Mason Chandler needed just a little more red icing to make his sugar cookie perfect Monday. Then, a bit of green and a touch of blue and, oh yes, three or four more googly candy eyes. Why so many? “Because it’s supposed to be scary!” the 5-year-old says, as if I shouldn’t have had to ask.
Mason and his 1-year-old brother, Conner, are decorating mom Ashley Chandler’s sugar cookies at their Columbus home. She is a professional baker, so they know whatever she conjures up is guaranteed yummy.
While Conner is more interested in tasting than anything else, Mason remains intent on making his witch cookie as playfully spooky as possible. Mom — ever patient — lets them have at it.
Ashley remembers how much it meant to her as a child growing up to be able to watch her own mother cooking, to be the helper.
“I always admired my mother in the kitchen — from traditional meals to canning pickles to freshly baked bread,” she says. “Ah, the joys of making the house smell so good!”
She wants her own children to have that experience, getting them involved in the kitchen and letting “their little minds go to work.” She can even integrate a few educational basics — math, for example, while talking about ingredient measurements.
Ashley’s love of baking has grown into a small business for the stay-at-home mother. It began when Mason was about to turn 1. Ashley started looking at options for a unique birthday cake. She decided to tackle it herself.
“It didn’t come out so good,” she laughs. “But with practice comes perfection.” YouTube was a great resource, chock-full of how-to videos from experts. It was especially useful in learning to make and work with fondant icing.
“I made another cake, then another cake until, soon enough, I started making cakes for any and everyone, and that’s how Anytime Cakes began,” the baker explains. Today, she is kept consistently busy creating wedding, birthday and special occasion cakes and goodies to order.
Timely treats
Holidays are especially festive in the Chandler’s hillside household. Halloween is no exception, evidenced by their front walkway lined with cottony cobwebs and spectral characters dancing in the fall breeze. The theme continues indoors, where the treats include a peanuty fudge, pumpkin pie cupcakes and iced sugar cookies.
Sugar cookies can be a suitably simple introduction to the kitchen for children, Ashley believes. These cookies boast a soft, chewy center and a cookie crunch on the outside topped with buttercream frosting.
The pumpkin pie cupcakes with cinnamon swirl icing are prime for a fall occasion. The cake is a versatile recipe, too, Ashley notes. A can of applesauce or four ripened bananas can be substituted for the pumpkin for completely different flavors.
Fudge with peanuts and candy corn is a decorative and delicious alternative to traditional chocolate fudge. Ashley shares her recipes with Dispatch readers today. She also includes a carrot cake recipe that has been in her family for generations.
“It’s a super moist cake that will get your taste buds going,” she says. “It is the one recipe we make all year round, and especially in the fall.”
When October rolls into November, All Hallow’s Eve will give way to Thanksgiving, when the baking intensifies. Last year, Ashley made 11 assorted pies for the family holiday. Her mother traditionally prepares the meat and bakes her signature yeast rolls and homemade breads. (“She’s like a Wonder Woman in the kitchen,” Ashley says.)
In the meantime, though, there is Halloween fun to be had. And should you encounter two small boys dressed up as Batman and Robin, don’t be surprised to spot signs of buttercream frosting on their sweet faces. Their mom made it, and it was too good to resist.
ON THE WEB:
YUMMY SUGAR COOKIES
Makes 18-20 cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) room temperature butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For the frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) room temperature butter
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
4-6 tablespoons milk
PAYDAY FUDGE
1 12-ounce bag white chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag candy corn
3 cups peanuts
CINNAMON SWIRL PUMPKIN PIE CUPCAKES
Makes about 14 cupcakes
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 can pure pumpkin
For cinnamon swirl frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
OUR FAMILY’S TRADITIONAL CARROT CAKE
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup drained crushed pineapple
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup nuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon cinnamon
For cream cheese frosting:
1 8-ounce pack cream cheese
1 stick butter
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powder sugar
4-6 tablespoons of milk
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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