Baking can be a bit intimidating for first-timers out there. Even if you feel like a Greek tragedy every time you turn the oven on, there are recipes out there to get you started off easy.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/8cups all-purpose flour
½teaspoon baking soda
½teaspoon salt
12tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
½cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
10 ounces caramel candy squares(unwrapped)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Fleur de sel (or other sea salt, for sprinkling over caramel and bars)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square pan and line with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
    Using an electric mixer, mix together the melted butter and sugars on medium speed until combined.
  3. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramels and heavy cream. Microwave on high until the caramels are melted, stirring every 20 seconds. This will take about 2 minutes.
  5. Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Pour the hot caramel over the dough cookie dough and spread into an even layer, leaving about ½ inch around the border. Sprinkle the caramel with sea salt. Drop the remaining cookie dough in spoonfuls over the caramel and gently spread the dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered. Sprinkle the bars with additional sea salt.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes to allow the caramel layer to set. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Easy Cinnabon Monkey Bread

Ingredients

3 cans Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls dough
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey (or you could use Cinnabon syrup if you can get your hands on it)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400º. Grease a bundt pan well, and set aside.
    Combine cinnamon and sugar in a large zip to bag.
  2. Open the cans of cinnamon roll dough. Cut each cinnamon roll in 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place about half of them into the zip top bag. Shake to coat the dough.
  3. Place the coated dough balls in the bundt pan. Place the remaining dough balls into the bag and repeat coating. Place all of the dough in the bundt pan.
  4. In a small bowl, microwave the butter, brown sugar, and honey for 1 minute. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the dough balls in the bundt pan.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until dough on the outside is brown and the center feels “set” when you lightly push on it.
  6. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and then invert onto a plate. Drizzle Cinnabon frosting over top before serving.

Easy Summer Peach Cake Recipe

Ingredients for Peach Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used organic un-bleached) *measured correctly
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temp
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
4 ripe medium peaches (about 1 lb), pitted, peeled and sliced into cubes (You should have 2 1/4 cups chopped peaches)
Confectioners Sugar for dusting

Instructions

Heat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat together 1 1/2 sticks butter with 1 cup sugar on med/high speed until fluffy (4-5 minutes).
3. Beat in 3 large eggs, 1 at a time allowing them to incorporate into the batter before adding the next egg then continue mixing another minute on med/high speed. Once mixture is well blended, beat in 1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. I forgot the photograph the zest and vanilla so don’t forget it.
4. Set your stand mixer to low and beat in your flour mixture just until blended.
5. Dice peaches then use a spatula to fold them into your batter just until evenly dispersed then transfer batter to your prepared springform pan and bake in the center of the oven at 350˚F for 1 hour and 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temp before sprinkling the top with confectioners sugar.
Serve with tea. You can leave it at room temperature overnight if you want to serve it the next day. Sprinkle powdered sugar just before serving.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups grated carrots
FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Orange and green food coloring, optional

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and oil. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; beat into egg mixture. Stir in carrots.
  2. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
  3. For frosting, in another large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar. Add enough milk to achieve desired spreading consistency. Reserve 1/2 cup frosting for decorating if desired. If desired, stir walnuts into remaining frosting.
  4. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. If decorating the cake, tint 1/4 cup reserved frosting orange and 1/4 cup green. Cut a small hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag; insert #7 round pastry tip. Fill the bag with orange frosting. Pipe twelve carrots on top of cake, so each slice will have a carrot. Using #67 leaf pastry tip and the green frosting, pipe a leaf at the top of each carrot.
  5. Store cake in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

INSTRUCTIONS
1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese (measure it by smooshing it into a 1/4-cup measure), sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use an electric hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Add chocolate chips and chunks, and beat momentarily to incorporate, or fold in by hand.
4. Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds (I made 28). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
5. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or spray with cooking spray and place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
6. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool.
7. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
8. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Source : Bustle

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