Small-Batch Baking

The Small-Batch Solution
I began dreaming about this book when I was in college. You see, stress relief comes to me when I bake, so back then, I often felt the need to whip something up, especially the night before an important exam. But I knew I'd hate myself in the morning—as I always do when I overindulge in a temptingly good thing, and underindulge in what I really should have been doing—studying, for example.

I didn't bake only for myself. After my best friend broke up with her guy, for instance, I whipped up an incredibly rich, flourless chocolate torte to soothe her. However, pondering life's larger questions might have been better served had we nibbled on only one slice instead of devouring the entire thing. The concept of baking small batches of goodies was beginning to take hold.

When I got married and started preparing dinners for two, there were evenings my new husband and I really wanted dessert, say a couple of chocolate chip cookies, but not more. The recipes I had yielded dozens. Brownies sounded great too, but I didn't want to be dipping a knife into a pan of leftovers the next morning. As for fresh bread, we both love it and tried baking it, but an entire loaf was wasted on us. Naturally, when I wanted to bake a special dessert for our first anniversary, I couldn't find anything small enough to suit the occasion and our needs.

Writing a cookbook that enabled me and others to bake small quantities of smashing desserts, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, and individual loaves of crusty bread was sounding better and better. But other projects, including starting a family, took priority. Now that I have a teenager and a toddler (both girls), I realized it was time for me to stop dreaming about baking in small batches and start doing something about it.

My girls were especially helpful because they don't agree on what they like in the treats department. They're each into their own knid of small batch. Our three-year-old loves giant oatmeal cookies (with sprinkles) and blue-colored cupcakes, but she is completely satisfied after one. Small batches work well for her, but had I not been working on this book, we might have been stuck with a pantry full of blue food. Our teenager discovered that chocolate can soothe away boyfriend problems, school glitches, and annoying parents. Before I began working on this book, we were left with the rest of her favorite frosted fudge cake after she decided she was okay. Do I need to tell you who ate the rest of that perfectly delicious homemade chocolate cake?

Whether you're hungry for mile-high mini layer cakes, buttery pies or tarts, fruit crisps, chewy cookies or bars, easy breakfast muffins or breads, a special holiday dessert, or a Valentine's Day treat for your sweetheart, if you only need enough for one or two servings, Small-Batch Baking is for you. The recipes are easy, the batters come together quickly, and cleanup is a breeze. And you won't have leftovers to tempt you to eat more than you want. So enjoy treating yourself—and one other important someone—without overdoing it. You deserve dessert!