Valek Large Embossed Rolling Pin

Just before I left for the Housewares Show, the folk at The Grommet sent me a really cool rolling pin to use.

I set it aside to use for baking some cookies.

Mmmm. Cookies.

The pin has little flowers cut into the pin so when you roll out cookies (or other baked goods that would keep their shape during baking) the flower shapes are raised up from the base of the dough.

Awwww. Isn't that sweet?

So anyway, I got home from the show, whipped up a batch of cookies from a cookbook, and used the Valek Large Embossed Rolling Pin to press the pattern into the cookies. It all went swimmingly well. The little flowers were visible as a pattern on top of the cookies, and they remained after the cookies were baked. I thought about dusting the cookies with some powdered sugar to make the flowers even more prominent.

And then when I started taking the cookies off the baking sheet, they broke. I waited until they were cool, and the situation didn't improve. The cookies fell apart like they were make out of wet sand. Blergh.

NONE of this is the fault of the rolling pin. Either the recipe was flawed, or I did something stupid when I made the recipe. I'm going to say it was me. It took me a while to get back into my groove after the trip, so it's pretty likely I measured something wrong.

But anyway, thanks to the cookie disaster, you aren't going to see finished photos of cookies. Nope, no cookies for you! I'll use the pin again, I'm sure. And you'll see the results over on my recipe blog. But for now, no cookies, just the pin.

As far as the pin, I like it. It's cute. The design is kind of all-purpose, so you it could be fine for spring, summer, fall, winter, birthdays, the demise of a favorite houseplant, anniversaries ... whatever. And it's easy to use. You just roll over the dough before you cut the cookies into shapes with your favorite cutters

I have a few unusual ideas for this, too. We'll see how it goes.

Nice pin. Bad cookies.

Who's it for: People who want fancy cookies.

Pros: Works well. Really easy to use. Solidly made. Packaged nicely in a tube.

Cons: Once you have one pattern, you'll probably want more.

Wishes: I wish my stupid cookies would have worked. *sigh*

Source: I received this from The Grommet for the purpose of a review.

Shape and Bake

I usually don't review things before I've actually tried them, but I was so excited about the Shape and Bake that I was ready to write about it before I even had it washed. This kit is really cool!

The kit is like a construction set for baking pans. It's a set of straight and curved pieces of metal along with hinges with clips. The idea is that you can assemble different shaped baking pans rather than buying pans in shapes that you might not ever use a second time.

And of course you can create shapes that probably don't exist in commercial bakeware.

I had a little more fun that I should have, putting pieces together to form ... ummm ... things that were just odd shapes. I almost went with a thing that was sort of like a candy cane, but then decided that a heart made more sense. I wasn't planning on decorating it, so I wanted something that was an easily recognizable shape.

It took a little fiddling before I got the heart shape arranged so all the edges were flush against each other, but I think I'll get better at that sort of thing after I've used the kit a lot. And, hey, that's what frosting is for, right? Little flaws can be covered.

The first thing I baked was a lemon bar mix that I got from King Arthur Flour. It's a new line of mixes, and they sent me a few to sample. Since the heart was smaller than the recommended pan size, I used the leftover mix in muffin cups.

Silly me. I could have used more of the kit to make a small square to use up the rest of the mix, but at the time I was just excited about the heart.

The Shape and Bake comes with a booklet that shows how to make a bunch of different shapes, which is helpful, but it's probably more fun to just mess around with the parts and see what you come up with.

The actual instructions on how to use the kit were a little sketchy, though. The kit came with little slips of parchment paper and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with them. The instructions say, "Connect your shapes with the Shape and Bake clip and pre cut parchment paper on the outside of the shape." Um ... okay. The photos on the website show the parchment under the clip things that hold the metal pieces. I thought that might be to help prevent scratching the metal, but most of the clips were too snug to let the parchment slip under. I gave up and didn't use them and nothing terrible happened.

