A few weeks ago, just to brighten up my day, one of my best friends, Thee (also known as Theodore or Theo, depending on who you are), purchased a cookbook for me that I had saved to my Amazon wishlist a while back (and admittedly forgotten about). All I knew about this particular cookbook was that it was a baking cookbook and contained a foreword written by Paula Deen. Carbs? Sugar? Butter? Y'ALL? Sign this boy up, pronto.
Once the cookbook arrived, and I started leafing through it, my heart melted like a stick of the aforementioned butter. What I discovered was a plethora of tried-and-true old-fashioned recipes for cakes, cookies, pies, and so much more.
The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook was written by Cheryl and Griffith Day, founders of the Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, GA which has received national acclaim for their decadent delights. And after reading this cookbook and preparing some of the recipes, I can understand why. Each recipe in this book is influenced by the kind of Southern charm that calls to mind so many precious childhood memories, like baking cookies with mama on Saturday afternoon, or watching the family matriarchs bustle around the kitchen in a frenzy to get Christmas dinner on the table.
One of the most appealing features of this book is the variety of recipes contained within. Individual chapters are devoted to breakfast, coffee cakes & quick breads, cupcakes & cakes, pies & cobblers, cookies, brownies & bars, puddings & custards, assorted confections, and even savory dishes. There are even chapters covering baking tips, suggested baking tools, and spice cabinet recommendations. Long story short, the Days have covered ALL the bases.
So far, I have prepared three recipes from this cookbook. The first was the Brown Sugar Bundt Cake with Butterscotch Glaze. Picture, if you will, a dense, buttery cake, rich with the warm flavors of cardamom and brown sugar. If that's not enough, imagine this cake topped with a gooey butterscotch glaze, oozing down its rippled sides like a thick, creamy syrup. Oh yeah -- it's freakin' good. What amazed me most about this cake is that it tasted like an honest-to-God creation from grandma's kitchen, a slice of the past (so to speak). Needless to say, the cake didn't last very long.
Those who know me well know my insatiable lust for chocolate chip cookies. I don't know what it is, but I have yet to find any sweet treat that hits the spot quite like this all-American classic. So to test the Days' mettle, I prepared their Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. The recipe was simple enough, and seemed only slightly different from other recipes I'd tried. However, the final product was mind-blowing. These cookies have a perfect balance of crispiness and chewiness and are chock-full of buttery, chocolatey goodness. Therefore, I have made this recipe my go-to for chocolate chip cookies.
Tonight, I was feeling adventurous, so I decided to try their recipe for Drunk Blondies -- simply because I liked the name. Also, you can't really go wrong with butter, brown sugar, and bourbon. I didn't have all the ingredients (namely pecans, coconut, or mini chocolate chips), so I pulled a Tim Gunn and "made it work" with half a bag of white chocolate chips. What came of this alteration was a rich, fudgy, buttery blondie laced through with the faint sweetness of bourbon and gooey white chocolate. I will definitely be making these again.
Again, excuse my amateurish, homegrown photography skills. Yeah, my pictures could look all cool and vintage if I had Instagram like the rest of you hipsters. Get off my damn back!
If you're a baking enthusiast or a lover of Southern cuisine -- or hell, if you just like good desserts -- I strongly encourage you to check out this delightful cookbook. Open your heart, and let the buttery, carbohydrate-filled goodness touch you.
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