Party Time

It's been a while.  We apologize.  Not to make excuses, but....(here they come!)  We work full time.  Actually, we work more than full time.  And we are moms and wives.  And we try to catch some shuteye from time to time.  Needless to say, we are short on time.

But we haven't stopped baking.  We just stopped blogging for a little (or long) while.

Over the past two months, we haven't had quite as many orders, but that's probably a good thing because we have been oh-so-busy with the rest of life.  But we have had the chance to try some new recipes, experiment and create.

In early February, we had a great taste-testing party.  We had a great turnout--both the crowd and the goodies--and we were thankful for all the great feedback we got.  The party was an opportunity for us to invent and experiment with some new recipes and con our friends into tasting these creations.






Here were some of the favorites:

Creamy Crimson Velvet

(vegan)

Lightly colored red velvet cupcakes, creamy and moist.  Frosted with a light and sweet custard and topped with pecans. A party-goer said, "I don't even like nuts, but I loved them on this cupcake!" What a compliment.

Toffee Bar Cupcake

A chocolate cupcake frosted with vanilla buttercream and topped with chocolate ganache and toffee.  Kind of like eating a candy bar, but better.

White Wine Cupcakes

(vegan)

A vanilla cupcake is the base for this classy cake.  The cake and frosting are flavored with white wine and fruit juices and bring all the pleasure of a cool glass of wine.

Iced Tea Cupcakes

(vegan version available)

These cakes were made with lemon tea, but can be made with many different flavors of tea (to be showcased in our summer menu).  The cakes are refreshing and taste just like your favorite summer drink!

We made a lot of other goodies including cookies, fudge, and other cupcakes, and many of them were a hit. We'll talk more about those in future posts...we hope.  Anyway, the feedback was helpful and in many cases affirming, and we look forward to the summer when we should have more time to bake and create for fun.

In the meantime, we're still taking orders (place yours today!), and we're enjoying the few stolen moments we have to do something that is fun, relaxing and creative (making great goodies, that is).

Photo credits: Under the Bridge Productions

A Sweet Special for Your Sweetie!

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Valentine's Day is right around the corner...

For some the holiday means sweet kisses and even sweeter sweets.  For others it serves as a bittersweet reminder of loves lost.  Regardless of how you feel about the holiday, there is no denying that its a day filled with strong emotions.

From this inspiration, our feature cupcake was born.  It is the perfect combination of two different flavors:  blackberry and lemon, to create a light cupcake which is sure to entrance.  Each flavor is distinct, yet perfectly balanced.

The Blackberry Lemonade Cupcake is sure to put you in the mood.  

Order some for your sweetheart, or better yet, yourself by Valentine's day at our Great Cupcake price!

E-mail us at thegreatergoodies@gmail.com to order or Check out our Menu for other great options. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Heaven

Our chocolate peanut butter fudge is sweet, chocolaty, peanut buttery and plain ole delicious.  It's also addicting.  Imagine this scene:

You open the refrigerator, take a piece of chocolaty heaven (fudge), and head out to relax on the couch.  You sip your tea and pop the fudge into your mouth.  Mmmm...it melts so sweetly.  Another sip of tea.  And you can't resist the urge.  Before you know it, you've hopped off the couch and headed back to the refrigerator for another piece of that chocolaty heaven.  This repeats itself several times before you tell yourself that you really cannot eat an entire batch of fudge in one evening.  It just wouldn't be right.  You really should save some for tomorrow.  As it turns out, the thought of a tomorrow with no fudge is the only thing that keeps you from devouring every last bite right now.

You might think this is an exaggeration, but I assure you it is not.  Tonight, my husband was enjoying his fourth piece of fudge and singing "You're gonna have to face it: you're addicted to fudge" to the tune of "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer.  It really is that addicting; it'll make you sing.

We dare you to try it.  Then we dare you to stop.

The addicting nature of our fudge is not something for which we can take credit, though.  My mom learned the secret to chocolate peanut butter deliciousness from her mom who learned it from her sister.  This recipe has been in the family for generations, and for good reason.