I also wondered whether I was supposed to have the shiny side of the matte side of the metal pieces on the inside of the pan. After looking at some of the configurations in the booklet, I saw that the curved pieces sometimes had the curve inside and sometimes outside. So apparently it doesn't matter which side is inside.

When I made the lemon bars, the cookie crust at the bottom was just fine, but the curd mix wanted to run out at some of my not-tight-enough connections. But that curd mix was pretty thin. Cake batter is thicker. I should have made the cookie walls taller, and it all would have been fine. Or I could have cut a couple of large parchment strips and lined the inner side of the pan with the strip to keep the pan from leaking.

But I'm chalking all of that up to user error because, seriously, you can make cakes in wacky shapes, and that's certainly something worth getting excited about.

Well, if you're me, you get excited about it.

If you don't want to make a whole cake in a wacky shape, you could also use a small shape to make a hole inside a large cake you're baking. Like you could leave a small circle or square inside your cake so you could fill it with something after it's baked. Like ice cream. I vote ice cream.

But let me go back a second to that lemon bar mix, because it was freaking AWESOME.

And really easy to make. You just mix the crust with softened butter, press it into the pan and bake until golden. Then mix the filling with egg and water and pour that on top of the crust and bake again.

What I loved about the lemon bars is that they were TART. Not that sweet lemon that tastes like candy. This was lemony and fresh and tart and not sticky sweet. The crust was nice, too. I'd for sure make these again.

King Arthur sent me a couple of other mixes to try, so I'll be reporting back on those a bit later. Next up are cheesecake bars. Mmmmm. Cheeeeeesecake.

The SECOND thing I baked in the Shape and Bake was a batch of brownies. This time I decided that maybe the little slips of parchment were supposed to be at the bottom of the hinges, which seems to make more sense than having them at the top. I'd suggest doing that.

Unfortunately, I had some leakage around the bottom of the pan in one spot. Note to self: make sure I use a completely flat baking pan next time. Oopsie.

Can you guess what this shape is supposed to be?

But that bottom leakage was no problem. It made a nice snack for me. Hah!

I also made another error. I forgot to spray the pan with nonstick baking spray. But that didn't actually cause any problem. The cake came out just fine. The fact that I could unclip it and remove the side pieces individually probably helped.

Next time (see, there's some learning involved) I think I'm going to use a silicone mat under the cake instead of parchment, since that's even more nonstick than parchment. The cake released okay, but I want to try the mat, anyway.

If you're staring at that brownie and wondering what the heck shape it's supposed to be ... it's could be one of two things, I guess. It's either a really brown slice of bread (do you see it?) or it's a cupcake or muffin. Imagine it frosted with something fluffy starting above that little indented waist at the center. Right? Right?

Okay, it's just a shape that I thought looked interesting.

Who's it for:
Creative bakers will love the Bake and Shape kit.

The lemon bar mix would probably appeal best to people who don't want to bake completely from scratch, but who want something that's higher-end than the grocery store brands.

Pros:
The kit is awesome. Fun. Creative.

The lemon bars were tasty. Easy.

Cons:
I wish there was more instruction for assembling the kit, but after fiddling with it, it was simple enough to figure out.

The bar mix is a tad expensive compared to store-bought.

Wishes:
I hope they come out with add-on shapes for the kit, maybe with different curved pieces and larger and smaller straight ones. Not that they're needed, but it would just be fun to mess around with.

As far as the lemon bars, I'd love to see these in key lime. Oh yum. But there are a bunch of other mixes, so I guess I shouldn't be so greedy.

Source: I received both the Shape and Bake and the King Arthur Flour mixes from the respective manufacturers for the purpose of a review.

Mason Cash Bread Baking Set

You know I love bread, right?

So I was pretty sure I'd like the bread baking set from Mason Cash. It includes a large bowl that's used for mixing and rising, and a lid for the bowl that doubles as a baking stone. So it's two pieces with three uses.

Or, depending on how you use the bowl, it might have other functions. Like, you can use it for mixing the dough, then use the bowl to let the bread rise, then shape the dough and put in on the lid for the final rise while the upside-down bowl functions as a lid,

Yes, it's a bowl and a lid, too.

