Everything in Moderation With Small Batch Baking

We certainly enjoyed baking all through the holidays, from Thanksgiving desserts (that aren't pumpkin pie) to shortbread cookies and gingerbread houses. But it's time to rein in our indulgences and get back on track.

One way to enjoy the tasty desserts we love without tempting ourselves into going overboard is small batch baking. Small batch recipes are designed to make half a dozen cookies instead of six dozen, or two brownies instead of twenty-four.

Keep reading to find out more about small batch baking, including tips and tricks, the right tools, and a few of our favorite small batch recipe sources.

Small Batch Baking: Tips and Tricks

First and foremost, you'll need tried-and-true recipes that turn out predictable results. Or, you'll need the time and patience to put into halving and re-halving (and re-halving) your favorite recipes. The Kitchn recommends the first option in their post on small batch baking.

On the other hand, well-known small batch baker Christina Lane of Dessert for Two arrived at her recipes via the second option. Note that she doesn't start by dividing a recipe into sixteenths, eighths, or even quarters. It's a painstaking process of halving and re-halving, and adjusting as needed each time.

Next, you'll need the right tools to bake in small batches. A 9x13-inch baking dish or an 8-inch round cake pan will simply be too large. Your small batch shopping list will include half sheet pans and other  compact bakeware. Fortunately, these will come in handy for all sorts of recipes, not just small batch ones. Plus, you can use many of the other items in your kitchen, like muffin pans and ramekins. More on this in the next section.

Finally, a food processor or stand mixer is going to be overkill when dealing with small quantities of ingredients. Be prepared to mix by hand and take your time. Remember the scene in Bridesmaids where Kristen Wiig makes a single cupcake? It's going to take just as long to make one as it will to make a dozen. Small batch baking does not equal instant gratification.

Small Batch Baking: Recipes to Try

While you can slowly halve and re-halve your favorite recipes to achieve small batch perfection, we suggest beginning with a few proven winners. And we can't think of a better place to start than with Christina Lane's blog, Dessert for Two. Every recipe on her site makes a small batch of deliciousness, like this mini chocolate cake with pomegranate arils sprinkled over that luscious ganache.

Other food blogs we found with a good selection of small batch recipes include Celebrating Sweets and Live Well Bake Often. On Celebrating Sweets, we're dying to try the Peanut Butter Cup Fudge. And it's the Apple Crisp for Two that's caught our eye on Live Well Bake Often.

Finally, one last place to explore is TasteSpotting, a community-sourced collection of recipes. Look for links tagged with "small batch" or click on contributors who specialize in small batch baking.