Tag Archives: King Arthur Flour Mix

Mix It Up Monday – Bonus Mix Week: French Herb Yeast Bread

09 Tuesday Apr 2019

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from Tracey G.

French Herb Yeast Bread Mix from King Arthur Flour

Yep, things are still a bit sideways for us two here, and we are hoping to be back in sync next week for some cake recipes! But until then, we decided to divide and conquer to keep some food posts going – last week’s Ginger Bread Waffle Mix from Kris going solo, and this week my Mix Week offering, (also solo!) of French Herb Yeast Bread Mix.

This year’s gift of the actual flu (I’m so glad we all had our flu shots last fall, or I think it could’ve hit us much worse!) really knocked me back. I had about 3 days of misery BEFORE it got to the day I spent in bed, with the ability to do nothing more than stare at the walls. I couldn’t even muster the energy/wellness to watch a movie or read! And after that day, the long slow climb back to pre-flu energy levels has been a hard one. I was so grateful when last week Kris offered to go solo, because for me, even the thought of making even a simple mix felt overwhelming. So it was a sign to myself that things were on the upswing when I felt like actually making something!

Granted, I still chose the easiest of all the mixes, and this French Herb Yeast Bread Mix definitely fits the bill for easy!!! The only things you actually have to measure is about 1 1/4 cups of water and either 2 tbsp softened butter or vegetable oil (I chose the oil due to my war on cholesterol), the Herbs De Provence are already in the mix!

I plopped the dry mix, replete with all the yummy herbs measured & added for me, and the package of yeast that comes with it, into my stand mixer with dough hook attachment. (Of course all can be done by hand!) I added the water and oil and let it mix & knead until it was smooth as directed. I covered the bowl and let it rise for the hour suggested. At that point you can shape to pop it into a loaf pan, or do what I did – a free shape on a baking sheet (I lined mine with a parchment sheet instead of greasing it).

It gets another rise of about 30-60 minutes, depending on room temp etc. Now comes the baking – into a 350° F oven for 35-40 minutes. It took the full 40 for me in my oven. And it smelled heavenly as it baked!!

It was really hard to wait for it too cool before cutting it & photographing it! I love bread, and it’s always a challenge for me to wait! But, once I was able to taste-test I fell in love! This is such a yummy bread! The balance of herbs, in my opinion (and Jeremy’s) is just right. Not unnoticeable and not overpowering. It’s fabulous sliced with some butter or even just plain. But I do have plans on turning it into a garlic bread for dinner tonight – toasted, brushed with olive oil and then lightly rubbed with a cut cloves of garlic! And I think next time I make it (definitely will be a next time!) I’m using olive oil in it instead of vegetable oil for a bit of a a Mediterranean-flavor twist! I may even have to buy some of KAF’s Herbs De Provence so I don’t have to wait for a mix to arrive to make this style of bread! But, the ease of this mix can’t be beat! Give this French Herb Yeast Bread Mix a try!

Mix It Up Monday – Warm Meals for Cold Temps

28 Monday Jan 2019

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from Kris B.

Cider Baked Beans

I am a big fan of beans…almost any kind of beans.  Unfortunately, my husband is not.  If you know anything about homemade bean recipes, they almost always make A LOT of beans.  I ask a believer in black-eyed peas on New Years  day.  My preferred way to eat them is in Hoppin’ John.  Rather than try to cut down the recipe, I made the full version, which called for a pound of black-eyed peas…and I ate Hoppin’ John every day for the first week of the year!  Based on this, I should be quite prosperous in 2019!

Three weeks later, I am now ready for more beans.  I was intrigued by Bountiful Pantry’s Cider Baked Beans, which are sold by King Arthur Flour.  Half of the liquid used to cook the beans is apple cider.  In addition, one to two pounds of diced green apples are also added.

The mix comes with the beans and a seasoning packet.  To this, you add apple cider, broth of your choice, (I used vegetable.), and ketchup.  The mix offers stove top, oven, and slow cooker instructions.  Because I am now back at work and don’t have as much time to cook, I took the lazy way out…I threw the mix and all the other required ingredients into the Crock-Pot in the morning before I left for work, set it to cook on low for 10 hours, and didn’t think anymore about them until I got home that evening and smelled their deliciousness.

