by Dr. Shanthi Thomas
Baking is generally considered anexpensive, time-consuming and labour-intensive activity. However, as manypeople would attest, it is one of the most enjoyable and pleasurable activitiesknown to man. If you don’t agree, just try baking a simple cake one day. Thearoma that fills the house is just heavenly, and the cake melts in your mouth.Avid fans of baking should not get disappointed about the high cost of baking;it is possible to bake without ripping a hole in your pocket. Read on to findsome low-cost baking recipes.
Peanut Butter Cookies
This is an easy-to-bake item that ishealthy to boot! A perfect snack for a rainy evening!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
Directions
- Step 1
In a bowl, creambutter, peanut butter, and sugars together.
- Step 2
Beat in eggs.
- Step 3
Sift flour,baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Step 4
Stir the secondmixture into into butter mixture. Put the dough in the refrigerator for onehour.
- Step 5
Roll the doughinto 1-inch small balls and put on baking sheets. With a fork, flatten eachball, making a crisscross pattern. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 375degrees F oven or until cookies begin to brown.
Your delicious peanut butter cookies areready.
Classic Pound Cake
This classic pound cake takes just seveningredients, all of which are common pantry staples.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pound butter
- softened 3 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1
In a deep bowl,beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until it is creamy. Thebutter will become a lighter yellow color. This is to incorporate air into thebutter so the cake will rise. It will take 1 to 7 minutes.
- Step 2
Add sugar slowly,beating at medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. The butter will nowturn to a fluffy white.
- Step 3
Add eggs, 1 at atime, beating until yellow yolk disappears.
- Step 4
Add flour to thecreamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. It isimportant to beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Thebatter should be smooth and incorporated without lumps.
- Step 5
Stir in thealmond and vanilla extracts.
- Step 6
Pour into10-inch tube pan that has been greased and floured
- Step 7
Bake at apreheated 300° F for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes outclean. Let the cake cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. After removingfrom the pan, cool completely on a wire rack.
Enjoy!
Easy Sugar Cookies
Nothing to beat easy and simple sugarcookies, with or without chocolate mints on top.
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1
Preheat your ovento 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Stir together flour, baking soda, and bakingpowder in a small bowl and set aside.
- Step 2
In a large bowl,cream together the sugar and the butter until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Step 3
Now, graduallyblend in the dry ingredients. Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and placethem onto ungreased cookie sheets.
- Step 4
Bake 8 to 10minutes in the preheated oven until golden. Remove to cool on wire racks.
Muffins
Here is a simple, chocolate chip muffinrecipe, to which you can add fruit, chocolate or nuts.
Ingredients
- 400g self-raising flour
- 2 medium eggs
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 250ml semi-skimmed milk
- 250g golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 100g chocolate chips or dried fruit such as sultanas or dried cherries (optional)
Directions
- Step 1
Heat oven to200C/180C. Line the muffin trays with paper muffin cases. In a large bowl beat twomedium eggs lightly with an electric mixer for one minute
- Step 2
Add thevegetable oil and semi-skimmed milk and beat until just combined.
- Step 3
Add caster sugarand whisk until you have a smooth batter.
- Step 4
Sift in the self-raisingflour and 1 tsp salt then mix until just smooth. Do not over-mix.
- Step 5
Stir in 100gchocolate chips or dried fruit if using.
- Step 6
Fill muffincases till they are two-thirds full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and askewer inserted comes out clean. Leave the muffins to cool for a few minutes,and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In case you want to make chocolate muffins,swap 100g of the self-raising flour for 100g cocoa powder and 1 tsp bakingpowder.