It's also a really nice bowl for other things, like fruit or for serving large quantities of mashed potatoes.

I took it for a test drive with bread (of course) after seasoning the lid/baking stone piece according to the instructions. The bowl doesn't need seasoning, since it's completely glazed. But the lid does need seasoning because it's unglazed clay. I also used cornmeal under the bread to keep it from sticking.

The result? I kind of love this! It's big enough for a big lump of dough, and the fact that the lid doubles as the baking stone makes it even more useful

Speaking of that lid - it's the perfect size for pizza.

Who's it for: People who love baking bread or who have other uses for a large bowl plus a baking stone.

Pros: It works just like it's supposed to, and it looks attractive.

Cons: It's a bit pricey, but good baking stones aren't cheap. Plus you get a bowl.

Wishes: I wish there were little handles on the bowl to make it easier to move when it's upside down on the baking stone lid. But that's a small wish. I was able to lift it, but the handles would just make it easier.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Note: I was so anxious to test this, I just threw together a loaf of bread and didn't measure or time it well enough to write up a recipe. I'll do that later, I promise!

Bear Hands

You wouldn't grab a hot cookie sheet from the oven with your bare hands. But you could do it with Bear Hands.

I mean, you could do it if you have Bear Hands Mitts. You know, potholders.

The mitts are thick and padded and heat resistant. The details are silicone, so they're nice and grippy and even more heat resistant.

But seriously, they're just FUN. Funny. Humorous. Comical. Amusing. Cute.

But, unlike some kitchen things that are so cute they sacrifice some functionality, these are completely useful. Well, okay, the little claws don't serve an actual purpose, but they don't hinder use at all.

And they're fun to wear. I tend to wave them around and say "rawr" when I'm wearing them. It doesn't really amuse the dog, or the meatloaf. But it amuses me. And that's enough.

If you're looking for a really fun but useful gift for someone who cooks or someone who spends quality time at the barbecue grill, look no further.

Who's it for: People who cook, grill, barbecue or bake, and who don't want to burn their fingers off.

Pros: Thick, grippy, attractive.

Cons: Honestly, I've been a bit hesitant to get these dirty just because they look cool. After the first stain, I won't care, But for now, I'm being careful with them.

Wishes: Polar bears need love too. Just kidding. White would get dirty way too fast.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Nordicware Cookie Stamps (and great big cookie sheet)

Ready for a little trivia before we move on to cookie stamps?

You know those big cookie sheets - the ones that look professional and heavy-duty, compared to the flimsy ones your grandma used?

You might know that they're called half-sheet pans. (Did you know? You get points!)

But do you know why?

It's because in professional bakeries, they use pans that are twice that size. Those are full-sheet pans. So the ones you might use are half-sheet pans. And then there are pans that are half that size, and they're called quarter-sheet pans.

If you go to a restaurant supply store, you might find full-sheet pans, but unless you need a big pan for storing stuff, I don't suggest you buy one. They won't fit in your oven.

Nope. The biggest baking pan that will fit in your home oven is a three-quarter sheet pan.

Those three-quarter pans are kind of rare. BUT!!! Nordicware is now selling them. They call it the Natural Big Baking Sheet. I didn't get a good photo of it. But it looks like a cookie sheet. A nice, big, high-quality, sturdy cookie sheet.

I got one to try out, along with the Geo Cookie Stamps.

The bigger pan is great for when you're in the midst of cookie-palooza and you need to use every possible inch of oven space. There's enough space around the outer edges for air circulation. It would also be good for roasting a lot of vegetables or any other baking project where you need a lot of space. It would also be good as a drip catcher in the oven if you're baking a few pies that might get messy.

I'm a little bit in love with the cookie stamps, if I'm being honest. They're geometric patterns, so they're appropriate for any holiday or no holiday. And they're easy to use. And they look ... well, sort of retro. Like they might have been owned by your grandma.

