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If food is the language of love, then baked goods are the warm, comforting embrace that can take that love to the next level with the stir of a spatula. To celebrate the surprising power of baking, HERSHEY’S CHIPITS talked to three real Canadian families, who shared their personal stories for a series of short films exploring one of baking’s most meaningful ingredients: love.
Unlocking the past
Madge baked for her family for decades, and when she developed Alzheimer’s, her daughter Christine realized that baking familiar recipes could be a great way to help her mother reconnect with her life, her family and herself. “The structured nature of baking really helps her focus,” Christine says, helping Madge mix up a batch of chocolate-chip blondies. “Baking helps bring back memories for her, and for me.”
Chocolate-Chip Blondies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter or margarine (softened) (175 mL)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (175 mL)
- ½ cup sugar (granulated) (125 mL)
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour (500 mL)
- 1 tsp baking soda (5 mL)
- 1/2 tsp salt (2 mL)
- 1¾ cups HERSHEY’S CHIPITS Pure Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (425 mL)
- 1 cup nuts (chopped), optional (250 mL)
Directions
- Heat oven to 350F (180C). Grease 13x9x2-inch (33x23x5 cm) baking pan.
- Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Spread in prepared pan.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until top is golden brown and centre is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.
Sharing the present
Growing up, Chinese-Canadian Michael sometimes struggled to express himself with his immigrant mother, Lily. “There would be things in my personal life that I would want to share with her,” Michael says, “but because I couldn’t speak Mandarin that well, I wasn’t able to.” That all changed when they discovered that baking together was an opportunity for them both to overcome their language barrier and learn to communicate with one another in a more meaningful way. Banana bread is one of their favourite things to make.
Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (500 mL)
- 1 cup sugar (250 mL)
- 1 tsp baking powder (5 mL)
- 1 tsp salt (5 mL)
- ½ tsp baking soda (2 mL)
- ½ cup vegetable oil or shortening (125 mL)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup ripe banana, mashed (2-3 medium) (250 mL)
- 1 cup HERSHEY’S CHIPITS Pure Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (250 mL)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, optional (125 mL)
Directions
- Heat oven to 350F (180C). Grease bottom only of 9×5-inch (20×13 cm) loaf pan.
- Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips and walnuts, if using, in large bowl; blend well on medium speed of mixer. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Empowering the future
For sisters Fanny and Joanie, whipping up a batch of chocolate-chip cookies together is more than just a way to bond through baking—it’s about helping to build essential life skills. “She can’t walk, she can’t speak, and she can’t hear, but it doesn’t stop her from doing the things she loves,” Fanny says of Joanie, who has cerebral palsy and who’s improving her fine motor skills through baking. “The simple act of baking helps Joanie feel empowered to live a more independent life.”
Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter or margarine (175 mL)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (250 mL)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (125 mL)
- 1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)
- 2 eggs
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour (550 mL)
- 1 tsp baking soda (5 mL)
- 1 tsp salt (5 mL)
- 1⅔ cups HERSHEY’S CHIPITS Milk Chocolate Chips (270 g)
- 1 cup chopped nuts (250 mL) (optional)
Directions
- Heat oven to 375F (190C).
- In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs until creamy.
- In medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture. Stir in milk chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
To discover more amazing (and delicious!) ways to bake with love, follow @hersheyschipitscanada on Instagram!
