I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. Only two days left until Christmas! If you’re still on the hunt for holiday recipes, I’ve compiled a list of favorites below. For those of you still seeking cookie recipes, click here, which includes information on our 2013 High Altitude Bakes Cookie Book, as well lists of our published cookie and bar cookie recipes available to everyone. Merry Christmas!   (Above, top to bottom: Apple Olive Oil Cake with Maple Icing, Walnut Pear Coffeecake, Boston Cream Pie, Spiced Pear Pastries, Chocolate Spiced Creme Brulee.)   Holiday Breakfast Favorites: Beignets Cappuccino Muffins Braided Pistachio Coffeecake Walnut Pear Coffeecake Apple Olive Oil Cake with Maple Icing Kouing Amman Spiced Pear Pastries Chocolate Brioche Bread Vanilla Cream Scones (add dried or fresh cranberries, orange zest, and [...]

Are you still trying to decide what to make for tomorrow’s big dinner? I’ve compiled a list of Thanksgiving-worthy recipes for easy access. I wish you  a happy holiday and hope you get to share some wonderful food this week with the people you love. Also, here are some basic baking substitutions in case you run out of something (don’t go to the store unless you absolutely must!): 1 cup buttermilk = 1 tablespoon vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup (let stand 5 minutes) or 2 tablespoons lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 cup (let stand 5 minutes) 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate = 3 tablespoons unsweeteneed cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter or margarine 1 tablespoon cornstarch = 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup dark [...]

We’ve had lovely weather the past week but today a pleasant little system is moving through, reminding us oh so well that we live thousands of feet up in the mountains and the weather has no mercy. While it’s damp and chilly outside I’m going to cozy up in the kitchen and share my recipe for caramel sauce along with some tips. Having a good caramel sauce recipe in your repertoire is always tremendously helpful. I find that caramel sauce is a great finishing touch that can elevate a simple treat to an outstanding dessert.  When I was younger I used to find caramel terribly intimidating. One Christmas I was determined to make chocolate turtles- pecans drizzled with caramel and then chocolate. I ate one warm and it was fantastic- [...]

Sometime between 5 am and 9 am it decided to snow, oh, about 13 inches. I got up early this morning to test some doughnut recipes and I had to spend quite a while pushing all that snow off the car.  I suppose it only made the doughnuts taste sweeter, as we sipped hot coffee and reveled in their pillowy softness while skiers clamored about outside in Vail village.  So why all this doughnut business? I  wanted to do a test batch of some doughnut varieties I have planned for an upcoming wedding. The bride wants to serve small doughnuts at the end of the night to her guests, along with spiked coffee and milk shooters. They will also have some little bags for guests to grab a few on [...]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope your kitchens are getting some love. Looking for a holiday secret weapon? Similar to a “Wheat Thin”, these whole wheat little squares have a hint of sweetness and can be kicked up in the savory department with a variety of spices or herbs. Add whatever suits your tastes. They’re great for bringing on road trips or for something to snack on while the holiday dinner finishes up. Serve them with dips, add them to homemade Chex mix, or cut them larger and you have beautiful handmade crackers to create a custom cheese tray. Happy snacking! How to bake this high altitude adjusted recipe: Homemade Wheat Thin Crackers Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen 5.0 from 1 reviews Print Homemade Wheat Thin Crackers Recipe type: High Altitude Baking [...]

70+ Pages of High Altitude Holiday Cookie Goodness:   I’m pleased with how everything came out, and I hope you are too. Thanks again to everyone for voicing their request and opinions. I am grateful and to show my appreciation, a special discount to my friends and followers. Here is the final cut of recipes that made it into the book: Date Pinwheel Cookies Peppermint Meringues Sicilian Fig Bars Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies Chocolate Snowflake Cookies Lemon Madeleines Whipped Butter Cookies Coconut Macaroon Trees Cut-Out Gingerbread Cookies Pecan Pie Bars Soft Molasses Cookies Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies Ginger Snaps Cheesecake Bars with Cranberry Compote Jam Thumbprints Chocolate Chocolate Cherry Cookies Anise Biscotti Gingerbread Brownies Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Snickerdoodle Cookies Chewy Walnut Treasure Cookies Nutmeg Meltaways Pumpkin Cheesecake [...]

Last week I purchased a giant jug of apple cider made from local Palisade apples. I feel like I’ve used the apple cider for various recipes and concoctions now, and yet it still appears there is barely a dent made in that thing.  In desperate need of opening up some refrigerator space (we couldn’t make chili last night because we didn’t have room to put the soup pot in there!), I decided this morning I would make some apple cider pancakes for breakfast.  These pancakes are perfect! Make them when you want fluffy, super thick, lightly-spiced autumnal pancakes. Dress them up with sauteed apples & walnuts, pear/apple butter, or a smear of cinnamon cream cheese icing in between each pancake in your stack. I also enjoy them with pats of [...]

Greetings, friends! I am in the process of putting together another High Altitude Bakes holiday cookbook this year. It will feature various cookie and bar cookie recipes that are perfect for celebrating this upcoming time of year. In doing so, I have been trying to brainstorm what types of cookies you’d all like to see in the book. Like last year’s, it will be a downloadable, instant-access e-book. We’ll be selling it at a discounted price during its first week on sale, for those interested. I’m thinking a happy mix of family favorites, Christmas classics, unique treats, and festive-themed cookies/bar cookies- decorated cut-out gingerbread cookies, cheesecake bars, homemade fig newtons, peanut butter sandwich cookies, pecan pie bars…the list goes on. Each recipe will also be accompanied with a photo. If [...]

I’m a sucker for blue cornmeal. To me, it just seems so exotic because I didn’t see much of it growing up in Indiana. Colorado though- that’s a different story. When the cornmeal is whisked into a batter, the baked product usually comes out a dusty, blue-gray color. It may not be the most appealing color, but I welcome the refreshing change from the standard yellow or white. I once made a bread dough that was gray due to a portion of ground mineral-rich sea salt added in. Food is fascinating! These photos were taken the day before our first snow on the mountaintops. It was a stunning September day and our hike began with a bull moose sighting across the valley. Later that day, the rain moved in. It [...]