Q: I live in Boston and my boyfriend lives in New York. I'll be visiting him for Valentine's Day and I'd like to bring some kind of special baked good since his kitchen is... sparse, to put it kindly. No flour, no sugar, no baking pans, nothing.
I actually have some cupcakes in the freezer that just need some frosting, and was thinking of using those. Should I bother baking ahead of time? Should I bring ingredients for the frosting and assemble them there? (I'd also have to bring a hand mixer.) Should I just bring cookies or something easier to transport? Or is this a pipe dream and I should just treat him to cupcakes at Magnolia? I want to do something special, and if he were coming to Boston I'd be able to make something lovely and romantic, but I also don't want to bring him a box of crumbs.
Sent by Katya
Editor: Katya, I wouldn't want to tote along my hand mixer or run around buying ingredients on a romantic weekend. But I also wouldn't want to give up on a special homemade dessert. How about bringing a more portable treat like dessert bars? You could make these pretty pink cranberry curd bars, or any of the other bars linked to below, and cut them into heart shapes for a special treat:
→ Perfectly Portable: Dessert Bars
→ Recipe: Cranberry Curd Bars with Walnut Shortbread Crust
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Related: Ideas for Holiday Desserts That Travel Well?
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how are you traveling? the trip from boston to NY isn't that far.
I would think a flourless chocolate cake would travel well. especially if you make a small one (just for two) pack it carefully and good luck!
Chocolate shortbread, tahini & honey cookies , pistachio and stawberry cookies, dense brownies with ganache (you can make chocolate ganache with mint or orange essential oils. You can make butterscotch ganache with butterscotch chips. White chocolate with raspberry extract or even Irish cream! ... and so on.) I make miniature brownies that store well but also they sell bake n take paper pans at king arthur flour for example. I have used the flat round ones for brownies but they would work great for tarts if brownies aren't your thing. Use a shortbread crust and ganache filling!
Good Luck!
NeoHomesteading.com
homemade oreos!
this recipe:http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/05/my-kingdom-for-a-glass-of-milk/
use coconut oil instead of shortening if you want to make them extra special (it will still hold up great). and cut the cookies into heart shapes.
Don't make those curd bars. They are pretty and taste good, but not worth the effort needed. (Plus they sweat, being a custard.) I
I'm making Smitten Kitchen's lemon tart for VDay dessert (with some fresh raspberries!)
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/02/whole-lemon-tart/
I feel like that would, with a properly sized tupperware container, travel really well. Boston to NY isn't so long that it would have refrigeration issues, I don't think.
Buckeyes (chocolate-covered peanut butter balls) travel well and they're delicious!
Cookies probably travel well. Maybe you can do a 2-part dessert: something you can bring with you + something you can buy once you arrive. For example, brownies you made + good quality ice cream from around the corner. To be honest, unless he's been going on and on about how much he misses the incredible xyz you make for him, baking in the middle of the week + travel seems like a hassle. Just wear something cute, Magnolia is delicious.
I made these sugar sandwich cookies in festive colors and heart-shaped! I think they pack up and travel very well. http://www.foodnfocus.com/valentines-day-sandwich-cookies/
I agree with RumAGoGo. They are wonderful bars, and I think everyone should try that recipe at least once (I loved them!), but they are a big undertaking and perhaps not the most transport-friendly confection. Perhaps check out Smitten Kitchen's newest post-- salted caramel brownies. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/02/salted-caramel-brownies/ I'd be hard-pressed to find a guy who didn't like those...
Does he have a particular dessert he liked? I'd say bring him that if its something like cookies or brownies. I've found that most men LOVE oatmeal raisin cookies which travel very well.
Hey Kitchn readers, it's Katya here. Thanks for all the advice! I'm taking the bus and its about an hour of subway time on either end so it asking something easy to carry that can be jostled without too much damage is important. I think I'm going to make some kind of brownies, he loves those, and is generally not super picky as long as there's food around.
Take the cupcakes.
Forget about the hand mixer.
It is not essential.
Really.
the cranberry curd bars would totally great -- they're already valentine's colored! -- but I can also recommend a seriously delicious no-bake 10 minute key lime 'pie' on serious eats, which I made in a hotel room w/ refrigerator for my boyfriend's birthday one year. I traveled by air, too! I squeezed, pre-measured and then stored the lime juice in double zipper bags; ditto some fresh zest I used to decorate the top.
Although I was able to run in [and then hide in a bag!] a can of reddi-whip, I used evaporated full fat milk instead of the cream so, in theory, could have gotten away with absolutely no shopping at our destination. make sure you pack a can opener either way. and, if his kichen is utterly bare, you may want to figure out some sort of non-reactive container to actually make the pie in, too.
here's the link: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/07/10-minute-lime-cracker-pie-recipe.html?ref=search
have a great trip!!
also, you could bake the cupcakes but leave them bare. make the frosting at home and store in -- and dispense from!!! -- a zipper bag. ditto any decorations you'd be using. each component alone would be easy to pack and easy to assemble without much equipment or time once you're in nyc.
Dessert bars or cookies are probably your best bet if you're traveling. Or you can try these delicious Chocomacs (they're a macaron + chocolate combined!) from Richart. They make a great gift for someone special.