GENRE: Cookbooks/Baking
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: A-
FROM PUBLISHER: Named by Huffington Post as one of the "Top 10 Food Blogs to Watch" in 2013, Sally's Baking Addiction has skyrocketed in popularity since its inception in late 2011. Baking addict and food blogger, Sally McKenney loves to bake. Her famous Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies won Nestle's Dark Chocolate contest in 2013, and now, in her first cookbook, Sally shares her baking secrets with fans everywhere.
Try her No-Bake Peanut Butter Banana Pie, her delectable Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Cupcakes, or her yummy Marshmallow Swirl S'mores Fudge. Featuring a brand new selection of desserts and treats, the Sally's Baking Addiction Cookbook is fully illustrated and offers 75 scrumptious recipes for indulging your sweet tooth--including a chapter of healthier dessert options for those who follow a vegan or gluten-free lifestyle. With dozens of simple, easy-to-follow recipes, you get all of the sweet with none of the fuss!
THINGS I'VE BAKED
DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE
This isn't moist at all. It's dense and very dry. This went into the trash can after eating just one piece. I made half the recipe in an 8" square pan and it baked in 18 minutes. The toothpick came out with moist crumbs on it so I know the dryness wasn't due to overbaking. The full recipe only has three tablespoons of milk in it. I followed the recipe and I'm convinced the lack of milk in the recipe is what ruined it. The frosting is good but that's the only positive thing about this. I made half the frosting and used just 2 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, which was about three tablespoons less than called for, and less milk. Anymore and it would have been too bitter for my liking.
PEANUT BUTTER CHUNK OATMEAL BARS
These are pretty good. They use chunky peanut butter, old fashioned oats, mini semisweet chocolate chips, milk, and a few other things. No egg. They're not too sweet. They're made in an 8" square pan. I cut mine into six bars, not twelve. I didn't make the chocolate peanut butter drizzle for the top. I think I'd like these better with creamy peanut butter instead of crunchy because the peanuts fall out when you take a piece off with the fork.
FROSTED SUGAR COOKIES
I wish you knew how good these are. I added about 3/4 teaspoon of lemon extract to the dough because I'm obsessed with lemon sugar cookies. I didn't make frosting for these but rolled the dough balls in granulated sugar instead. I got 25 dough balls using a 1 1/2" diameter/1 tablespoon scoop. I chilled the dough an hour, stirring once halfway, which is how long it took for the dough to be firm enough to scoop out without the dough sticking to the scoop.
These are excellent with lemon added. I baked the first batch for 10 1/2 minutes and the next batch for 11 minutes because the first batch wasn't crunchy enough. The dough spread out nicely and produced a cookie that's got some thickness to it. They're crunchy on the outside and chewy, not cakey, on the inside. The bottoms are a deep golden color. I have nothing bad to say about these. This alone is truly worth the price of the book. You could roll the dough in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar too.
When I baked the last six, for some reason they didn't spread out as much as the two other batches though they were baked on the same temperature, in the same oven, and the dough sat at room temperature for fifteen minutes like before. Go figure!
OATMEAL SCOTCHIES
Theses cookies taste very good but mine didn't spread out much, only by about 1/2"-3/4". I used mini semisweet chocolate chips in place of butterscotch and I omitted the cinnamon. I made just half the recipe and got 27 dough balls using a 1 1/2" diameter/1 tablespoon scoop. They baked in 10 minutes. To the rest of the dough, I warmed it slightly in the microwave and spread each dough ball out slightly with my fingers on the cookie sheet. They baked up nicely that way and looked normal. They need more salt.
CHUNKY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Excellent recipe. I didn't press down on the cookies with the tines of a fork to make the criss cross pattern before baking. The recipe uses salted butter and no added salt. I used unsalted butter and added 1/4 teaspoon of salt but they needed a bit more. I didn't add peanuts either. The cookies are very sweet. I got 31 dough balls using a 1 1/2" diameter/1 tablespoon scoop. I had to chill the dough for 2 1/2 hours before it was firm enough to use the scoop.
With the first batch I flattened the dough balls slightly because I was scared they wouldn't spread out. I baked them for ten minutes. They spread out too much for my liking. I wanted the second batch crunchier so I baked for eleven minutes and I didn't flatten them at all. The cookies were crunchy on the outside and chewy inside and they looked great.
BROWN SUGAR MARBLE POUND CAKE
This is very, very moist. It's made with vegetable oil and equal parts sugar and brown sugar. It tastes a bit off and I can't taste the chocolate much. I made my own chocolate frosting for it. I made half the recipe in a 1 qt. loaf pan. It baked in 53 minutes. I also doubled the salt to 1/4 teaspoon but it's not enough. I also used less vanilla extract. I wouldn't make this again. It looks good but doesn't taste so great.
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS
These muffins are made with vegetable oil, yogurt, and cocoa powder and require no mixer, just a large bowl and spoon. I made half the recipe and got nine standard size muffins using a 1/4 c. measuring cup to measure out the batter for each. I used muffin liners and the muffins didn't stick to them at all when I peeled them off.
I didn't bake these at a very high temperature for five minutes then lower the temperature like I was supposed to do. I just baked them on 350 degrees F for 18 minutes. They're very moist and not too sweet. I did add vanilla extract though the recipe called for none. I used mini semisweet chocolate chips. These needed a pinch more salt. I love the way they look, with the cracks on top and I would definitely make these again.
MY THOUGHS: This is a very nice hardcover book that has a photo of every recipe but not always one of the finished product, with the oatmeal scotchies being an example of that. At the time of this review I've made seven recipes. All but two of them turned out good. The sugar cookies and peanut butter cookies are truly great recipes with the sugar cookies being the most versatile since you can add anything to the dough- nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, ect. There's a great variety of flavors too, like peanut butter, apple, chocolate, caramel.
I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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