The “sauce” is not as thick as that of canned baked beans, but don’t let that disappoint you.  The flavor is amazing.  I’ll admit that I was a little worried about the beans being too sweet because of the apples and the cider, but they are not.  They are perfect blend of sweet and savory!

The package instructions suggest adding either bacon or sausage to the pot while the beans are cooking, which I did not do.  I did, however, slice a little bit of uncured turkey kielbasa into my bowl of beans once they were cooked, making them a meal rather than just a side of beans.  Since the kielbasa is fully cooked, this makes it easy to adapt the mix to both vegetarians and carnivores.

As tasty as these beans are, I was not keen on another whole week of bean eating, so I froze several small containers of leftovers.  Hopefully they will be just as good when defrosted and reheated!

If you make the Cider Baked Beans in a slow cooker, they take time, but no real energy on your part.  If you need them to be done a bit quicker, I have no doubt that the stove top and oven method will yield equally delicious beans.  

This mix is really good as is, but those of you who like to be creative in the kitchen can probably add a few secret ingredients to make them your own.

from Tracey G.

Frontier Soups Montana Classic Chili Mix from King Arthur Flour

I love trying the soup mixes from King Arthur Flour, because I’ve not been disappointed yet! Around this household, they wouldn’t be enough for a dinner for 3, but for us, they make a perfect lunch!

I was really anxious to try this particular mix, because chili is a popular dish around here, and it would be fun to have one that would make something a little different than I could, and easily. This soup mix fit the bill – it was easy and none of it went to waste! Plus I served it with some cornbread muffins and it was a perfect meal!

The items you add are simple: 1 tbsp vegetable oil, ground beef (although that is optional!), can of petite diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar, 2 tsp of sugar and 12 oz of beef broth. I even deviated away from the petite diced tomatoes because I’m the only on around here who likes them, so I just used a can of tomato sauce – and it worked just fine.

It comes together easily, brown the ground beef if you’re using it, in the tablespoon of oil. Next you add the mix, combine it with the meat and cook for about 30 seconds. At this point you add in the rest of the ingredients, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Now all that’s left to do it eat it – dish it out and dig in! And it tastes even better the next day, as I can personally attest to!

If you’re looking for a chili mix for a little something different in your routine – this is a great one. I will admit,  spicy, but in my opinion it’s just enough!

 

Leave us a comment and let us know how you are keeping warm during these cold winter days and you’ll have a chance to win our $50 gift card to be given away on Friday February 1st!

Mix It Up Monday – Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

23 Tuesday Oct 2018

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from Tracey G.

Gluten Free Doughnut Mix from King Arthur Flour

I personally do not need to eat gluten-free, but I really like to try things out for those who do – and mixes interest me because of the ease they offer to make GF treats. So far, everything I’ve tried from King Arthur Flour has been a win in their gluten-free mix line. This Gluten Free Doughnut Mix is a definite win in my book – I think I like it better than their regular doughnut mix! These are also baked doughnuts, like their regular mix, but I find that I love their texture and moistness much more!

They were very easy to prepare, with a couple of variations available to tailor it to your dietary needs. Here’s what you supply:

  • Butter
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Eggs
  • Milk

There is a variation where you can make it dairy-free by omitting the butter and regular milk, and use 1/3 cup vegetable oil and your milk substitute of choice (rice, soy or almond is what they list). So, since I cut cholesterol contributing ingredients where I can, I omitted the butter and used 1/3 cup vegetable oil, but kept the regular milk.

You do need a doughnut pan for these, I love this one from KAF, their Standard Doughnut Pan. And even though it’s non-stick, I do use a spritz of my no-sticky-residue-left-on-my-good-pans Vegalene Spray that I’ve mentioned before – it’s great stuff!

