Lane - Dessert for two: small batch cookies, brownies, pies and cakes

Copyright 2015 by Christina Lane

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-1-581-57284-1

ISBN: 978-1-581-57617-7 (e-book)

Published by The Countryman Press,

P.O. Box 748, Woodstock, VT 05091

Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company,

Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

Book Design by Natalie Olsen, Kisscut Design

Dessert for Two

I wish to dedicate this book to my family. Although we are shrinking in size, we are growing in love each day. Mom, Dad, Keith, Keiton, Kennedi, Karson, Granny, Rod, the North Carolina clan, the Palmer, Texas clan, the Georgia group, and the Indiana folks. Im so lucky I have so many people to say I love you to.

To my husband, Brian. Thank you for accepting me for who I am. Thank you for believing me when I say I want to accomplish something. Thank you for pushing me toward my goals, telling me to work harder, and for withholding sympathy when I didnt deserve it. And most of all, thank you for being official taste tester #1. I look forward to many years of petite chocolate cakes with you. You have my whole heart.

And to my mom and Ivi, whose love and support make everything possible.

And to my dad who made me believe I can do absolutely anything I want to do in life. Youve given me confidence, strength, and advice throughout the years that has never left me. I hope Im making you proud.

BARS
Brownies, Blondies, Crispy Rice Things, and More!

CAKES
Cupcakes, Cheesecakes, and Layer Cakes

SOUTHERN DELIGHTS
Pies, Cobblers, and Puddings

CANDY
Small Batches for a Small Sweet Tooth

Howdy! Im pleased to make your acquaintance. I truly am.

Let me brush the coffee cake crumbs off the kitchen table so you and I can have a set and get to know each other. First and foremost, Im a Texan. Second, my name is Christina.

I was born and raised just outside Dallas and I come from a long line of hardworking farmers. My maternal grandparents were cotton farmers in north Texas, and my dads family grew tobacco in the Carolinas. Southern food and farming runs through my veins like white whiskey.

In 2006, I left Texas to live in California. The first house I lived in was a tiny one-bedroom house with a yard bigger than the house and a basement that flooded each winter. I worked all day at my dream job (in agriculture, of course), and then came home and worked all night on my Masters thesis. It was quite the load. To help me get through epic writing sessions at night, I ate dessert. I craved every kind of dessert Id ever known growing up. On Monday night, I craved a devils food cake made tender with the addition of mayonnaise. On Tuesday night, it was my moms Ranger Cookies made with crunchy cornflakes. Wednesday morning, you could find me calling my mom at work, begging for another one of my grandmothers recipes.

However, I had no one to help me eat these desserts. If I made four dozen cookies, I would surely eat all four dozen. I had an idea to take regular recipes and scale them down to make fewer servings. My first attempts at reducing Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake to two small ramekins were disastrous: eggy and sunken in the middle. Baking is a science, and you just cant switch around ingredients and pan sizes willy-nilly. But little by little, I made progress: plain chocolate chip cookies were mastered (the perfect butter-to-flour ratio took months). That basic cookie recipe is the foundation for all other cookie recipes. I mastered four vanilla cupcakes and made many variations. One day, I came across a 6-inch cake pan at the hobby store, and rushed home to use it. It was then that I knew Dessert for Two was not just a passion; it was going to be a big part of my life.

I hope these recipes for small batches of desserts satisfy your cravings just right. I hope married couples put this book to use and grow closer cup of chocolate chips at a time. I hope this book is a welcome addition to empty nesters: a way to still have dessert without the leftovers. And most of all, to everyone who lives alone: You should have your own personal-size cake and eat it, too.

Christina Lane

February, 2015

To make dessert for two, you may find you need some special equipment. Please dont feel as though you have to go out and buy every shape and size pan I use. Try to use what you have and if an alternative size other than the one I have listed works for you, great!

Youve heard it before, but it bears repeating: Baking is a science. Measuring ingredients precisely is essential for success. This is even more pivotal in small-batch baking. One-eighth of a teaspoon might seem like nothing, but it is imperative to be precise.

Measuring

Kitchen scale

I have given many of my recipe ingredients in spoons/cups and weights. Baking by weight is more precise, plus it uses less dishes. Invest in a good kitchen scale with the ability to tare out the weight of your bowl. Youll use it more than you think.

Measuring cups

Im sure you have some of these lying around.

Measuring spoons

You will need a set of measuring spoons that goes down to teaspoon. If it also has teaspoon, even better. These will be getting a lot of work in your kitchen.

Glass measuring cup

This is what you measure liquids in. Not for dry ingredients.

Bakeware

6-inch pie pan

A 6- to 7-inch pie pan works great for my mini pie recipes. Typically, a 6-inch pie pan will measure 6 inches in diameter on the bottom but will flare out to 7 inches on top. I prefer an oven-safe glass pie pan so I can monitor the browning of the crust. The glass one in this book is my grandmothers, and I love it dearly.

6inch round cake pan

Essential for mini cakes. This pan is easy to find at craft or hobby stores, because its technically the top layer of a wedding cake. (In our case, its the only layer.)

4 -inch round mini springform pan