Thought Of Annual Bake Sale Makes Strong Woman Crumble

My sister called me in a panic the other day.  The elementary school PTA is planning a fundraiser bake sale, and Sis is one of the designated bakers.  Now, my sister is many things, but a baker is not one of them.  When we were kids, our Mom tried to teach us the finer points of baking, but Sis was always more into licking the spoon than learning how to make the perfect meringue.  I, on the other hand, have evolved into a pretty decent baker, if I do say so myself.  I love collecting cookbooks, and scouring magazines for new recipes to try.

Sis didn’t have the time for this. She also didn’t want to exhaust a lot of energy (or money) into something that would possibly (i.e., probably) flop, leaving her without any baked goods to sell at the bake sale.  This, she assured me, would be social suicide with the PTA.  So, I assured her there was an easy way to prepare goodies that everyone will love, without spending tons of money to impress the PTA, either.  It was time for me to pull out all the stops—and the cookbooks.

Everyone has a box of cake or brownie mix in the cabinet somewhere. It’s easy to turn those mixes into decadent treats with a recipe from the Cake Mix Cookie cookbook or the Brownie Bliss cookbook.  Every recipe in the book starts with a box mix that you transform into something really special with a minimum of added ingredients. They’ll never guess it came from a box. Bake them in the custom Brownie Edge pan, and every square will have those crunchy edges everyone loves.

For some really creative cakes with a professional look, you can’t go wrong with the Cut Up Cakes book.  Simple recipes using one or two cake pans and some clever cuts with a knife result in cakes that will have the PTA begging for your secret.  It’s your choice as to whether you tell them, or brush them off with a calculated remark like, “Well, it’s all very complicated and I just couldn’t reveal Great-Aunt Tildy’s recipe!”

And for the coup de grace… Jaw-dropping cupcake creations, all made with the help of the Hello, Cupcake cookbook.  Now, I am not one to gloat, but if you bring in a plate of confectionary masterpieces like these, you are going to get top dollar AND the PTA prez will be left crying over her boring (and now-soggy) oatmeal raisin cookies.  No super-baking skills or equipment are necessary—I promise!

Wow, all this talk about baking has really inspired me. I think I’ll head to the kitchen and whip up a batch of something special to donate to that bake sale.  Hey Sis, want to lick the spoon?

Your “Gourmet Goodies” Gift Guru,

Linda

Posted by Linda at 8:37 AM  | Monday, February 9, 2009