Since returning home from campus due to COVID-19, I have been spending much more time cooking and baking. I have been experimenting with a variety of recipes from cookbooks and online as a way to stay busy in the house. Here are some that I tried that were easy and delicious, and hopefully offer some inspiration for a project at home during this uncertain time.
- Brown Sugar Walnut Bars
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These bars are both easy and don’t require much of any one ingredient, which is helpful when trying to limit trips to the grocery store. I melted some milk chocolate and drizzled it over the bars before they cooled as an addition that definitely made them sweeter, but they’re still not too filling or heavy.
- Blueberry Earl Grey Blueberry Muffins
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I added some earl grey instead of nutmeg to my blueberry muffins, but I particularly like the lemon with the blueberry. To add earl grey, I simply poured the contents of one unused tea bag to the mixture.
- Oatmeal Pecan Scones
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These scones are both a treat and an addition to breakfast. They’re filled pretty well with the oatmeal and pecans, but they’re not heavy. You can also make a lighter glaze with some cinnamon, water and powdered sugar—which is what I did!
- Apricot Pistachio Bars
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These are easy bars to make that are both filling and relatively healthy. For a similar version, simply put the apricots, oatmeal, honey and chopped pistachios in a food processor, spread the mixture into a square pan and refrigerate to set. White chocolate isn’t a bad addition to these bars either.
- Earl Grey Orange Meringues
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These meringues have a unique and delicious taste, and they are a very light treat. If you don’t have cornstarch or cream of tartar, it’s not necessary—I left both out, and the texture was perfect.
- Vanilla Pecan Meringues
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There’s no recipe for these, but I based it off of the earl grey orange meringue recipe. I used the same amounts of sugar, egg white and vanilla extract, and I completed the recipe in the same format. I simply added chopped pecans and vanilla bean where the other recipe adds earl grey tea leaves and orange zest. Again, they’re easy, and they maintained the light fluffy texture of the original recipe.
- Lemon Coconut Muffins
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These muffins are an easy snack or breakfast treat. If you don’t have lemon extract, vanilla extract is an easy substitute. I made these with unsweetened coconut, but the muffins themselves aren’t too sugary, so sweetened coconut would also work just as well.
Baking is a simple and accessible outlet for stress, especially when there aren’t many opportunities to participate in normal hobbies during quarantine. I hope these recipes offer some inspiration for another outlet while we’re all at home!