled Baking My Recipes.  Here she talks all about the the types of flours, eggs and dairy, sugar and sweeteners, flavorings, chocolate and cocoa she uses.  She talks about toasting nuts and about the equipment she uses to bake the recipes in this book.  Since baking is a science, I recommend reading this section as a point of reference before using the book.  Not that there's anything unusual or out of the ordinary, but it's definitely helpful to have this insight - especially if you're not a regular baker.

(a few of the many) recipes destined for my kitchen:  Maple Bacon & Date Scones, Honey Cake, Hakan's Fresh Fig Cake, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, Chocolate-Dipped Orange Shortbread, Graham Crackers, Pecan Squares, Cherry Chip Party Cake, Chocolate Chip Layer Cake, Nutella Whipped Cream, Cranberry Sauce Crumb Bars

my thoughts/review:  Beautiful photography and well-tested recipes combine to form a baking book that you won't want to put down - especially with the holidays looming close.  Kathleen King is a pro, and I trust her recipes to turn out.  So much so that I do not even test them before baking something of hers to take to an event or potluck.

Much like the Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook, I have so many ideas swirling around in my head about which recipes I want to make and who I want to share them with.  I can't put it down.

Recommended for those who love to bake...and share their baking.  This would make a lovely gift, especially when given with a baking sheet and a package of chocolate chips, dried fruit, or a bag of good flour.

recipe(s) I have already tried:
Cranberry, Maple, & Oatmeal Cookies (click for recipe)

Date Crumb Bars (in the form of a pie- post w/ recipe up tomorrow)

Chubby Tates
Chubby Tate's

by Heather Schmitt-González
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 16-18 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert chocolate cookie American

Ingredients (~3 dozen)
  • 2¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. fine salt
  • 1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 12 Tbs. (1½ sticks / 6 oz.) salted butter, at room temp.
  • ½ c. granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbs. light corn syrup
  • 1 large egg, at room temp.
  • 1 large egg yolk, at room temp.
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 12 oz. (2 c.) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325° F. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter, both sugars and corn syrup on high. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix the flour mixture in gradually until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips (using a rubber spatula).

Drop onto prepared sheets in 2 tablespoon (1 oz.) scoops, leaving ~3-inches between each cookie. (If baking two trays at once, make sure they're in the middle and top ⅓ of the oven.)

Bake until cookies are lightly browned on the edges (rotating pans halfway through if baking two at once), ~15-18 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat until all cookies have been baked.

notes:
Once you've scooped the dough into balls, you can freeze them like this on the trays. Transfer the frozen balls to a freezer-safe zippered baggie for up to 1 month. Bake without thawing.

slightly adapted from Tate's Bake Shop: Baking for Friends
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about the author:  The authentic essence of Kathleen King's baking comes from her upbringing on Long Island's North Sea Farms, where she began baking at age eleven.  She found joy in sharing her chocolate chip cookies with friends and neighbors-and they loved every crunchy, buttery bite.  Kathleen became a neighborhood sensation, and her cookies became instantly iconic.  Now Kathleen is the Hamptons' most beloved baker, and she still finds joy in sharing her desserts.

further info: website | blog | facebook | twitter

*I received a free copy of this book to review from the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.

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weekend cooking fr2button