I have to travel down to Aspen a lot for work, and usually when I am down that way, I like to stop at Whole Foods and load up on a few things our local grocery doesn’t carry. If I wander through the bakery section, and notice their ‘jammies’ cookies, I usually can’t resist. The “jammie” consists of two butter cookies that are sandwiched together with a thin layer of jam. They’re usually apricot, which is my favorite. There’s just something about the delicate buttery flavor and  crunchy texture melding with the sweet jam.  Now that’s a cookie I could eat for days. It inspired me to recreate it for my own home eating and voila- I found this gem of a recipe. What immediately appealed to me was how [...]

Since we’ve updated our website format, there are still a few bugs we’re trying to fix. One of them is that not all recipes display correctly. Since I understand how frustrating that can be, I’ll be organizing various posted based on recipe subject to assist you during this busy time of year. In addition to these recipes, be sure to check out our “Cookbooks” tab for many more high altitude recipes. These are downloadable ebooks, allowing for instant access and dozens of recipes at your fingertips. 2012 Holiday Cookbook: A mixture of holiday baking recipes that include: Eggnog Creme Brulee Rice Pudding with Port-Glazed Figs Hot Chocolate Torte Spicy Peanut Brittle Red Velvet Cake with Pecan Custard Cream Pumpkin Bread with Rum-Soaked Cherries White Chocolate Orange Biscotti Cut-Out Sugar Cookies [...]

I was going to make these last week, then sadly realized I didn’t have enough molasses. Pantry restocked, I tried these again yesterday for the win. Gingerbread: Timeless Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Desserts, Ice Cream, and More author Jennifer Lindner McGlinn pulled me in with this: “Lightly cracked on top and chestnut brown in color, they are just on the brink of gooey in the center when they come out of the oven. Once cooled, the blondies cut easily into super-moist squares that are gently spiced and rich with caramel and butterscotch flavors.” Mmm. The squares are indeed rich in everything molasses and would make a great cookie exchange item. Cut into small pieces as a little goes a long way. I decided to add chocolate chips and dried cranberries to ours as [...]

I’ve returned! I know it’s been a rather long absence, but let me explain… In March of this year, we moved down valley to Eagle. Amid the hustle and lack of organization that comes from a short notice move, I lost my digital camera, and have yet to find it. Right after the move came a huge scramble to finish my commercial kitchen in time for wedding season. This was a very stressful time of finding the right space, modifying it to comply with local health department codes, ordering equipment, coordinating deliveries, and inspections. If you’ve ever opened or worked in a restaurant or food establishment prior to opening, you know what I’m talking about, and the work that comes with it. The kitchen was finished just in time for my first [...]

We are moving! We’ll still be in the valley, just a bit further west. In this process, I have begun going through the freezer trying to figure out what to eat up so we don’t have to pack yet more things. It seems we always have one banana left behind in the fruit bowl that gets too ripe on us. I stockpile them in the freezer for banana recipes like this one. Looks like we’ll be eating a lot of banana things this next week… Growing up, my mom would sometimes make snack cake, and it was always a welcomed treat. I see a lot of snack cake recipes with zucchini or bananas, and for good reason. In this recipe, the banana adds moisture to the cake without having to [...]

We’ve been having great, mild weather in Colorado this past month. Mid 50’s, blue skies, plenty of sunshine. I know more snow will come, but I am so enjoying this spring-like spurt. There have even been a couple of day where I’ve been lucky enough to sport shoes, not boots! With Valentine’s Day approaching, I’ve been thinking about extra sweet touches you can add to your morning courtesy of the kitchen. Valentine’s Day always brings berries to mind, and this recipe incorporates plenty of them with a sunny, citrus burst of lemon. I like this scone recipe because it has an egg in it, which I feel makes a better-textured scone (at least to my preferences) and an extra does of richness from sour cream, instead of milk or buttermilk, [...]

Has anyone ever had those Lofthouse sugar cookies from the grocery store? You know the kind- the thick, soft sugar cookies with a sweet layer of frosting and sprinkles on the top. Well, these taste just like them. But homemade, which makes them even better. The recipe makes a lot, and that’s just fine, because they’ll go quickly (to make things less tempting, I froze half of my dough). Even with our dry mountain air, well-wrapped, these taste almost better the next day, when the flavors have a chance to meld. Don’t be afraid to experiment with these cookies, either. Here are some ideas to start: -Add 2 teaspoons of almond or coconut extract to the dough and top the icing with toasted coconut flakes -Add 1/4 poppy seeds and the [...]

Excuse me, while I keep easing into January. Now that we’re about 1/3 through the month, I think I am finally switching out of “holiday mode”. The first week into this month, I didn’t bake anything sweet. In fact, I didn’t really cook anything at all either. Lots of take-out or dining out. But life has gone on. And our snowy weather today ushered in the need to produce something hearty, salty, chewy, and garnished with chocolate: oatmeal chocolate chip peanut butter bars. Besides the chocolate-peanut butter thing, these go down easily because they have oats in them. So they’re not straight junk… Happy new year, all. How to make this high altitude adjusted recipe: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars Adapted from Patricia Stoudt/Taste of Home 5.0 from 1 reviews [...]

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 [...]