As I’ve been working on cookies again, I wasn’t in the mood to mix up a glaze this time around, so I dug out my KAF Baker’s Special Sugar, a superfine (castor) sugar and mixed it with some KAF Vietnamese Cinnamon and tossed the doughnuts with that in a zip-top bag (one at a time) to coat them. I am so glad I did! I think that combo made them way better than a glaze, lol.

So, Jeremy and I taste-tested and we both agreed they are really – I mean really – yummy and if you have to eat gluten-free, you will not feel deprived one bit! If you don’t have to eat gluten-free, they’re just a fabulous treat no matter what! Give the Gluten Free Doughnut Mix from King Arthur Flour a try!

 

from Kris B.

Cinnamon Sugar Puff Muffin Mix from King Arthur Flour

Sometimes simple is exactly what you need. I often find myself wanting just a little something sweet – not too heavy, not a specific flavor, not a major “experience” to make, and preferably a treat that goes well with coffee. A basic vanilla-ish muffin mix topped with cinnamon fits the bill perfectly.  These muffins are tasty without being overbearing.  For me, they are the best kind of comfort food.

I was away over the weekend at a retreat.  Let me just say that we were not lacking for food.  The camp chef prepared delicious meals.  Between meals, we also had an abundance of snacks.  Unfortunately, I did not bake for this week’s post before I left so I had to bake the Cinnamon Puff Muffins when I got home Sunday evening.  I must admit that food was the last thing that I wanted to think about.  Fortunately, these muffins are simple to make.

To the mix, you provide:

  • Butter
  • Milk
  • Eggs

As with Tracey’s doughnut mix, the mix directions mention the substitution of vegetable oil or a mixture of vegetable oil and applesauce for the butter.  This time, I used butter.  I also used whole milk rather than almond milk, my usual, because that’s what was in the fridge when I was ready to bake.  Though the instructions don’t specifically mention substituting a non-dairy milk, the Baker’s tips on the website do.  I use almond milk almost exclusively in my baking and have never suffered any ill consequences.  It is important to note that the mix contains dairy so using a non-dairy milk will not make the muffins non-dairy.

The muffin mix, eggs, milk, and butter are stirred together and then divided into 12 standard-sized muffin cups.  (Mini-muffins are also an option.)  The muffins bake for 12-16 minutes.  Once done, the muffins cool for fifteen minutes before the topping is added.  The tops are then dipped in melted butter followed by the included cinnamon sugar.  That’s it!  Well, except for the eating part. 🙂

These Cinnamon Puff Muffins really are an anytime snack.  They are not too sweet to have with coffee for breakfast or too heavy too heavy to have as afternoon or bedtime snack.  I took a couple to school yesterday and left them on our secretary’s desk as a Monday morning treat.  Based on her reaction when I saw her later in the day, you’d have thought that I had left or a $100 bill or a Get Out of Jail free (aka day off) card.  I think that making someone’s day just a tiny bit brighter by sharing baked goods, even when from a mix, is why I love to bake so much.

As is often the case,

also offers several alternative ways to use this mix – doughnuts, scones, bundt cake.  Order a few boxes of this mix, try the variations, and make all of your friends smile!

Happy baking!

 

Mix It Up Friday -Pancakes and Waffles

03 Friday Aug 2018

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from Tracey G

Essential Goodness Protein Pancake Mix

With the new school year approaching, I’m on the look-out for easy breakfasts for Harry, that are fairly good-for-him and that will keep him going until lunchtime or snack time. I’m not exactly the most with-it person at 6 am (or earlier), so anything I can have ready the night before and just reheat the next morning – I’m all for it! And pancakes (or waffles!) are excellent for that sort of thing. Make a bunch, freeze them then pop them in the toaster or toaster oven to reheat. Boom. Breakfast is served!

As soon as I saw the Essential Goodness Protein Pancake Mix on the King Arthur Flour website, I knew I had to give it try, it was offering everything I was looking for! And this mix boasts 14g of protein per 3-pancake serving. That’s pretty darn good in my book!

