Thusday Things: Baking Things

Time for a few Thursday Things.  A few eye-catching items of the baking variety that I saw included:

1. Mini Non-Contact Laser Candy Thermometer

I am the worst when it comes to candy thermometers.  Just give me one, and I can assure you that I will get sugar and butter on it that becomes so permanently hardened that you need a jackhammer to remove it.   We’re talking a glue-like substance so hard that Nasa was wondering if they could use it to affix rocket tiles to the next shuttle.

I have no idea why my hard ball stage is any worse and more glue-like than the next person’s, but just touching my thermometers into the boiling sugar tends to ruin them.  Thus, if a recipe needs a candy thermometer, I immediately discount it and move on.

But this handy dandy device is a non-contact laser thermometer and it reads the surface temperature.  Normally I don’t jump onto high-tech bakeware or anything that seems gimmicky, but this gadget could redeem my faith in Hard Crack.

2. Speaking of Crack, did you make Christmas Crack?  AKA: Chocolate Saltine Toffee

Give it a whirl if you haven’t.  Crack is cool for New Years parties.

3. Baking 911 Cheat Sheet.  If it could help with Burnt Bottoms or Dry Leftovers as it indicates, it’s more than a 911 sheet; that’s called a miracle worker sheet.

4. Penzeys Spices

They have everything.

Where else can you get Mahlab?  Mahlab, the pit of the sour cherry, has been used for centuries in the Middle East (especially in Turkey and Syria) as a sweet/sour, nutty addition to breads, cookies and biscuits.

5. Disco Dust

Cupcakes just got instantly better with disco dust.

Between Hard Crack and Disco Dust, New Years Eve just got more interesting.  At least with regard to dessert making.

6. Beater Blades for Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers

Continuous bowl scraping attachment for your mixer.  I have heard these things rock.

They are step 2.

Step 1 is scoring a stand mixer.

I’m working on that with these

Then I worked on him with these

These just about did the trick.

I figure put cheese on donuts, put cheese and cream cheese into donuts, add butter and herbs to white flour, and that’s the way to a man’s heart.

7. Some of my favorite baking items and baking supplies are here

8. Some of my favorite kitchen appliances are here

9. My 10 Baking Commandments Baking Rules are here

10. Christi just did a Cooking & Baking Roundup today.  She has the best treats and ideas!

11. I have a DAHLicious Giveaway here.  Winner announced tomorrow.

12. These bars are no-bake so not technically baking.  Just tell people you slaved over them but in reality they take 10 minutes.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Squares (Vegan, GF)

I was grateful someone other than Skylar and I liked them.

13. If you really want to bake rather than no-bake, may I suggest baking a pan of Magic Eight Bars for any New Years parties you’re attending.

Even if that means a party of you and these bars on the couch in your living room at 8:27pm long before the stroke of midnight.  Who needs champagne and loud parties anyway.

Questions:

Have you seen any things lately that have you excited?  Baking things or otherwise?

Any fun holiday recipes, tips, products, parties, events your attending…What are your things?