~M

The Business of Baking

We love baking.

We love baking so much that in November of 2011 we toyed with the idea of opening a bakery.  It seemed a little silly, considering that we both have families and full-time jobs, and we both think sleep is kind of important.  But we talked about it, and the more we did, the less crazy it seemed.  "We are good bakers!" "We have lots of great recipes!" "We have lots of creative ideas!" And the list went on.  In a few short weeks, we went from talking abstractly about a opening a bakery to fulfilling our first order.

The Greater Goodies has received weekly orders since then, and we have been giddy and honored to fill each  one. We're not quite sure how we've found the time to be moms, wives, full-time employees, and part-time bakers, but we have (and done so quite gracefully, actually).  In the past 6 weeks or so, we've made holiday cookies, nursing cookies, birthday cakes, all sorts of cupcakes, brownies, and truffles.  We've delivered orders and mailed orders. We've even had some time to experiment with new ideas and recipes. (Some time = one time in the past two months.  Maybe.  That might be an exaggeration.)

This month as the orders continue to roll in, we are loving the interactions with new customers. For next month, we look forward to hosting a taste testing party for friends and family. We are coming closer and closer to getting our license (and until then accepting suggested donations for orders).  What began as a side project is quickly growing to become a real business, and we are grateful, excited, and eager to be the owners of a small business in Lancaster County, PA.  And we're pretty sure Lancaster County will be grateful, excited and eager to have us in business!

We know that starting a small business is not easy, and we know these little successes and advances are just that: little.  But we are thankful for every good thing granted us so far.  Thanksgiving may be long past, but we're going to tell you for whom and what we're thankful these days:
~Our customers (What confidence in us!)
~Our husbands (No worries, we each only have one.  They are supportive and loving, i.e, amazing.)
~Our daughters (Megan has one and Amber has two.  Their smiles help keep us sane.)
~All those who have read this blog, checked out our menu or "liked" our Facebook page.
~Friends and family
~Our God-given awesome baking abilities. (Yes, we're unabashedly tooting our own horn once again.)

So yes.  We're thankful and excited.  And we eagerly look forward to what may come.

And so we raise our glass (or maybe a champagne cupcake) and say "Cheers!" May The Greater Goodies prosper in this new year.

Miss Popularity: The Chocolate Cupcake

Truthfully, I'm not sure if there's anything quite as good in this world as a chocolate cupcake.  Chocolate has been a delicacy since the early 1500's.  Since its discovery in the new world,  it has been adored, craved, and even venerated.  As far as our cupcakes are concerned, no one would blame you for settling for this standard favorite.  One bite into this rich cupcake and you'll satisfy even your deepest cravings.


Shown here is a chocolate cupcake, topped with a vanilla butter cream and a strawberry (seasonal).  Our chocolate cupcakes can even be made vegan or gluten free!

Nursing Mama Cookies

We're not ashamed to admit it.  We dreamed up this cookie for ourselves. We are both nursing mothers and we both work full time.  So, occasionally we need a little something extra to help boost our milk production.  These cookies are the perfect answer.

These cookies are full of wholesome, chocolatey, milk-production-boosting ingredients.  They're delicious for mommy, and they're (eventually) delicious for baby!  (As an added bonus: they can also be made vegan, which is great for those mamas that have babies allergic to dairy!)

Check out our menu for more great goodies.

Rich, Chocolate-y, and Oh, So, Delicious...

Mud Brownies

When it comes to brownies, the world is full of people who love 'em, including us!  We believe that the perfect brownie should be intense, chewy and thick with a light crisp that touches the edges.   But most importantly, the brownie should be chocolatey.  

Mud brownies pack all of that, plus more.  The brownies are not only rich and moist, but they are slathered in marshmallow.  That's right, we said Marshmallow.  After that, we drizzle a decadent chocolate ganache to create the perfect combination chewy and crunchy.  

Enjoy at your own risk.  You may never want to stop eating them!  Don't say we didn't warn you.   

(Even better, these can be made dairy free!)