Since most of us are stuck at home, let’s soothe our sadness with baking, shall we?
I grew up baking, as in, there are pictures of me on a chair in the kitchen with flour covering me head to toe. Thankfully, my baking skills have matured a lot since those days and while I still get flour everywhere, I can use a real oven instead of an EasyBake. Everything is edible too, just to make that clear! That love of baking has also become my coping method when I am super stressed. If you come over during finals week, there is probably a plate full of cookies on the counter and a bag waiting to go in my backpack. Dealing with this virus is stressful for all of us and so I believe everyone should take a page out of my handbook and make some sweets because frankly, we could all use a few bites of happiness. So, pull out your measuring cups, preheat your oven, and make sure you lick the bowl after all five of these quarantine recipes.
Ginger Molasses Cookies
I decided to start off with my favorite, molasses cookies. This recipe is one that I found on Pinterest and tweaked a little bit so feel free to follow the recipe with, or without, my suggestions. These cookies are great year-round and taste like soft pillows of happiness and cinnamon. The last time I made them I ate at least five or six a day and you’ll probably want to do the same. When it comes to the recipe, I followed all of the measurements except for the spices. We really like cinnamon at my house, so I added it extra of all of them to balance it out. The big change I make, however, is adding either these ginger candies from Walmart, or candied ginger into the dough. Candied ginger is WAY easier but can often be expensive and/or hard to find compared to the candies. The results are different, but both are delicious. I also recommend making the dough the night before because it has to chill for a few hours and waiting is the worst.
Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes
I never find gluten-free recipes in articles that have multiple recipes, but this is my article so here’s one for those of you who can’t have gluten or dairy! My mom is gluten intolerant and I have friends who either have a gluten intolerance or Celiac disease, so I have seen how hard it is to find good gluten-free foods, especially baked goods. The great thing about this recipe is that it is a vanilla cupcake which basically makes it a blank slate. You can add any flavor of frosting, or add in a filling, or even different flavors. The sky is your limit honestly!
No-Bake Cookies
Okay, I know this recipe goes against the baking theme but they’re delicious and easy. No-bake cookies were one of the first cookies I learned to make because they’re not as exact as regular cookies so they’re pretty foolproof. There are plenty of recipes floating around the internet, but this is the one I always follow. Also, this recipe has no eggs in it so there is no reason to not lick the bowl when you’re done. They also freeze super well, so they last a lot longer than any other cookie which is perfect if you live with picky people!
Snickerdoodles
The last time I made these cookies I think I ate half of the batch in one day, they’re that good. Similar to the molasses cookies, I put extra cinnamon in these but that’s up to you. These are one of the softest cookies I have ever eaten, they practically melt in your mouth. I am extremely picky when it comes to snickerdoodles because they’re another one of my favorite cookies. I have had some good ones and some bad ones, but these are hands down the best. It’s the cookie equivalent to curling up in a comfy chair next to a fire. If you have siblings, are babysitting, or have kids of your own, it’s easy to get them involved by putting them in charge of rolling the dough into balls and covering them in sugar!
Honey Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins
This recipe is a hard-left turn from the rest of them but stay with me. Since they’re on the savory side, these muffins go great on their own or as a side for lunch or dinner. Sometimes after you eat a bunch of sweet things, you need a bit of a break which is why I made this the last recipe. These muffins are sweet and a little bit spicy, so they pair well with barbeque, chili, soup, etc. Honestly, they would be great for breakfast too!
Hopefully, you now have a few ideas of what to whip up in the kitchen to satisfy the sweet tooth that is sure to pop up. Just remember to wash your hands, don’t get any eggshells in the dough or batter, and always lick the bowl!
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