2025: Baker's Dozen Baking Series

2025 Baker’s Dozen Baking Series

***PLEASE REVIEW THE CANCELLATION POLICY BEFORE BOOKING. THIS CLASS IS NON-REFUNDABLE***⬆️

Each week will feature a different lesson on the science, chemistry and core elements of baking. Learn how to know if that recipe on the internet will work just by reading it! Then feel confident enough to make the changes that are necessary to make it a success.  This class is designed to increase your overall baking knowledge, help you feel more confident and start making baked goods that will make everyone swoon.

In these 4-hour workshops we’ll slow down our baking classes so that we have plenty of time to focus on our technique, have time to properly chill (if needed) and bake.  That means no rushing and no pressure, just relaxed baking time! If you struggle with organization, timing and multi-tasking this class will also help you learn how to prioritize and group tasks to make the most of your time in the kitchen!

And, of course, we’ll be talking HIGH ALTITUDE – almost every single week.  Learn how to adjust recipes so that you can have sea level results living in the clouds.

1st Quarter: Intro to Better Basics

Sunday, January 19th: 1pm-5pm

Week 1: High Altitude Baking & Back To The Basics – Caramel Week!! $100 per person

Let’s explore the most elemental ingredient of baking – sugar.  In this class we’ll explore how to turn simple sugar into caramel and how our altitude impacts this process. Plus, we’ll learn how temperature changes caramel and how you can change the texture of this tricky confection just by changing the heat. Then we dive into our cream and butter ratios to get your caramel just right.  This class is our foundation that we will build on over the next 12 months. Each group of 2 will make all three caramels and take home what you make! Don’t let this tricky treat fool you – you can make perfect, foolproof caramel at home!

On the menu:

• Caramel Sauce: Take Home For Ice Cream
• Spreadable, Settable Caramel: Caramel Brownies
• Firm Caramel: Caramel Candies

Saturday, February 22nd: 1pm-5pm

Week 2: Cookie Week & Leaveners - $85 per person

In our second week we continue to expand on mastering our basic bakes and learning about the 6 basic types of cookies. If you’ve lived at our altitude for long, you know that simple Chocolate Chip Cookies can be a struggle. Let’s talk about cookie adjustments, how our leaveners work and how to know when to use baking soda and when to use baking powder – and even why to use both together! Plus, we’ll make a great cookie that shows how our leaveners work – Snickerdoodles.  Finally, we’ll work on one of the hardest things that Cortney mastered at altitude - brownies! Each group of 2 will make all three recipes and take home what you make!

 On the menu:

• Drop: Chocolate Chip
• Molded: Snickerdoodles
• Bar: Brownie

Sunday, March 16th, 1pm-5pm

Bread Week - $100 per person

Learn more about breads, yeast and how to make delicious light and airy breads at altitude! In this class we’ll go over the difference between skillet breads and yeasted loaves, proper proofing and rising, how to adjust breads for altitude and more. For our crumpets we will make a batter that is proofed and then griddled – and if you’ve never had them they are a real treat! For our potato bread we will learn how to work with breads that require a double rise and also learn how to form a bread loaf for slicing. Plus, each group will make a different topping for our breads that we can enjoy with our snack.  (A few of the toppings will vary depending on the reschedule date – I’ll go seasonal).

On the menu:

• Crumpets
• Potato Bread
• 4 Toppings: Seasonal Jam, Easy Devonshire Cream, Quick & Easy Marmalade & Seasonal Citrus Curd

2nd Quarter: Cakes & Quickbreads

Sunday, April 27^th: 1pm-5pm

Week 4: Muffins, Scones & Quickbreads - $85 per person

Cake week starts with one of my all-time favorites – muffins and quickbreads! And these seemingly simple bakes can be quite a task at altitude.  This week we’ll talk about why you might choose to use oil or butter in your muffins, how to use eggs to build structure in quickbreads and how mixing can change the texture of your baked goods. Cortney will also make a loaf of our quickbread with the sea level recipe and the high altitude recipe so that you can see the difference. Each group of 2 will make both recipes and take home what you make!

On the menu:

• Cheddar Herb Beer Bread
• Good Morning Muffins
• Coconut Nutella Swirl Bread

Sunday, May 18th: 1pm-5pm

Week 5: Cupcakes (And Vanilla!) - $85 per person

It’s everyone’s favorite mini cake – cupcakes!  Learn the tricks to make light and airy cupcakes at altitude (not the dense bricks that I know we’ve all made!).  While our cupcakes are baking we’ll talk about Vanilla – what is it, where does it come from and what kind is the best? Then whip two different frostings that are sure to be on your regular rotation.  But we’re not stopping there!  Get your piping bags ready – it’s time to decorate cupcakes!  Each group of 2 will make one dozen of each flavor and then take home what you make!

On the menu:

• Chocolate Cupcakes with Stabilized White Chocolate Whipped Cream
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Sunday, June 20th: 1pm-5pm

Week 6: Cake Week - $100 per person

We’re halfway there!  It’s cake week!! And no, we’re not decorating this week 😊.  But we are baking.  Have you made basic cakes that fall in the middle?  Or don’t bake quite right?  This week we’ll address all of the missteps that you can make with a basic cake.  Then we’ll turn them into something not quite so basic! Learn one of our favorite tricks – infusing milks with cereal flavor, then turn it into a decadent Tres Leches cake that is soaked just right (not too dry, not too wet!).  Then we’ll make a chocolate sponge cake and turn it into a cake roll, with marshmallow crème filling! Each person will make an 8x8 Tres Leches and their own Cake Roll to take home (you will make batters and filling together with a partner)!

