About

Happy Accidents. Occasional Messes. Consistently Delicious. 

I am a twenty-something graduate student of history, working towards a doctorate in something American history, or women's history, or Russian history. I'm hoping the details will spontaneously orient themselves. The point is, I lead a somewhat hectic life during the school year and baking is a rewarding and scrumptious hobby of mine.

I've been a passionate baker for about six years now, and I've settled into a nice pattern of finding and trying new recipes. Because I've been a student for time innumerable, I try to keep my baking simple and cheap. I am also an employee of Michaels during my downtime, which is as dangerous as one might expect for a casual baker!

What You Can Expect

I'm gonna be totally honest and upfront about two things: I absolutely love to add cinnamon to everything and anything, and I often double or triple the amount of vanilla called for in any recipe. As much as I like the idea of piping a mango puree into a light lemon cupcake and topping it with buttercream, that just isn't my baking style (yet?)

I'm bad with making exact recipes. I like throwing handfuls of stuff in at a time, and I frankly consider the most successful cookie batter to be the one so full of chocolate chips, nuts, and whatever else I can find that my spoon bends under the strain. Also, I never do that whole mix the dry and wet ingredients separately like a good baker. Some of my recipes are easy, simple, and store bought. And I have fully embraced it.

But don't allow me to mislead you, I absolutely adore trying out new recipes and experimenting with new flavors. I look forward to sharing with you my favorite recipes (like homemade cinnamon-rice krispies, snickerdoodles, and individual cheesecakes), recipes I've gleaned from cookbooks and the many wonderful other baking blogs, and creating new baked goods just for this site!

The Meaning Behind the Name

Why did I decide to call this blog "The Haphazard Baker"? Given my penchant for just throwing in whatever I want, I go through a lot of trial and error with my recipes. When I first became more serious about baking there were a lot of burned cookie batches and lumpy dough. I inevitably forget at least one thing in a recipe and am too lazy to drive back to the store, so sometimes I just make do. Each time I make a recipe it's a little different, but delicious all the same. 

I can be impatient. I make mistakes. I skip important steps. I misread directions, ingredients, bake times. I over estimate my skills...

My haphazard approach to baking I hope can help more people try recipes they wouldn't have tried before. You don't need to be exact (and awesome) like Alton Brown, have every gadget that Wilton sells, or use the most expensive ingredients to make some awesome baked goods.

Also, my apartment is in a very old home. And it's slanted. Which means I get some lopsided cupcakes every once and a while.

I hope you enjoy the site!