You can cut cookies with a cookie cutter and then stamp them. Or you can roll dough into balls and then mash them with the stamp, or you can stamp rolled-out dough and then cut out shapes.

I used them for shortbread cookies and also for a nut-butter cookie - like peanut butter cookies that you'd normally mark with a fork to make the classic crosshatch pattern. The stamps worked perfectly with both types of cookies, and they should work just as well for any cookie that doesn't spread a lot during baking.

The stamps I got were a set of three with geometric designs, but I see that Nordicware has a couple of other sets including all-season stamps, and holiday cookie stamps. Oh my! I already have a giant collection of cookie cutters, but now I'm coveting all of those stamps. It's such an easy way to add personality to cookies.

Who's it for: Cookie stamps are for people who bake cookies and want them a little fancier; the baking pan is great for anyone who wants to bake a lot of stuff all at once.

Pros: Stamps: They work well. Nice patterns. Cookie sheet: It's huuuge. It's sturdy. It's well made.

Cons:  Stamps: Oops. Now I want them ALL. Cookie sheet: The only "con" for me was finding a place to store it. It didn't fit where my other cookie sheets were. But I found space!

Wishes: Stamps: I hope they make more designs. Cookie sheet: It's a cookie sheet. Hard to ask for much more.

Source: I received these from the manufacturer as part of a Nordicware program.

Check out a review of the book with the recipe for the cookies.

Check out the cookie recipe.

Cookina Reusable Parchment Paper

I am a huuuuge fan of parchment paper for lining baking sheets when I'm making cookies. Huge.

But what I'm not a huge fan of is cutting parchment to fit certain pans. Which is a great thing to do if you want to make sure your brownies come out of a pan. But it's just a little too fiddly for me to do unless I know it's absolutely necessary.

The solution to my fiddliness problem is to use reusable "parchment," so I only have to do the fiddly thing once and I can reuse the parchment over and over and over again.

I tested a Cookina baking sheet in my favorite 9-inch square baking pan, cutting it to fit the pan with just a little overhang over the top to make it easy to grab the sheets to pull the baked goods from the pan.

Cutting it was no more difficult that cutting parchment or paper, and fitting it was just a matter of measuring, folding, and cutting along the folded lines. Then I creased the liner where I wanted the folds to be, and slipped it into the pan.

(Note: instructions on the website say you shouldn't crease the paper, but I think that's more important when you want to use it flat - you wouldn't crease it for storage and unfold to use it. But since cutting is safe, it's not like you're going to release demons by folding it to fit a baking pan.)

Easy peasy cutting and folding. And I only had to do that once for multiple uses.

The way I cut mine, all four sides are parchment-lined, but for other types of pans - like bread pans with sloping sides, for example, it might be easier to cut a strip so that the parchment covers the bottom and two sides, while the other two sides are left uncovered.

Or, for something round, like a cake pan, you could cut a circle for the bottom of the pan, because that's where the scary sticking happens, and it's easy enough to run a thin spatula around the outside edge of the pan to make sure that it's loose before you turn it out.

Of course, you can use the Cookina sheet as regular flat parchment for baking whatever it is you bake on baking sheets. But me, I'm more excited about going all origami with them and fitting them into the baking pans I use most often.

For storage, I just fold that cut sheet flat and store it inside the pan. If you keep the Cookina as one big flat sheet, it comes with a metal ring that you can use to keep it neatly rolled up, so you don't need to save the box for storage.

BUT!!! These aren't just for baking baked goods. That sounds weird, but you know what I mean, right? You can use them for other types of oven cooking when you want easier cleanup, like when you're roasting vegetables or baking chicken or fish or whatever.

Who's it for: People who bake sticky things.

Pros: Reusable. Washable. Dishwasher safe (although I doubt I could find a reasonable way to fit this in my dishwasher. So much easier to just wash by hand!)

Cons: While they are reusable, they aren't permanent. Eventually, they would need to be replaced.