One little thing though, I don’t have the best relationship with pancakes. Not the making of the batter, but actually cooking them! I have one of those griddle things that span two burners on your stove, and while it’s convenient to cook at least 6 at a time, the heating tends to be uneven and it’s a constant battle for me to get them fairly even looking in the browning department. Usually, when we have pancakes for breakfast/brunch or dinner, I make the batter and Jeremy cooks the pancakes! So, I was keeping my fingers crossed that I could actually get them cooked and look halfway decent for appearances-sake! I really need to replace my electric skillet that died years ago, I miss greatly…

But anyway, onward to the matter (or batter!) at hand. This mix was EASY to mix to prepare – just add eggs, oil and milk. Or if you prefer a vegan alternative they give the directions for that too – it’s for a small batch (6), and it just involves 1 cup of mix, water and oil.  You can also make this mix up for a waffle-version, and for that you just increase the oil! They also provide some alternative ways to use the mix on the Essential Goodness Protein Pancake Mix Product Page!

When it comes to cooking the pancakes, they recommend 1/4 cupfuls per pancake – it’s stated you should get 20-24 (or 5 waffles). I got exactly 24, so that was right on the mark.

After they were done – I had them on cooling racks so the bottoms wouldn’t get soggy since I knew I would be stacking these between wax paper later to freeze them, Harry popped in and snitched an “ugly one” as he called it, and ate it out of hand like a cookie! They were right then given a two-thumbs-up review and he asked when he might be able to have more. Of course he got the standard “after they’ve had their portraits taken” answer! But after his taste-testing, I felt compelled to give one a taste too – and I agree, they are very yummy! Not too sweet, just right if you ask me.

After they had their photos taken, we all had a nice little brunch of pancakes and I’m happy to report that they reheated nicely in the microwave, a 3-pancake serving, wrapped in a paper towel for about 25 seconds. I too had the recommended serving size (3) and I can say that they are filling! Normally I eat way more than 3 (unfortunately for my hips, lol), but with these – I’m happy and content with that serving size!

I can state with confidence I will buy this mix again – this is something I can mix up in a hurry and get prepared to be pulled out for school morning breakfasts! It’s time and cost-effective (at the time of this writing they are selling for 4.95 a box) if he eats a serving of 3 on school mornings, that’s about a month’s worth of breakfasts right there! Totally worth it for me!

Oh! And as a side note, a little tip I discovered in my make-my-mornings-painless-as-possible quest, are the little plastic souffle cups with lids – I can pre-portion out some syrup (or anything else small really) the night before for the week or just the amount needed the next day, snap on the lid and I don’t have to worry about the disaster-potential of me trying to pour sticky stuff in early morning! I found them at Amazon, they were really inexpensive and I’ve actually found tons of uses for them!!

from Kris B.

Belgian waffle Mix

These are not your mother’s waffles!

Well, they are not my mother’s waffles.

When I was a kid, pancakes and waffles were a favorite dinner for my mom and me during times when my dad was deployed.  Pancakes and waffles were quick, easy, and we both loved them.  This was a quick and easy meal because my mom whipped out the Bisquick, added a few basic ingredients, and they were done.

I still love waffles and pancakes at any mealtime, but I now make mine from scratch.  It really isn’t that much more trouble than using a mix.  When I decided to try King Arthur Flour’s Belgian Waffle Mix, my head went back to the simplicity of those quick meals of my childhood.  I planned that Weber and I have would have the waffles for dinner.

About 4pm, I started slicing the fruit to top the waffles.  (The big change from my childhood waffles is that now we top them with yogurt and fruit rather than butter and syrup.)  I then reached for the box to whip up the waffle mix.  It was not until this point that I read the instructions.  How difficult could waffles from a box be, right?  Well, to my surprise, there was a little more to the making of these waffles than there is to the Bisquick waffles.

The King Arthur Flour Belgian waffles contain yeast.  And you guessed it…that means that the yeast needs to proof…OVERNIGHT!  Yep, the batter is mixed, rests at room temperature for an hour, and then in the refrigerator overnight.  Aside from this minor little detail, the making of the batter is simple.  You add warm water, milk, and eggs.  As I usually do in baked goods, I used almond milk.

