Since we moved to Germany, my baking game has been off. No matter what I did, nothing seemed to turn out right. My confidence was at an all time low… until Queen Alex Guarnaschelli made this Tiktok explaining the difference between European and American butter.
I kinda suspected that butter was the culprit behind my baking fails, but no amount of googling had yielded any answers. Now, thanks to Iron Chef Guarnaschelli, all of my bakes have been coming out beautifully! If you’re looking for some inspiration, read on to see what we’ve been baking!
French Apple Tart
Normally I would save the best for last, but I am just so proud of this one! This French Apple Tart has a flakey but sturdy crust, heavenly layer of creme patissiere and delicate apple topping. I followed this recipe from The Spruce Eats. It’s time consuming, but the only thing I would do differently next time is cut my apple slices a little thicker.
Spring Butter Cookies
Keeping Alex Guarnaschelli’s tip in mind, this classic recipe from King Arthur Flour turned out great! If you all know of where to buy precise cookie decorating tools, let me know! I frosted these little guys using a plastic bag with a corner snipped off.
Blueberry Crumble Bars
These bars were INCREDIBLE!! They went so fast I didn’t even have time to take cute pictures. I did make a few changes to this recipe from Celebrating Sweets, but only to better accommodate the ingredients I had on hand! To make it my way, just use store bought blueberry jam, a squeeze of lemon juice and a hand full of fresh berries for the filling. To bulk up the topping, I included a half cup of muesli, but I’m pretty sure regular oats would work here too!
Individual Apple Crisps
Confession: we made these Individual Apple Crisps three times in two weeks. Not only are they delicious, they are the perfect dessert when hosting friends for dinner. I followed this recipe for the filling, and this one for the topping! Don’t skip the ice cream, even if you’re eating the leftovers for breakfast.
Mini Muffins
Finally, mini muffins have been making frequent appearances here at Hauschel Home. Blueberry, chocolate chip, banana… you name it, we’ve made it! For a great base you can add anything to, I use this recipe. It is in German, but I highly recommend it! If you’re interested in banana mini muffins, use this recipe and bake for 12-14 minutes.
So that’s what we’ve been baking recently! I hope that as my confidence returns, I’ll be sharing more original recipes. What are you baking this week?