Wishes: It would be nice if there was another color option. There might be a time when I use one to bake fish or roast hot peppers, and I might not want to use the same sheet for my delicate sugar cookies. Thus far, they haven't picked up any odors, but I haven't used them for anything very pungent, either. So, just for peace of mind, it might be nice to have different colors for different uses.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Gingerdead Men Cookie Cutters

These cookie cutters just make me laugh.

I've seen all kinds of gingerbread cookie cutters - men, women, ninjas ... even some with bites taken out of them. But these cutters look inside the gingerbread men and show you the BONES.

Yup. Bones. Inside gingerbread men. They're Gingerdead Men!

Sure, you could use these for Halloween, but they'd be a riot for Christmas, too. Got a doctor in the family? Or someone who works with X-rays? Or a nurse or medical student? I'm sure they'd get a laugh out of these.

Or maybe even an athlete who's been known to crack a bone or two? Or someone who's interested in archaeology? Or just someone with a quirky sense of humor.

These would be a perfect sweet gift - either the cutters themselves or a box of baked and decorated cookies.

Speaking of decorating, the design isn't overly complicated, and the area to be filled is wider than some cutters I've used, so these would be a little easier for kids to decorate.

And wouldn't these be perfect for home made dog treats? hehe.

The way these work is that you stamp the cookies first, then cut them out with the other side of the stamp/cutter - they're one piece, so there aren't pieces you could lose or misplace.

While there's just one cutter design, you can give your cookies a little more individuality by cutting the cookies at slightly different angles - up, down, sideways - to make the fellas look like they're looking in different directions.

If you don't want to stamp the cookies, you can just the cutters for regular gingerbread men, and decorate any way you like.

I thought these were much cooler looking with the "bones" filled with white icing, but they also looked good undecorated - the impressions are deep enough that you can see the design really well without decorating.

I also tried brushing some cookies with an eggwash for a shiny look on the raised areas - there are a lot of options for decorating these!

I used a basic vanilla cookie recipe for these, but of course they'd work with any roll-out cookie recipe, whether it's vanilla, chocolate, or gingerbread.

If filling the indents with icing seems like too much trouble, you could also sprinkle these with powdered or colored sugar and brush the sugar off the raised areas. The decoration wouldn't be as permanent (and a bit more messy), but it would still look good on a cookie tray.

Who's it for: Anyone who likes interesting cookie cutters!

Pros: Fun! Easy to use.

Cons: None I can think of.

Wishes: It would be cool if there were several sizes of these, to make a whole gingerdead family!

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Sweet Spirits Day of the Dead Cookie Cutters

Whether you celebrate The Day of the Dead or not, the Sweet Spirits cookie cutters/stamps are crazy fun.

I tested them on a basic shortbread cookie recipe, and what I really really really love about these cutters is that the design on the stamp is deep enough that you can see the design really well, even if you don't decorate the cookies.

Yeah, they'd be a lot crazier looking if you decorate them - and how much fun would these be for kids! But they're just plain fun without the added icing.

While these are probably aimed directly at Day of the Dead, they'd be fun for any monster-themed party - kids love monsters, right? Or just for fun. They're crazy looking and they'd be a lot of fun to decorate in multiple colors.

I have some spring-loaded cookie cutters and two-piece cookie cutter-stamps, but these are different. The stamp is on one side, then you flip it over to cut. First you make the impression in the dough, then you cut out your cookie. So easy. And it works really well.

Besides using these for edible cookies, these would be fun for crafty things, like making clay ornaments. Not me, by they way. I'm not that crafty. But I could see someone else using them for that.

And these would be great stocking stuffers for anyone you know who likes baking or who likes unusual cookie cutters.

Hint: If you need these in a hurry this year, check out World Market if you have one near you.

Who's it for: Me. Um, I mean anyone who loves cookie cutters. Or cookies. Or Day of the Dead.

Pros: Easy to use. Crazy fun designs. Bright colors.

Cons: Not as universal as flowers or stars.

Wishes: None I can think of.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.