These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: A New Feature

 Not only do we have a chic new blog design, we have a new feature:  These Are a Few of My Favorite Things.   It's so much more interesting and exciting that it sounds.  Just trust me.

Every once in a while I come across something so great that I don't know how I did without it before.  Maybe it's a pot.  Or a gadget, although I am pretty streamlined when it comes to gadgets so if I mention it, you'll know it's worth considering.  Or maybe it's something as simple as baking molds.

Speaking of which...  I have started using these amazing little paper baking molds.  I had seen them used in bakeries and had always wondered what the deal was.  Were they better than other cupcake papers or was it just an aesthetic thing?  Well, I finally got to find out first hand.

A few weeks ago I was browsing in Sur la Table.  Back in the baking section with all the cute colored baking cups was a shelf with piles of these fabulous Italian paper baking molds.  Eureka!  There they were in all shapes and sizes.  It was almost as exciting as a shoe sale at Bergdorfs.  There were small ones for muffins, loaf pans big and small, star shaped pans, and large panettone molds.  And the best part was that this was a purchase for which I would not have to make any excuses.

I bought a couple of different sizes and shapes and brought them home.  For a while I just looked at them.  They were so pretty.  But then I got excited and started baking.  I put my Blueberry Sunshine Muffins in them.  I made mini pound cakes in the small loaf pans.  I was a baking machine.

Here's what's really nice about these molds.  The ones I used for muffins are deep.  This is really nice if you're adding a topping like coconut or streusel.  The topping won't end up all over your muffin tin rather than all over your muffin.  The molds are all flat bottomed and have rigid sides so they don't require a muffin pan.  Just place any shape on a baking sheet and pop them into the oven.

Now, here's the best part.  Everything comes out of the oven looking so beautiful and elegant.  When you remove the paper mold the muffins look less like muffins and more like little individual cakes which I think is very chic.   Wrapped in cellophane, you have a lovely little gift for someone who appreciates the finer things.

So, while I know that paper baking molds aren't going to change the world or revolutionize the baking industry, they will make everything you bake look ready for its close up and that's worth something, isn't it?

Check out paper baking molds at Sur La Table .