Celebrate World Baking Day May 19, 2024 – Favorite Recipes

Baking is a wonderful hobby that inspires creativity through recipe experimentation, stress relief by doing something you love, or quality time with your kids as you mix, bake, and decorate together. Some of my favorite times were spent at the kitchen island with my boys whipping up a batch of cookies.

As we celebrate World Baking Day May 19, take time to bake a special treat for your family or friends. Here are some of my favorite recipes for cinnamon buns, chocolate/vanilla bundt cake, fruit crisp, peach pie, sour cream brownies, chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, sour cream rhubarb muffins, pumpkin loaf, Metis bannock, unbaked chocolate cookies, and buttery almond cut-out cookies.

As an Amazon affiliate I could generate a small commission, but my favorite go-to mixer for baking hands-down is the Kitchen Aid.

Cinnamon Buns

I am not the best dough maker, but my mom is, and this is her recipe passed down to me.

Ingredients

• 1 package yeast

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2 cups buttermilk

• ½ cup oil

• 6 cups flour

• 3 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• Brown sugar

• Cinnamon

• Liquid honey

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in ½ cup lukewarm water with 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Heat 2 cups of buttermilk to warm. Mix these together with ½ cup oil.

2. In a large bowl mix 5 ½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and your ¼ cup granulated sugar together with a spoon.

3. Pour the liquids into the flour mix. Stir, knead. Add ½ cup flour. Cover and let rise for one hour.

4. Divide your dough in half. Roll out each half. Spread with margarine and coat with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll tightly and squeeze each end together to create a seam.

5. Add some liquid honey to the bottom of your greased bundt or cake pan. Cut your dough rolls into bun pieces and place on top of honey.

6. Let this rise for another hour.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate/Vanilla Bundt Cake

This is my dad’s favorite recipe, so we make it for him every Father’s Day, birthday and just because!

Ingredients

• 1 cup soft margarine

• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar

• 4 eggs

• 3 cups flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt (I don’t usually add this)

• 1 cup milk

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

• ½ cup chocolate syrup

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• Powdered sugar (optional to sprinkle on top)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray a bundt pan liberally with cooking spray.

3. Beat margarine and sugar until creamy and smooth – I beat LOTS, this is key.

4. Add one egg at a time, continue beating.

5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

6. Alternate adding your flour mixture and milk to your batter, continue beating.

7. Add vanilla.

8. At the end I beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

9. Take ¼ of the mixture out and put into a separate bowl. Add the chocolate syrup and baking soda, mix well with a spoon.

10. Place your chocolate batter into the bundt pan first. Add the vanilla batter on top. Bang on your counter a few times to release the air bubbles.

11. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

12. I cool for about 15 minutes and then invert my bundt pan onto a plate to continue to cool completely.

13. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Fruit Crisp

This is SO easy to make and you can choose any kind of fruit you want. I love adding rhubarb as well to cut down on the sweetness of the other fruit.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup soft margarine

• ½ cup brown sugar

• ½ cup flour

• 3 or 4 tablespoons quick oats

• Fruit – I add enough to make a good layer (at least half an inch) on the bottom of my pan. You can experiment with whatever types of berries, apples, rhubarb, peaches, pears, etc. that you like.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Grease a 9X13 pan (can make it in a smaller baking pan if desired).

3. Add your fruit to the bottom of the pan.

4. Combine margarine and brown sugar and microwave until just melted. Stir in flour and then quick oats.

5. Add your crumble to the top of the fruit.

6. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes. Great hot or cold and try with ice cream or whipped cream.

Peach Custard Pie

Ingredients

• Pie crust (hand-made or store bought)

• 4 cups sliced peaches

• Custard:

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place peach slices in your pie crust. Adding additional fruit as shown in the picture is optional.

3. Make the custard my mixing ingredients together. Pour on top of peaches.

4. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 325 degrees F and bake for another 35 minutes. The pie is done when a knife comes out clean in the pie center. The custard might be a just a little ‘jiggly’ and that is ok.

Peach Pie

Ingredients

• Pie crust (hand-made or store bought)

• 4 cups sliced peaches

• 2 tablespoons minute tapioca

• 1 tablespoon fruit fresh

• 2/3 cups granulated sugar

• Dabs of butter or margarine

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix peaches, tapioca, fruit fresh and sugar in a bowl until well blended.

