With Thanksgiving behind us, we’re officially into Holiday Season, which is obvious because every television commercial features Santa and the décor at my local CVS became a blur of red overnight. There are also Christmas trees lining every street corner and my inbox is filled with frantic subject lines urging me to use my 25% percent off codes before they expire. It’s frankly all a bit overwhelming. But luckily, it’s also Baking Season, which is my favorite time of year.
If you’re reading this, then you made it. Through several days in the kitchen, through entertaining family members, through traveling to wherever you were going and probably back again. I’d imagine that, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably still exhausted. You deserve a muffin.
Don’t get me wrong – I love to cook. I love planning menus and the thrill of getting food on the table in time for dinner, or maybe not in time, which often happens, and eating it at 10pm instead. But my real true love in the kitchen is baking, as evidenced by the golden photo I have included at the bottom of this post for your viewing pleasure. Growing up, I had approximately zero interest in helping my mother make dinner, but was always up for a baking project. Baking, you see, is magic – I mean, it’s science, but as an adult, pulling out a tray of perfect scones from the oven still makes me gasp in wonder.
Several months ago I purchased the beautiful Bouchon Bakery cookbook, but until recently had only gotten as far as examining all of the inspiring photographs in great detail. Not that I ever really wing anything, but I just felt like if I were to undertake one of the venerable Thomas Keller’s recipes, I’d have to be really committed to doing it right. A few weekends ago, I suddenly had the urge to bake something a little more involved. Something more than throwing cookie ingredients into a stand mixer. Something requiring the careful following of instructions and attention to detail. Something that would create a delicious batter for me to lick out of the bowl.
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