There went our dinner plans. 🙂  In case you are wondering, Weber had hot dogs and I had an English muffin with peanut butter that night for dinner.  On the upside, we enjoyed a really nice breakfast the next day!

The waffles themselves are delicious!  The box says that it makes 10 7 inch round waffles.  I have a Breville waffle maker that makes four 4″ waffles at a time.  A box of the Belgian waffle mix made fourteen 4 inch waffles.  They cooked nicely on the Belgian waffle setting at medium darkness.

The waffles themselves are not sweet, so topping them with syrup or sweet fruit does not make them too sweet.  I think they would be really good topped with ice cream, bananas, and a little hot fudge sauce.  You get banana split and waffle cone all at once!  I froze my extra waffles.  After I give them a try as a vehicle for ice cream, I’ll report back to you!

Making Belgian waffles from this mix instead of completely from scratch saves a little mixing time.  The fact that the batter rests overnight gives them a fantastic made-from-scratch taste.  If you learn from my mistake and plan appropriately, this mix is well worth trying!

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert…the King Arthur Belgian Waffle Mix fits the bill!

Mix It Up Friday : Seeing Double – Double Duty Scone Mix & Double Chocolate Cookies!

15 Friday Jun 2018

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from Kris B.
French Toast Scone Mix Bread

In our Mixed Up Friday post last month, Tracey and I had both made scones from King Arthur Flour mixes.  We mentioned that on the King Arthur website were suggestions for ways to use these mixes to make things other than scones.  Since I had a lonely box of French Toast Scone Mix sitting in my pantry, I figured I would give one of those alternative options to scones a try.

My choices were pancakes, coffee cake, shortcake, muffins, and bread.  All the choices sounded good.  I’ll be honest and tell you that I opted for the bread because it was the least offensive with regard to calories.  Rather then following the directions on the box for scones, instead, to the mix is added:

  • salt
  • vegetable oil
  • milk
  • an egg
  • optional white sugar

The optional is 2-3 tablespoons in case you want a sweeter bread.  I did add two tablespoons of sugar not so much for the added sweetness, but because I hoped it would help to create a “crisper” bread crust.  As I always do, I also used almond milk instead of cow’s milk.  That substitute is 1:1.

The dry ingredients are whisked together in a mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, or mixing cup with pouring spout, the oil, milk, and egg are whisked together and then added to the dry ingredients.  The batter is then poured into a greased 9X5 loaf pan and popped in a 375 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.  The most difficult part of this recipe is remembering to tent the bread during the final 15-20 minutes of baking!

This mix’s french toast flavor comes from cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as cinnamon chips.  I will say that the smell of this stuff baking is almost as good as eating it!

To me, the final product was lighter, not as dense, as most sweet breads that I have made in the past. It is possible that using almond milk contributed to the lighter texture.  The bread also seemed a bit oily to me.  I am tempted to try this recipe again, but next time substituting unsweetened applesauce for the oil.  Like the milk substitution, applesauce for oil is also 1:1.  Because the flavor of this mix is wonderful, working with it to get what I want is really a no-brainer!

And if you want French Toast Scones, follow the directions on the box and enjoy!  I have never been disappointed by any of King Arthur scone mixes!

from Tracey G.

Essential Goodness Double Chocolate Cookie Mix

What can I say? This has to be one of the easiest things I’ve ever done/made! The EG Double Chocolate Cookie Mix is crazy simple! The only ingredients I contributed was 6 tbsp of butter and 1 large egg. That’s it.

The box states it can make 12-14 large cookies, that’s if you form the dough into 1.5″ balls. I used a smaller scoop, about a teaspoon size. (I actually used this one I treated myself to recently in preparation for Christmas cookie baking: Teaspoon Cookie Scoop) It made about 3 dozen fun little cookies.

As for the final outcome? They’re super yummy – think brownie in a cookie form! That’s what they taste like to me. I was really pleased with them and this mix. This mix also has various other treats you can make with it, and they can be found here on the Essential Goodness Double Chocolate Cookie Mix Product Page.

I can safely say it would be a handy and tasty mix to have hanging about the pantry for sure!!

