Baking in quarantine? Think smaller
You get novelty and a sweet treat!
Hi friends,
I’m popping in today to share something that’s brought me lots of joy in quarantine: small batch baking.
In the before time, I baked on a regular basis, usually with an occasion or recipient in mind. I love bringing some cookies or blondies to a friend and Dale is always thrilled when I come over with some cookies, which he never saves for after dinner.
My first small batch bake came from Smitten Kitchen Every Day (an excellent cookbook). I was flipping through it and saw this recipe for two cookies. Deb referred to them as her house cookie and I made them immediately. They were perfect for our evening of tv watching. I’ve made those cookies many times since and they really succeed in two ways: they’re so good and they use minimal amounts of key ingredients. Side note if you live with more than two people: you can make smaller cookies with the same recipe and get up to six. You can also switch up the mix ins with nuts and other dried fruits.
Baking in a small batch helps converse items like eggs, flour, and butter that might be in short supply. It also allows you to make more items from the same pantry. If I’m avoiding the grocery store, I’d rather bake 3 different things than one big batch of something. In our house, we’ve been running of out chocolate chips constantly because they’re a perfect snack and baking ingredient.
This brings me to novelty, which is in short supply these days. I miss spending my days in different parts of the city, trying new restaurants, eavesdropping and working at a coffeeshop and meeting new people. If I can bake something in a unique format (brownies in a loaf pan, 2 big cookies in a brownie pan, etc) it offers some much needed newness after over two months of being inside.
I talked about this on Instagram and got a brilliant comment from Steph about another approach to small batch baking: keeping cookie dough in the freezer to bake off a few at a time. To do this, form extra dough into balls and freeze in a single layer for about a half hour so they don’t stick together. Then throw them into a labeled ziploc bag. Frozen dough bakes up the same, just sprinkle on some flakey salt before baking and check for doneness (they sometimes need an extra minute). I’ve done this for years and it’s the best treat.
Sometimes you “forget” there’s cookie dough in the freezer and then you find it behind a bag of frozen peas and your day is made. Especially now, I couldn’t think of a better gift to give yourself. I also enjoy making a big batch of banana chocolate chip or pumpkin chocolate muffins and freezing them individually. Warmed in the microwave, the chocolate chips melt for a delightful breakfast or treat.
Here are some small batch bakes to try:
-Brownies in a loaf pan (can confirm that coconut oil works instead of butter)/If you have chocolate you can also try these
-Cupcakes with one stick of butter (includes frosting and perfect for a birthday)
-Single serving banana chocolate chip pancakes
Let me know if you give these recipes a try or if you’re making others!
I hope you have a good weekend and can safely spend some time outside.
xo, Abigail
P.S. Next week’s bonus edition will be another Q&A (see last month’s here). Submit your questions about cooking, restaurants, newsletters, or anything else you’d like to know via email or on Instagram!