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Monday 29 April 2013

Bake Rite Bakery is Alive and Well

I grew up in a bakery.  
My father was a baker, his father a baker.
I am a baker.  
It's my go to job and the thing I love to do most.
A few years ago my Mother sent me some of the recipe books from my Dad's library.  Now that he is gone, although all of his children have baking skills at one level or another since we worked in the business from the age of 10 until we left home, I am the one who took it up as a career.  I've worked in bakeries in Colorado, California and England and in between I baked and decorated cakes from my home.


The books were gorgeous!  They were slightly greasy, slightly gritty and still held that bakery smell that had permeated so much of our lives back then.  Flipping through the pages I found some surprises, like pages Dad and I had written out together when I was in training... his lefty scrawl and my young girl loops mixing and melding together to create tasty goodies.

This is my Dad relaxing after his shift, paper and coffee at the kitchen table.  I think each of us still expects to find him sitting there when we visit.

The recipes are all in bakery units ie pounds and gallons and not much help to anyone in a normal kitchen where the usual measurements are in ounces and cups.  So.  I've set out to take some of the best of the best and convert them down into single batch sizes so that everyone can enjoy the goodies they remember.

First up...
Raisin Crokettes!!
These cookies were made from broken cakes and cake tops, they were moist, and spicy and deliciously iced.  They lived on a tray inside a plastic bag on the upper shelf of the cookie case.  Dad's bakery was the only place in town you could get them.  Until now.

Since the bulk of the batter is made from cake crumbs and most typical household kitchens don't have a tray in the corner rack where cake pieces are left to dry, you'll need to start this recipe in advance by baking off a Duncan Hines Marble Cake mix the day before.  

STOP!!
This recipe has since been tweaked!  A better version can be found here...

  • Duncan Hines Marble Cake mix - baked, crumbled and dried - 3 1/2 cups
  • Raisins - 2 cups
  • All Purpose Flour - 3 oz or 6 Tablespoons
  • Coconut - 1/4 cup
  • Baking soda - 1 Tablespoon
  • Baking powder - 2 1/4 teaspoons
  • Salt - 1 teaspoon
  • Nutmeg - 1 teaspoon
  • Vanilla - 1 Tablespoon
  • Water - 1 1/4 cups
  • Egg whites - 8
  • Sugar 3/4 cups


Mix cake crumbs, raisins, flour,coconut, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

Beat egg whites and sugar to a soft peak.

Fold egg whites into dry mixture.

Add vanilla. 
 Add water a little at a time until you get a soft dough/batter.  
 The mixture should be firm enough to hold together, but soft enough to spoon out.

Spoon dough onto greased cookie sheets.  They will spread so not too close together.


Bake at 350F for 10- 15 minutes.  The cookies will brown, but  you don't want them too dark or they will dry out.

My cookies did not spread as I actually forgot the water.  Duh.  I kept telling myself it was too stiff, but stubbornly pushed forward instead of going back to read the recipe.  Some people's children, right?

Cool.  When the cookies are cool drizzle with icing made from milk and confectioner's sugar.
Store in a sealed container to keep them from drying out.


Enjoy!




4 comments:

  1. Could you substitute chocolate chips for the raisins? I'm not a big fan of raisins.

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  2. I suppose you could, but... Try some other dried fruit instead, like craisins, or chopped dried apricots, they will add to the moisture where the chocolate chips would totally change this distinctive cookie. I actually did not have raisins at all and used craisins which worked very nicely indeed. I imagine any tart, dried and gummy fruit would work.

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  3. Oh man, I miss these! Wish I had the money to go out and get the ingredients right now! LOL I am so glad you have those recipes! (and are converting them down to a manageable size) I can't wait to try this one! You so rock!

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  4. Seems silly not to share! Please let me know how they turn out for you! We can get them just right if we all work together with our memories!

    ReplyDelete