Dear Annie,

Winter is here in full force, and I’m quite delighted. I love the brisk cold weather, and snow-days are amazing.  Every year, all the cold weather makes me hanker to start baking something sweet. I love to cook, and my mom is always more than happy to buy any supplies I need. I have a problem, though. There are so many mouth-watering recipes out there that I can never decide which ones to try. Do you have any tips on how to spot a good recipe?

Sincerely,

Indecisive Baker

A: Dear Indecisive,

     Creating in the kitchen can be a fun and productive way to pass the time. As you said, there are tons of fabulous recipes out there, and you can’t make them all. You need to narrow your options a bit. First, decide how many recipes you want to realistically bake during a normal week. Make it a goal to have the next week’s recipes picked out on the Sunday before it starts.  That way, you can spend your free time during the week BAKING and not worrying about what you should make.

      When it comes to actually deciding on a recipe, you can run any dessert that catches your fancy through a series of questions to help you determine whether it really is one that is worth making or if it is one you should probably pass up.  Here are a few examples of the types of questions to ask:

1. How Long Will It Take?  If you are planning on spending six hours during a week baking, and you plan to make three recipes, anything that would take more than two hours to prep, bake, and clean up is out of the question for that week.

2. Will It Be Difficult to Make? Especially when you are starting out, don’t try to do more than one really complicated recipe per week. If you do, you may end up exhausted and burnt out on cooking. (No pun intended.)

3. Who Will Eat It? If you go to all the trouble of making a lovely dessert, you want to make sure it gets eaten. Check with your parents, siblings, and friends to see what kind of sweets they enjoy.  This is guaranteed to help narrow your options. Remember, not everyone has to like everything you make, but it is always better if at least SOME of your family and friends will enjoy your sweet creation with you.

4. What Are Your Favorites? Are there any recipes that you have tried at a restaurant or a friend’s house and then wished you could make at home? The Internet is a great resource for finding recipes, but if you do not know what you are looking for, it can be a little overwhelming. Try googling the name of a favorite dish. It will narrow your search field, and you may find a way to create your favorite restaurant dessert at home.

     I hope that these tips help you with your recipe selection. Happy baking, and I’ll see you next month!

     Sincerely,

     Annie

Do you have any recipes or baking tips for our readers? Would you like to see your question in an upcoming issue of the Brighton Star?? Submit your opinions and questions to Ask Annie @ askannieatbrighton@gmail.com▲