Tonight I was watching Christmas Cookie Challenge on the Food Network. I am a huge sucker for all of the baking competition shows. I LOVE baking! It is one of my favorite hobbies / passions. I used to bake all of the time, but over the last year or so I just haven’t been able to find the time (getting married, getting pregnant, and having a baby does that). This makes me very sad. Watching the show tonight, made me really miss baking.
In an effort to pick this hobby back up again, I started reminiscing on some of my favorite bakes. I thought I would share some of them with you guys. Feel free to check them out below:
I am also obsessed with my baking / kitchen tools. Who doesn’t love a KitchenAid Stand Mixer? Seriously? It has to be my favorite tools to use in the kitchen. These things are meant to last a couple of lifetimes. About two years ago, I found silicone baking mats. I wish I knew about these when I first started baking. These things are amazing to use, especially when you like to bake cookies. They also make clean up a breeze. It is really important to have good quality cooling racks on hand. You need at least two of these, but if you bake large batches of items, get more. I have like 6 of them. If you are a cake / cupcake baker, you must invest in piping (or pastry) bags. I love the disposable piping bags. Bonus Tip – Order them in bulk and get a larger size than you need. I usually go for the middle size (18 inches). The larger sizes allows for excess space to twist your bag so stuff doesn’t ooze out. Trust me on this one ;-). Those are some of my favorite baking tools. There are so many neat items out there. For the past 5-6 years, my husband has bought or thrown in some sort of baking related item when he gives me gifts. I love it!
If you’re interested in baking, check out some of the top baking channels on YouTube for cool videos. Here is an article on the top 5 bakers on YouTube. There are literately thousands out there on the web. I am more of a ‘find a recipe or try to create a recipe, and make it on the spot’ type of baker.
About a year and a half ago, I was asked by someone what was my favorite thing to bake. In that moment, I didn’t have an answer immediately. I had to think about it. I had never really thought about it and it caught me off guard. The more I thought about it though, I realized my favorite thing to bake is, cookies. I was happy to be asked that question because it allowed me to really think about it. Cookies are just fun to make. You can do so many creative things with them. They are even more fun with family, friends or especially kids.
One of the unfortunate side effects of baking is the actual baked treats being available at your house ALL THE TIME. I have to make sure I share them with my friends, family and coworkers. My poor husband (or maybe lucky, ha), has had to be the first taste tester on a lot of my bakes. Baking brings me so much joy. Not only when people enjoy something you made, or ask you to make something for them, but the actual process itself. There is something just very calming to me about baking. If I had to say I had a hobby, this would definitely be it.
My husband and I started a low carb / Keto diet on November 3rd (my birthday). This poses a slight challenge with my love of baking. I haven’t decided if I will focus on low carb / Keto baking, regular baking or a combination of both. Either way, my kitchen will be smelling amazing in the near future. Stayed tuned on my blog for baking updates / recipes.