Babycakes Blondies..my epic failure to live up to the Babycakes way!

Ever have a recipe stuck in your mind and you know that you just cant live your life any longer until you just try it? That is how I have been with the Blondies in Erin McKenna's gluten free cookbook, Babycakes. Ever since I stumbled upon this cookbook last year I have been a little bit obsessed. I love it. I love the wording, the photography, the history of the bakery itself. I guess I secretly wish that I too was a part of the Babycakes Bakery. (Sigh..) So, by trying to recreate their deliciousness I am living vicariously through them.

I do have a few problems when it comes to living out my Babycakes fantasy. The first problem is the expense. (I don't make a lot of money, in fact today I was sitting back pondering the idea of someday moving out of an apartment and was hit with the awful fact that it may never happen for me.) If you have ever shopped gluten free you can understand my frustration, where a disgusting loaf of store brand white bread can cost a mere .99 on sale, a loaf of gluten free bread located in the freezer department can average around $5-6. Same goes with baking ingredients, and especially for this cookbook as it is also dairy, egg and mostly sugar free. I went to the local co-op to purchase most of the items needed for this particular recipe. It called for vegan chocolate chips. When I looked at the price I wanted to say "no thanks, Tollhouse will do!". Then I remembered you can buy that type of thing in the bulk food section to save money. Perfect. I found a few of the other ingredients I needed over there as well. After carefully selecting what I needed and scooping what I hope is a cup of the chocolate into a little plastic baggie I begin weighing my purchases. There is a woman behind me waiting to weigh her oats or whatever. I smile politely, as the machine is dispersing my stickers. Really I want her to notice the unique variety of baking supplies I am getting. Then perhaps she would comment on it, and then I would say something like, "I mainly bake gluten free and dairy free." Then she would be impressed and go on to tell me how she just doesn't have the time, yada, yada.
That did not happen, instead the woman impatiently tapping her foot, interrupted my daydream by asking if I intended to weigh my evaporated cane sugar twice. I apologized and went on my way. Glancing down at the stickers I walked to the checkout. How much was that cup of vegan chocolate? $2.40. I ignore it, and once again resume my role as Melissa, baker extraordinaire, reach the check out and had over an hours worth of work for five measly things.

My second issue with Babycakes? I fail. I am a failure. I have hopelessly failed 4 recipes from the book and semi-succeeded in the pumpkin muffins. That means all that ingredients that I worked so hard to buy is literally washed down the drain. This frustrates the crap out of me! I will admit failure in a few areas of my life, but in the kitchen? Argh!

This is the problem I ran into with the blondies. If you look up the recipe, or have the cookbook, you will notice you are to bake them in mini muffin tins that are greased with coconut oil. I greased, trust me I did! Every single one stuck in the tin. Grr.. So for tin number two I was smart, I greased and I floured. I used brown rice flour because it was the closest thing to me and I was in somewhat of a rage! Luckily they didn't stick this time. They also didn't come out all cute like the picture in the cookbook either. When all was said and done 2 out of 36 came out of the tin presentably. Next time, if there is a next time, I will try muffin cups or something!

My next adventure? The banana bread! I have failed it twice, I REFUSE to give up! It looks so pretty in the picture...

Oh gheez, I really do live in a fantasy land!

Happy Birthday Emily

My Grandma's birthday was this week.
In honor of her big day I am writing this blog and sharing this recipe! :)
When I was a little girl I would spend a week in the summer at my grandparent's little cottage in Canada. The first summer that my parents had me go visit I was a little hesitant. I was seven and had not spent a whole lot of time with my dad's parents. It only took me a day or two to get used to the cabin life. I soon was busing myself with helping my grandma in the kitchen and my grandpa in his garden. I was a very imaginative child and it didn't take long for grandma and grandpa to play along. My Grandma's pretend name was Emily, I was Jennifer and Grandpa was Mr. P. My Grandpa taught me about gardening and driving a boat. My Grandma would get out little trinkets and things that belonged to her as a child. I always felt very special to share that with her. One of my favorites was her child's cookbook called Kitchen Fun. (I recently found my own copy at a thrift store and was ecstatic!) I will never forget my summer's up north, and I hope that my grandparents wont either. I bet they never imagined what they were getting themselves into when their eldest son dropped a scrawny blond seven year old at their doorstep twenty years ago!
I have always had good intentions of writing about my adventures in Canada. I have been wanting to put it into a book for years. As I got older I kept journals of my trips too. Someday...
Well Grandma, (or should I say Emily), this is for you! My favorite recipe from Kitchen Fun, even though it's not gluten free. :( Happy Birthday!