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How to Tote Cupcakes: Clever Carriers

Cupcake cooks devised their own ways for getting the cute cakes to bake sales and parties long before cupcake carriers were invented. I used to (and still do!) use cardboard shirt boxes lined with waxed paper. But, there are many ways to make the journey a little easier on your frosted and decorated cupcakes.

1. A plastic 13 by 9–inch carrying case with a locking lid: This would be the best of your options—an investment in the beginning but with you for life.

2. Baking pans with snap-on plastic lids: These are useful not only for baking but also for toting cupcakes. Their three-inch depth seems just the right height to not mess up the top of the cupcakes. They come in a 13 by 9–inch (brownie) size as well as the 9-inch square. Choose from either the sturdy metal pans sold in cookware stores or the more disposable aluminum pans with lids sold at supermarkets.

3. A plastic or woven picnic basket with a pie stand: The pie stand splits the space inside the basket, allowing you to carry cupcakes on both the bottom and the upper level.

4. A plastic cake carrier: It will hold about a dozen cupcakes.

5. For lunch boxes, try plastic one-cup containers with snap-on lids.

6. Right on the serving platter: Place toothpicks in the center of a half dozen cupcakes and then drape plastic wrap on top. The toothpicks will act as poles, preventing the plastic from messing up the frosting.

Brownies, Bars, and Cookies

The Brownie Doctor is in! This chapter is all about brownies, bars, and cookies, those satisfying treats you can create from cake and brownie mixes. Let’s face it, brownie mixes are everywhere. We might make homemade brownies once or twice a year, but keeping a box of brownie mix on the pantry shelf is culinary insurance when life gets busy. It’s simple to top brownies baked straight from the box with a homemade icing and toasted pecans, or they can become adult dinner party fare with a touch of rum or a fancy mascarpone topping.

The bars in this chapter are versatile and ready to go when you are. And cookies are so easy that you can stir them together with your kids or grandkids in the time it takes for the oven to preheat.

Testing all the recipes in this chapter was sheer heaven! I fell for the Cranberry Almond Brownies with sweetened dried cranberries folded into the batter and also the Rum-Soaked Apricot Brownies with dried apricots plumped in warm rum. My daughter loved the Cookies and Cream Brownies made with chopped Oreo cookies. And Old-Fashioned Pan Brownies remind me of the frosted fudge cake of my youth—except the brownies are a lot faster to prepare. As for decadent desserts, try the Gooey Pecan Pie Brownies, with chunks of pecan pie folded in, or the Tiramisu Brownies, smooth, creamy, and so good you’d swear you were in Italy.

As for the bars, you will adore the cheesecake-like Houdini Bars, the Turtle Bars, a favorite of my children, and my new version of an old favorite, the peanut butter chocolate bars. You’ll find several variations of bars cut from a classic gooey butter cake in this chapter—Aimee’s Chess Cake, Lemon Gooey Butter Cake, and a Chocolate Walnut Gooey Butter Cake. With a crisp crust on the bottom and a soft center, these bars are perfect for baking and serving warm or for stashing in the freezer. And I’ve got bars that have more spongy cakelike texture, such as the Applesauce Bars with a Light Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cake mix cookies are quick to fix, and I have included a handful of recipes, including my favorites, the Easy Chocolate Cookies, the Spice Drop Cookies, and Angel Food Macaroons.

Before you begin, here is a little advice. Brands of brownie mixes differ in quality and outcome, and their availability varies across the country. If you haven’t already chosen a favorite, buy a handful of different brownie mixes and bake them according