On the menu:

• Cereal Milk Tres Leches Cake
• Chocolate Cake Roll with Marshmallow Crème Filling

3rd Quarter: Pastry

Sunday, July 20th: 1pm-5pm

Week 7: Pie Week -$100 per person

It’s Cortney’s favorite week – PIE WEEK!!  And we’re not pulling any punches! We’ll be diving in headfirst into one of the hardest pies to make, Lemon Meringue.  But we’ll be making a version of this pie that reduces the margin of error, so that you’ll be successful every single time.  Learn how to make a lemon curd filling, Italian Meringue and our all butter pie crust.  You’ll also learn how to mix and form a perfect crust, roll it out, crimp and blind bake. Plus, we’ll make hand pies and learn how to get a crust that you can handle without it falling apart! You’ll make filling and meringue with a partner, but each person will make their own crust and take home their very own 8” pie and their own Cherry Hand Pies.

On the menu:

• Lemon Meringue Pie: Lemon Curd/Italian Meringue/Butter Crust
• Cherry Hand Pies

Sunday, August 17th: 1pm-5pm

Week 8: Tart Week - $100 per person

We’re moving from pie right into tarts!  Learn how a shortcrust differs from a pie crust and two different ways to make them.  We’ll do an all-butter tart crust for our Fruit Tart and an Almond Crust for our Torta di Ricotta.  You’ll also learn how to make a classic pastry cream and fruit glaze for the fruit tart and we’ll even make our own ricotta for the torta.  You’ll make fillings and toppings with a partner, but each person will make their own crust and take home their very own tarts.

On the menu:

• Classic Fruit Tart
• Torta di Ricotta

Sunday, September 21st: 1pm-5pm

Week 9: Rough Puff Pastry Week- $100 per person

We’re finishing our pastry quarter strong! It’s time to learn how to make your own puff pastry, at home!  Did you know that most commercial grocery store brands of puff pastry use oil and not butter?  No more!  This rough puff is a shortcut, but better than anything that you can buy!  Learn how to laminate dough, what a “turn” means and how to make sure that your butter doesn’t leak out while baking.  Each person will make a batch of a 4-turn rough puff and an 8-turn rough puff so that you can see the difference just a few turns can make!  You’ll make fillings with a partner, but each person will make their own crust and take home their very own turnovers and pastelitos.

On the menu:

• Apple Turnovers
• Fruit & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastries

4th Quarter: Candy & Confections

Sunday, October 19th: 1pm-5pm

Week 10: Chocolate Week - $125 per person

It’s everyone’s favorite (except Cortney’s – she doesn’t love chocolate), but she LOVES to teach it!  In this class we’ll talk about the differences in types and percentages of chocolates, what exactly white chocolate is and how to know when to use each type.  We’ll also be learning how to temper chocolate to make a stable, smooth and shiny chocolate coating for our candies.  Each person will take home all of their own candies but will make a filling with your partner.

 On the menu:

• Classic Chocolate Truffles
  
• Marshmallow & Caramel Bonbons: We’ll use chocolate molds for our bonbons and make our marshmallow crème filling and caramel from scratch before we fill!

Sunday, November 16th, 1pm-5pm

Week 11: Meringue Week - $100 per person

It’s temperamental, notoriously tricky and oh, so delicious! As we reach the end of our Baker’s Dozen series we’ll be increasing our difficulty level.  But don’t worry – once you learn how to do it the right way you’ll feel so confident that you’ll never shy away from meringue again. Have you heard the terms French, Swiss and Italian Meringue but aren’t quite sure what the difference is?  In this class we’ll make all three! Then we’ll turn them into three delicious desserts!

On the menu:

• French Meringue: Meringue Kisses
• Swiss Meringue: Pumpkin Ginger Parfait with Sugared Cranberries
• Italian Meringue: Baked Alaska

Sunday, December 7th: 1pm-5pm

Week 12: Candy Week - $100 per person

The holidays are coming and that means baking!  And nothing is harder to perfect at our altitude than classic candies.  Have you made a fudge that ended up grainy, or even worse, never set at all? Or have you made toffee that is blonde or burnt?  This class will go over proper temperatures for these candies at our altitude and how to know how to adjust for ALL of your holiday goodies.  Learn how tiny differences can make your candy a world apart!  Each person will make a batch of candy to take home!

On the menu:

• Classic Chocolate Fudge (with a fun mix in bar available!)
• Butter Toffee: Customizable for each person with chocolate or nuts

Sunday, December 21st: 1pm-5pm

Bonus Week: The Grande Finale:  Croquembouche – $125 per person

You made it!  We’re all done with our baking series and it’s time for a bit of fun.  In our last week (only available to those registered for our full Baker’s Dozen Series) we put what we learned to work.  We’ll make pate choux buns, pipe them full of pastry cream, dip them in caramel and build a tower!  At the very end we’ll also be making spun sugar to finish off our creations. Each person will make their own croquembouche to take home – Cortney will have one to sample to celebrate!

On the menu:

• Croquembouche – Choux Buns/Pastry Cream/Caramel for Sugar Work