“Would you like to turn on the mixer, Carson?” my mother cooed. I was sitting on the cool black-marble countertop of our Long Island kitchen, too young to see the contents of the stainless steel bowl from ground level. I desperately wanted to be included. I loved watching Mom and Grandma in the kitchen, their hands coated in flour, laughing together as they kneaded doughs and mixed batters.
But even more than watching them bake, I loved the results of their kitchen marathons. Every holiday season, Mom and Grandma would pile our three-tiered dessert tray high with treats: cookies, fudge, bites, and bars, in every seasonal flavor imaginable. I’d sit beneath the tower of desserts, mouth watering, strategizing which I’d indulge in first. It was nearly impossible to choose. You could taste the love—and you could also taste the difference between their cookies and the store-bought ones the neighbors brought.
That's because the love they poured into each recipe came through with every bite: their joy and camaraderie produced a flavor all its own. Plus, they used nothing but dependable, quality ingredients. No shortcuts or bargain brands for our family; only the best would do.
Mom gently draped a too-big apron over my sweater as Grandma demonstrated how to use the knobs on the mixer. I was mesmerized as the bowl of sugar, butter, and eggs transformed into fluffy white clouds in just seconds. In went the flour, and now it was my turn to help.
“Careful,” Grandma cautioned as she led my small hand to the knob. Buzzing with excitement, my fingers enthusiastically slid it all the way to 10, immediately sending a puff of flour through the air to coat the entire kitchen—and us—with a quarter-inch layer of soft white powder. Mom and Grandma stood stunned as the mixer paddle continued to spin furiously, spitting eggy batter as I giggled with joy in the mess. Mom zoomed past me to shut off the mixer—but soon all three of us were in hysterics, wiping batter from our eyes and shaking the flour from our hair and clothes before tucking in to start again.
Moments like these were more than just fun. They were lessons in thoughtfulness and resilience. Each ingredient was always selected with care, each mistake lovingly corrected. Making (and indulging in) those holiday treats over the years eventually inspired me to pursue a pastry degree, at which point I came to understand fully how and why quality ingredients make for quality results.
Take flour, for example, an ingredient whose quality can make or break a bake. It’s made by mill-grinding wheat grains until they form a fine powder. Some brands bleach their flour to make it bright white, which can sap the flavor for a less-than-stellar result.
Bob’s Red Mill, on the other hand, is unbleached and unbromated. The brand sources the highest quality North American wheat, expertly milled to guarantee great results every time.
Our most treasured baking ingredient during the holidays (and really year-round) is their Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour. With no bleaching or preservatives, its quality is always perfectly consistent, and the results are exceptionally and invariably delicious. Likewise, when we need to accommodate friends and family with specific diets, we turn to Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, a specially measured blend of high-quality ingredients that provides the perfect swap for wheat flour in cookies, cakes, and pies.
If the lessons I’ve learned have taught me anything, it’s that holiday treats are only as good as their ingredients. Which is why I continue to invest in proven products I know I can trust, and bake with the people I love most whenever I can. Because that’s the secret to the most delicious desserts.