Mix It Up Friday -Scones for the Holiday Weekend

25 Friday May 2018

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from Tracey G.

Very Berry Scone Mix from King Arthur Flour

What perfect timing for Mix Week – cruising into a Holiday Weekend! I do appreciate something fast when the schedule gets hectic – even if it’s a fun kind of hectic!

The King Arthur Flour scone mixes are always easy and I’ve not had a disappointing experience yet! And, the scone mixes are so versatile! They provide you with “recipes” for transforming the mix into various other goodies like muffins, pancakes, coffeecakes etc. Just check out their Scone Mix Magic page for them!

To make the Very Berry Scone Mix, you just need a few ingredients:

  • Salt
  • Butter
  • Milk
  • Egg

You start by adding the salt to the mix, then mixing/cutting in your butter. Once that’s done, combine milk and egg, add that egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. You’ve got a few options for shaping, you can go the traditional triangular way by patting dough into a circle on baking pan and cutting or make drop-scones. I used my scone pan for mine!

I couldn’t wait to try these as the smelled so very yummy while they were baking! The “berry” comes from their Jammy Bits in the strawberry, blueberry and raspberry flavors. I love those little things as they’re made from real fruit, not “fruit-flavored” bits like in some other mixes out there. I also like that you can buy them separately to add to your own creation!

But, back to the Very Berry Scones – they are delicious! They tasted as good as they smelled while they were baking. I will be buying more of this mix as they make a yummy addition to your morning coffee or in the evening as a treat!

 

from Kris B.

Peaches and Cream Scone Mix from King Arthur Flour

I am departing from my healthy, low-calorie, Weight Watcher’s point friendly food here and moving toward pure decadence!.. These may look like basic drop biscuits, but in reality they are peachy rich goodness!

I suspect that the basic scone mix for the King Arthur Flour Peaches and Cream Scones is exactly the same as that of the Very Berry Scone Mix that Tracey made except with Peach Jammy Bits.  Though the Peaches and Cream Scones offer an alternative recipe that uses butter and milk as it’s liquid, the primary recipe calls for the addition of:

  • salt
  • egg
  • heavy cream

I used the cream and have no regrets! 🙂

I generally am not a fan of boxed mixes that include “fruit” because normally they taste fake.  That is not the case with this mix.  From the mixing of the ingredients to the baking, the aroma of fresh peachiness was exceptional.  Thankfully, I was not disappointed when it came to the taste test.  I had my daughter, who is much more of a “food snob” that I am, try one of the scones and she was equally impressed.  That say something!

The one thing that I will do differently the next time I make these is rather than making eight generously sized scones, I will make them smaller, aiming for 12-16.  Even at half the size, paired with morning coffee or afternoon tea, you will have a tasty and satisfying treat.

As Tracey also mentioned, the Scone Mix Magic page offered by King Arthur Flour provides even more options for using your scone mixes.

King Arthur Flour often has sales on their mixes.  Keep an eye out.  You will want to have a few of these mixes on hand just in case!

Have a safe and blessed Memorial Day weekend.

 

Mix It Up Friday – It’s Lemony Love!

25 Friday Aug 2017

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from Tracey G

As Kris and I have said numerous times, it’s fun and rewarding to bake from scratch, but there are times when that’s not possible or you just don’t have the energy to  – but yet, you still want a treat or you have company coming, or you need a quick donation to the school/church/club bake-sale etc. That’s where mixes can save the day – and if it’s a good one, you can feel confident using one! And if it’s really good, they may never even know it came from a mix!!!

This mix from King Arthur Flour, the Essential Goodness Lemon Bar Mix is one of those really good mixes. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to detect that they were from a mix! Which is great, because I know not everyone is like me – I have to have fresh lemons around at all times, I go into a panic if I don’t have at least 4 in the fridge, lol, and having this mix around – you don’t need to have fresh, but it sure tastes like you did!!

Which, as just a tidbit here, I’d done some research a long time ago and read an article on how to keep lemons fresh longer, and it said to put them in a zip top bag and then in the fridge – so I tried it, and it worked. Now that’s where they go immediately when I get home from the store with them. I usually write the date on the bag, and let me say I know I’ve kept some for at least a month, and in great shape!

