During quarantine, baking transformed into a favorite pastime for many. Exploring the world of culinary art is an adventure; you must experience trial and error before mastering your craft, but once you do, the feeling is gratifying. My favorite homemade desserts are banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, and birthday cake cupcakes. Below are the amazing recipes and some tips to help make your desserts reach the next level. Enjoy!
1. Banana Bread:
Banana bread is one of my favorite treats. The moistness, complexity of flavors, and perfect hint of sweetness makes this treat utterly delicious. It is no wonder why they call this the “Best Banana Bread Recipe”— it has almost 1200 reviews and 4.99 stars! If you would like, you can substitute the butter for coconut oil and the sugar for maple syrup or honey. The chocolate chips and walnuts are completely optional, but I highly recommend adding them to the bread for a sweet/crunchy combination.
Link to recipe: https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/best-banana-bread-recipe/
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
Although chocolate chip cookies are very simple —some would even argue boring— you can never go wrong with this staple. Bring these cookies to any social event, and trust me, they will always be a hit!
Here is my family’s famous recipe:
10 cookies per serving, preheat oven to 350 degrees:
1 cup, 2 tbsp of all purpose flour
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ white sugar
½ tsp baking soda
MIX
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick of butter (soft, but not liquidy)
MIX & ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS
3. Birthday Cake Cupcakes
Are you in a time crunch? Need a last minute dessert idea? If so, this recipe is for you! In only 35 minutes, you can bake a scrumptious dessert that will leave you aching for more. This treat is great for beginners and pairs well with buttercream frosting. While this recipe only makes enough cupcakes for four people, you can multiply the measurements to make more.
Pro Tip: Be sure to fill your cupcake batter very high in your liners. This is the best way to ensure that your cupcakes will be large and dense. If you underfill the liners, the cupcakes will not reach their full potential!