I bake cake nearly every week, several times per week. So it’s safe to say that given the choice, I often choose other desserts to eat over cake. This recipe totally surprised me- after tasting it, I kept reaching for more. That’s saying a lot! But honestly, who can resist perfect pound cake? And when wrapped well, it seems to only get better with age. If you’re looking for homemade gift ideas, this a good contender. Bake the whole cake for a hostess gift, or divide the batter into smaller loaf pans for multiple gifts. I bake cakes like this the evening before, so that it can sit overnight and get better (they seem to grow moister and develop a stronger flavor). The rum adds just the right holiday touch, although [...]

How’s your holiday baking coming along? Are you over cookies yet, or do you have the energy for one more recipe? If you do… this is a very easy recipe. I’m visiting family in Indiana over the holiday, so I wanted to bake up a bunch of treats to hold Zack over while I am gone. Included: these buttery sliced cookies. These cookies are simple because after shaping the dough into a log and giving them a good chill, you simply slice and bake them. They’re also great for keeping in your freezer so you can serve freshly-baked cookies on a moment’s notice. Lots of butter and egg yolks contribute to a melt-in-your-mouth, rich little cookie. And the best part? Our dry high altitude air only makes them better as [...]

Then search no further. Last year, we released our High Altitude Bakes Holiday Cookie Book 2013, which contains all cookie recipes from the previous two years, as well as unpublished ones exclusive to the cookbook. The cookbook is an e-book, meaning it’s a downloadable, instant-access book, right from your computer or iPad. And all of your favorite high altitude cookie recipes organized in one book. To purchase the book, click the “Cookbooks” tab at the top of the page, or simply go here.   The following unpublished recipes are included in the book:   Date Pinwheel Cookies Peppermint Meringues Sicilian Fig Bars Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies Chocolate Snowflake Cookies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 [...]

Many of you have been asking for a good cut-out sugar cookie dough recipe. When iced, these kind of cookies are Zack’s favorite, so you can bet we make some variation of them every year. I stumbled across this recipe recently and decided to give it a try. I’m always open to new versions! The dough, while very soft, becomes easy to handle once chilled. A great trick for rolling out any kind of dough is to do so between two sheets of parchment or wax paper. If things get too sticky and soft, simply place the whole sheet in the freezer for a few minutes. It’s low mess and ensures no dough is left behind anywhere. With cut-out cookies, if at any point you get frustrated, just put the dough in the refrigerator [...]

Have you started your holiday cookie baking yet? If you’re anything like me, I know you probably have a list of the ‘classics’, which everyone in the family will be upset over if they don’t make an appearance on the holiday cookie plate. But maybe you’re also open to trying some new recipes each year; some that are a little different and fun… Let me introduce you to hot chocolate cookies. Where were these when I was younger? Many of my childhood winter days consisted of Swiss Miss instant hot cocoa (made with milk of course, since Mom knew what tasted best) with all those tiny marshmallows on top. These cookies have a brownie-like, chewy, chocolate base and then get topped with half a marshmallow a few minutes before they’re [...]

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 [...]

This morning we woke up to more snow. Our winter storm warning is in effect through tomorrow, so Zack’s been outside shoveling like crazy. I think he is a little obsessed with shoveling! He claims that he’s making paths for our dog, but I think secretly he also enjoys playing in the snow as well. We’ll see how long this shoveling affection lasts, as we are only in November. As they headed out, I set to work on some cheese biscuits. I made these a few weeks ago and we were blown away. Biscuits can be temperamental sometimes, and the letdown of a dense, heavy biscuit is never fun. These are quite the opposite- despite all that butter and shredded cheese, they are incredibly light and pull off in the [...]

Favorite recipes. They can years to find, but are irreplaceable. Your go-to  time and time again. They never disappoint, only continue to impress… The tricky thing about favorite recipes is that they can also keep you from enjoying new ones. I recently discovered this. You see, for a long time I was all about this brownie recipe. It’s like I rejected the notion of baking anything resembling brownies, unless they were indeed the favorite recipe. Now, those brownies are still are one of my favorites, and I’ll make them again, most definitely. But I’ve discovered another favorite. In my quest for cranberry uses, I thought why not dump some into brownie batter? This recipe from King Arthur Flour looked pretty good, and easy. It only uses cocoa powder, not any type of chocolate, so [...]

A week ago, we were in Aspen walking around town. It started snowing like crazy, and we were totally covered in a matter of minutes!  Our valley went from mid-50’s and sunshine, with only a few little patches of snow, to a full on winter wonderland. The snow finally stopped yesterday. I think I heard somewhere that this is a new record for November- the most snowfall ever. When it’s cold out, I’m almost always chilled, so you can bet I warmed up the best way I know how- baking! Every year our landlord sends us several bags of  Wisconsin cranberries. Pears seem to be the only fruit that’s ripe and edible at the grocery store right now, so we have plenty of those on hand. And when I came across this [...]