To make the Essential Goodness Lemon Bars, the only ingredients you provide are butter, eggs and water, plus some powdered sugar to dust them with for garnish/decoration etc. The mix does the rest.

The butter gets mixed with the crust ingredients, pressed in the pan and then baked for 20-26 minutes. While it’s baking, you mix the filling ingredients together, which is where your eggs and water provide their service. When you pull the crust out, you pour the filling over the hot crust and pop it back into the oven to bake for about another 20-22 minutes. When they come out, you allow them to cool at room temperature for an hour, then you have to cool them for at least an hour in the refrigerator (or overnight) before cutting them. You can dust them with powdered sugar right before serving them if you like!

When we got to taste-test them, the “these-taste-like-homemade” sentiment was unanimous. They were extremely yummy and it’s a mix I plan on keeping on hand for whenever a treat is needed – either for fun or for necessity! And, for some extra fun, they also provide some other twists for using the mix to make other treats!

Here are some helpful links:

Essential Goodness Lemon Bar Mix Catalog Page

Essential Goodness Lemon Bar Mix Product Page

Essential Goodness Lemon Bar Mix – Easy Lemon Meringue Bars

Essential Goodness Lemon Bar Mix – Zesty Lemon Coconut Bars

 

from Kris B,

As Tracey and I were looking at our calendars and making our weekly schedule, I was elated to see that Mix It Up Friday fell during my first week back school.  Re-entry into the new school year was particularly difficult this year because for the first time in many years, I did not teach summer school.  I was completely free for three months.  I discovered during that time that I could probably adjust to that lifestyle twelve months out of the year without too much effort. 🙂

My time management skills were somewhat lacking this week, so I didn’t get to make these cookies until Thursday afternoon, after having seen 5am four days in a row for the first time since May.  Needless to say, I was a little tired, but also excited to try the King Arthur Mix fro Lemon Coffee House Cookies.  There is something about lemon that seems energizing and invigorating.  Or maybe that’s the way I think about all cookies…

Whipping up these cookies is a short, sweet, and to the point process.  Place a stick of butter and half of the cookie mix in a bowl and mix on high for two minutes.  Add an egg, two tablespoons of milk, and the remaining cookie mix to the bowl, mixing until all of the ingredients are combined.  I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer so I didn’t even expend any energy controlling the mixer during the mixing process.

Once mixed, the dough is scooped out by tablespoonful onto waiting parchment lined baking sheets and then placed in the oven, which was preheated to 375 degrees, and baked for 12-16 minutes and the edges are a golden brown.

Once out of the oven and completely cooled, the cookies are iced using the included icing mix.  The icing mix requires the addition of a 1/2 stick of butter and a tablespoon of milk.  As with the cookie dough, the icing is mixed with an electric mixer.  I simply spread the icing on each of the 20 cookies using a spatula.  If you want to be fancy, you could pipe it on.  I did add a bit of lemon zest atop the icing because I had the lemons with which to do that.  Is it necessary?  Nope.  These cookies have a full and refreshing lemon flavor that comes from both the cookie itself and the icing.

I tried to photograph the cookies Thursday evening.  By that point in the day/week, I had run out of light, energy, and enthusiasm for the project.  Though I used artificial lights for this somewhat feeble attempt, the photos I took did not do the cookies justice.  The mission was scrubbed and I decided I would try again this morning.  The biggest negative of this scenario was that the one cookie that we split right after they were iced was the only one that could be eaten until I re-shot the images of the cookies.

Let me just say that all of the waistlines at my house were better off when the cookies were off-limits!  Once I had a photo I could live with and released the cookies to the masses, half of them disappeared almost immediately.  Yes.  I am just as guilty as my husband and my daughter in helping them disappear!

As Tracey said, we do like to bake from scratch, but when that isn’t convenient, having a tasty made-from-scratch tasting mix on hand can save the day.  The Lemon Coffee House Cookie Mix definitely fits that bill!!

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