About 1 in 5 emails that I get from you guys is asking if you can double a recipe to make it serve more. The truth is, I don't test my recipes that way. I only test my recipes in the way you see written. When you guys double or triple the recipes on your own, and write in to tell me it works, I'm ever so grateful. There aren't enough hours in the day for me to both scale down recipes and scale them back up, so thank you for doing that work for me sometimes!
That said, I have been baking up some large batch desserts lately, and I thought you might like to hear about them. I share these recipes over on the Tasty Kitchen Blog. The great thing about looking at recipes over on the TK blog is that the recipes all feature step-by-step photos. If you're timid about baking, let me show you exactly how to make a recipe, step-by-step.
First up, I made a recipe for the World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies are thick, dense, and everything you want them to be. They have the perfect caramel flavor from the brown sugar, and I love that mini chocolate chips get more chocolate in each bite. These cookies were real winners. I was so glad to have a large batch of these puppies!
Next, I got a little daring. I have seen brownies made with black beans on Pinterest for months now. I have a pretty high tolerance for foods that are 'health-ified,' and I was prepared to sacrifice a bit of flavor in order to eat iron-rich black beans in my brownies. But with this recipe, I didn't have to. Hand to God, you can't taste the black beans in these Fudgy Black Bean Brownies. If you don't grind the beans for a very long time in the food processor, you might get a bean skin, and that would be your only indication that these aren't regular brownies. But if you grind them well, you will be rewarded with delicious, healthy chocolate brownies. And a lot of them. This recipe made 24 brownie bites!
I'm so glad I have this recipe in my arsenal.
Last week, I wanted cake. A big cake. Not a tiny 6" cake that served two. I needed more than that. I was looking for a cake that I could have a slice or two of every day at 4:00 with a cup of tea. This Clementine Cake fit the bill so well. It just so happens to be made with some whole wheat flour and yogurt, so I don't feel terribly guilty about enjoying more than one slice. It's one of those cakes that you pour warm syrup over while it's still warm, and you know how good those cakes are!
I hope this helps with your large-batch baking questions! As always, let me know if you have any requests!
Love and cupcakes,
Christina
judy gonzales says
a/ gonna try the black bean brownies for sure. No matter the recipe I always add about 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne. Very subtle. You eat a bite then go, OH!
b/ could you? have you? downsize the clementine cake recipe.
thank you
Shawnna says
Yummy!! Those look oh so delish!!
Chris says
Just made the black bean brownies. They are incredible! I don't have a food processor so used my blender and had to add the applesauce to the black beans to give the beans a way to move in the blender! But turned out great. Thanks!
Jennie @onesweetmess says
Whoa, black bean brownies that taste fudgy and decadent--love! I could eat all of those thick chocolate chip cookies.
Maya Rao says
Can I substitute apple sauce? With what and how much? Thanks
Christina Lane says
For which recipe?
Kit says
My one request for large batch would be to make your Blondies for my Labor Day family picnic in my 9X13 pan. Last summer I made a dessert called caramlitas that everyone was crazy for, but they were just too messy.
But those pecan Blondies of yours... Perfection! I'm afraid things would get mightily fisty if I walked out with a loaf pan though!