3. Add to pie crust. Dab top with butter (I usually use about 4 dabs).

4. Bake for 1 hour (until brown).

5. Can be frozen when cooled.

Sour Cream Brownies

These can freeze for up to 6 weeks. Makes 16 squares.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup soft margarine

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ cup sour cream

Directions

1. Spray an 8-inch square cake pan.

2. In bowl, beat together sugar and margarine until smooth, beat in egg and vanilla, mix well.

3. Combine cocoa, flour, baking powder – stir into bowl until just blended. Stir in sour cream. Pour into pan.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges start to pull away from pan and center is still soft.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This is our all-time favorite recipe – quick to whip up, we always double the batch. Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or margarine

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar.

• ½ cup white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt (I tend to actually leave out the salt)

• 3 cups quick-cooking oats

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy and smooth (beat well). Beat in eggs one at a time, stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; stir into creamed mixture until blended. Mix in quick oats and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.

3. Bake for 12-14 minutes in a pre-heated oven. Allow cookies to cool.

Sour Cream Rhubarb Muffins

My rhubarb grows faster than I know what to do with it. Here is a recipe I found online at Food that was easy and delicious. They also freeze well.

Ingredients

• ½ cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup butter or margarine

• 1 cup sour cream

• 2 eggs beaten

• 1 ½ cups flour

• ¾ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 ½ cups fresh rhubarb, chopped (I have also used frozen chopped)

• 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions

1. Cream brown sugar and butter.

2. Add sour cream and eggs, mix well.

3. Sift flour, baking soda and ½ teaspoon cinnamon (I have cheated and not sifted, just stirred together).

4. Fold in rhubarb.

5. Pour into greased muffin tins or use muffin liners.

6. Mix sugar and remaining cinnamon and sprinkle on top.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Pumpkin Loaf

This is an easy recipe to double up. I originally found it in Today’s Parent.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp pumpkin-pie spice

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 egg

• 1 egg white

• 1 398 ml can pure pumpkin puree

• ½ cup sugar

• ½ cup light brown sugar

• ½ cup canned evaporated skim milk

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grease a 9X5 in loaf pan.

3. In a medium blow, stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the whole egg, egg white, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk and oil until just blended.

5. Add flour mixture and stir until moistened.

6. Pour into loaf pan.

7. Bake for 60 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool completely.

Metis Bannock

My husband found this recipe through www.food.com and we love it plain, with jam or sprinkled with a bit of powdered sugar.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup butter or margarine

• ¾-1 cup milk or water

Directions

1. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

2. Work in margarine using your hands until you have a crumble.

3. Gradually mix in enough water or milk to make it soft but not sticky. Knead.

4. Shape into a ball, place on a greased baking sheet, then flatten into a circle about 1 inch thick.

5. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes or slightly browned. We have also used this and deep-fried on the stove.

Unbaked Chocolate Cookies (or “Frogs”)

Super simple!

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar

• 4 tablespoons cocoa

• ½ cup milk

• 1 cup margarine

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 cup coconut

• 3 cups rolled oats

Directions

1. Boil the sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine for 4 minutes. Take off the stove.

2. Add vanilla, coconut and rolled oats.

3. Drop onto waxed paper by tablespoon.

4. Let cool.

Buttery Almond Cutouts

We make this recipe every Christmas, but you can use it anytime of the year and choose your festive cookie cutters. I make a double batch; the dough can be kept in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or margarine

• 1 ½ cups sugar

• ¾ cup sour cream

• 2 eggs

• 3 teaspoons almond extract, divided

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 4 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

• Food coloring (optional for your glaze)

Directions

1. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, eggs, 2 teaspoons almond extract and vanilla; beat until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat until just well blended.

2. Divide dough into 4 pieces, flatten each piece into a disk and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.

3. Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup and the remaining 1 teaspoon almond extract in small bowl. Mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Work with 1 disk of dough at a time. Roll out onto lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms brown. Remove from baking sheet to wire rack and cool completely.

5. If desired, separate glaze into different bowls to add food coloring. Frost cookies.