As an avid baker and experimenter in the kitchen, one of my favorite things to do is to surf through new recipes online and test them out. Being away from the kitchen, I’m currently missing some of my favorite things to bake at home.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls – Cinnamon rolls are one of my absolute favorite desserts. During quarantine with extra time on my hands, I decided to try making them from scratch. I found a recipe online that doesn’t require yeast, and it was AMAZING. They were that good that I made them a second time. The only negative is that making them is a little bit messy and it takes a significant amount of time to prepare. If you have the time, I would definitely recommend trying it out (https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/quick-easy-no-yeast-cinnamon-rolls/).
Snickerdoodles – This recipe is probably my favorite cookie recipe. I love snickerdoodles, and these really hit the spot. These are quick and easy to make, and the recipe makes a lot of dough. If you have extra dough, you can wrap it in saran wrap and keep it in the fridge to make another time. Usually, I keep some extra dough in the fridge and use it like slice-and-bake dough. They’re especially delicious when they’re warm and served with vanilla ice cream (https://tasty.co/recipe/the-best-soft-and-chewy-snickerdoodle-cookies).
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – A quarantine classic, chocolate chip banana bread was a hit for my family. Personally, I’m not a banana bread fan so I can’t comment on the taste. However, according to my family, the best recipe (I tested multiple) was this AllRecipes.com chocolate chip banana bread recipe (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/230482/banana-chocolate-chip-bread/).
Devil’s Food Cake Mix Cookies – Although this recipe isn’t entirely homemade, these cookies are great and are easy to make if you’re in a rush. These are made using Devil’s Food Cake Mix, but instead of following the cake recipe on the box, the recipe is slightly changed to make it a dough instead of a cake mix. These cookies come out soft and are perfect when topped with powdered sugar (https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/cake-mix-chocolate-cookies/b181b72f-4126-4796-b851-e2be6b33a440).
Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cake Mix Cookies – Another cake mix cookie recipe, and this one is to die for. If you’re a cookies ‘n’ cream fan like me, these cookies are for you. These cookies use white cake mix, and with a small change in ingredients, the cake mix becomes dough. After making the dough, Oreos are crushed in. These are easy to make and so worth the time (https://tasty.co/recipe/cookies-n-cream-cake-mix-cookies).
Homemade Black & White Cookies – As a true lover of black and white cookies, I simply had to try making them from scratch. The result was good, not great. The cookies themselves came out nicely; however, the frosting wasn’t my favorite. I usually like the white side of the cookie, but for these the chocolate frosting was much better than the vanilla. If I was to make these again, I would probably try a different frosting recipe (https://www.food.com/recipe/new-york-city-black-and-white-cookies-180805).
At-Home Levain Bakery Cookies – The famous Levain Bakery in NYC supposedly has the best chocolate chip cookies. I have never been able to eat Levain cookies because of my peanut and tree nut allergy (all of their cookies have nuts in them). So, when I found this recipe for DIY Levain cookies, I was excited to try it. They came out really well, but since they’re homemade they definitely take some time. Sometimes it’s just easier to use slice-and-bake dough. If you’re going to try these, I’d recommend using Ghirardelli chocolate chips (https://www.modernhoney.com/levain-bakery-chocolate-chip-crush-cookies/).