I dabbled in knitting and made a few hats for select family members, but that pastime doesn’t come close to the enjoyment I feel when I bake a cake for a family dinner or bring in a tray of brownies to the hungry masses at work.  Baking relaxes me.  I put my headphones on, turn up some old-school 1990’s punk rock music (it’s the same music I use to run), and belt out lyrics as I mix ingredients one by one.

Many people say baking is a form of science, but I see it as art.  They think you have to measure every ingredient methodically and exactly or you will end up with a disaster.  Baking, unlike cooking, doesn’t allow you to test the stages of your creation while you are working.  You have to wait to see how the final product comes out.  I am more adventurous with how I cook.  I never measure certain ingredients like cinnamon or vanilla.  Some recipes I make will never come out precisely the same way twice.  I learn from my first bake and alter the mixture from there.

Talia’s Modified Baker’s Chocolate Brownies:

1 ½ sticks of butter

4 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate

1 ¾ cups sugar

1 cup of flour

3 eggs

Vanilla

Add peanut butter, chocolate chips, M & Ms or any other candy for a little treat.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Melt butter and chocolate.  Add sugar and flour followed by the eggs.  Mix in vanilla.  Lastly, add your extra candy before pouring batter into a pan.  I like to line my pan with non stick aluminum foil.  Pour batter in to a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Bake for roughly 35 minutes or until the smell emanating from the oven starts to make you hungry!

I often feel that I am similar to my brownies. Liked by many (often because I bring the goodies to eat), I am sweet, but I never use (and I am not) saccharine.  I love being inventive with my brownies.  Currently, I am waiting for the right audience to taste a peanut butter and jelly cake using brownies.  You can tell my mood by what I add to the brownie batter.  Sometimes, I swirl in peanut butter and peanut butter chips.  I love the salt that makes an appearance, much like my snarky remarks that might be somewhat unexpected if you do not know me well.

Now and again, I want to show a totally different side of myself and take a totally different approach to my creating.  Since I am fairly health conscious, I sometimes try to make my friends’ snacks slightly more healthful.  Artists often state that their work is a true expression of themselves.  The same holds true for my edible form of artwork.

Contact: desperatefordessert@gmail.com