Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Dark Chocolate Oreo Tart

Oreos were first introduced in 1912. They’ve been warming hearts, creating smiles, and causing debates for more than one hundred years. There are those who will never agree whether or not to dunk a cookie into milk, twist the sandwich cookie apart first, or shove a whole cookie into the mouth without twisting or milk. But there won’t be much debate on whether or not people love Oreos.

After a late night conversation, Beatrice realized her close friend Mary Margaret suffered from the winter doldrums and a lonely heart. Beatrice, owner of Bea’s Bakery, whipped up a dark chocolate Oreo tart that she knew would not only find Mary Margaret’s smile even if the sky was gray, but also it would give her heart a jolt of happiness.

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies

Valentine’s Day in Mystic Water is a red-and-pink paper hearts, cupid-shooting-arrows, and overload-on-chocolate kind of day. People leave anonymous valentines pinned beneath windshield wipers, kids shove suckers and conversation hearts into handmade Valentine’s Day shoeboxes, and townsfolk rush into the bakery for chocolates and sweets of all kinds.

Anna’s red velvet cream cheese brownies will soften the heart of anyone, even those who loathe Valentine’s Day. So spread love and a lighthearted feeling all day—buy a dozen and share them with your friends. No one will turn these down, and smiles will abound.

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

When it comes to baking, there are victories and there are failures. Sometimes the cakes don’t rise, and sometimes they rise like lopsided mountains. Sometimes cakes stick so badly to the pan they have to be eaten with a fork and never make it to the cake plate. Being a baker means accepting that your recipes (and you) will never be 100% perfect every time.

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Chocolate Donuts with Peppermint Bark

During the month of December, it seems as though sweets are waiting for you around every corner. Cookies spring up like daisies in the spring. Cakes lie around beneath glass domes and entice us to them. Truffles and candy canes and sufganiyot crowd inside gift bags for your enjoyment.

Bea’s Bakery in Mystic Water fills to bursting with sweets and treats of all kinds during December. Townsfolk flock to the glass cases from morning until closing time to fill their bellies with gingerbread cookies or snowflake sugar cookies.

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Oreo Truffles

Poet Pablo Neruda wrote, “Laughter is the language of the soul.” When was the last time you laughed? Can you remember when you last laughed so hard that your face and your stomach ached, when tears rolled down your cheeks?

If you can’t immediately recall when laughter burst from your smile, then you need to stop by Bea’s Bakery in Mystic Water and order at least a half dozen Oreo truffles.

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Peanut Butter Truffles

Ever felt like a hamster on a wheel? Or like just another rat in the rat race? Ever feel as though one day leads into another, leads into another, leads into another, and you’re tired of being tired?

Sounds like you need a vacation, a place to rest and relax, or at the very least, a visit to Bea’s Bakery in The Baker’s Man. Anna O’Brien can whip up just what you need to feel rested, rejuvenated, and like your old self again (back when you had energy and you were excited about every new adventure).

Cooking Through Fiction: The Giver's Red Apple Pie

Can you imagine living in a seemingly ideal, although colorless, world of contentment and conformity? Your freedom of choice and your independence are non-existent. Instead, you are surrounded by sameness, but you don’t even know everyone is all the same.

Imagine not knowing the vibrancy of colors, not knowing what sunshine feels like as it warms your face, or the pelt of rain against your cheeks. Imagine never feeling pain or sadness, but in giving up the difficult emotions and experiences, you are also forfeiting true happiness and real love. Is it worth it?