Customer Reviews

Baking at High Altitude: The Muffin Lady's Old Fashioned Recipes

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I tried several recipes in this book and only one, the brownies, turned out acceptable. But, with three sticks of butter and 3 cups of sugar, it is hard to go too wrong. I am not a novice baker, but I am new to high-altitude cooking (at about 5,300 feet). This book does not have any adjustments for different altitudes, it is just a generic "high altitude" cookbook; maybe it works well at someplace higher or lower than where I live. Overall, I think this cookbook is a waste of time and ingredients.

On the other hand, every recipe I've made from Pie in the Sky (I've tried about 10, from breads and cookies to pies and cakes) is absolutely fabulous, getting rave reviews from friends and family. If you need a reliable high-altitude cookbook for baking, get Pie in the Sky instead. It tells you exactly what to do at different altitudes (sea level-3,000-5,000-7,000-10,000 feet). The recipes are sophisticated but totally accessible to anyone with even a small amount of baking experience.

I spend my summers in New Mexico at 7,400 feet and really depend on high altitude changes for my normal sea level recipes. While this book had lots of delicious sounding recipes, and lots of family stories, I found little practical advice for actual high altitude cooking, except for wrapping every baked good in plastic wrap 15 minutes after baking (somewhat impractical for yeast bread). Do not rely on this cookbook for actual high altitude cooking.

This cookbook has helpful high altitude tips as well as decent recipes.
There are only baked items in this cookbook. Other high altitude recipes will have to be found in another cookbook.

This just shows me *read the reviews **before** you buy the book!.* I bought this awhile back, and tonight tried two recipes. I live at 6300+ feet and so far both have sucked. The 'dough' is too stiff and dry to roll out, even with extra water/butter/eggs. The resulting product sucked all the moisture out of my mouth. The author is marketing this book for high elevations. Maybe in New Orleans! The other reviewer who had problems lives a thousand or so feet *lower* than I do and it didn't work. I tried the Schneken (page 44) and got the above mentioned product. I have a minor note to the editor on this one, when you list an ingredient...like oh say an egg....you are supposed to list it in the intructions on what to do with it and where to put it! It says one egg but then do I add it to the dough? Take it and spread it on top of the butter on the dough after I roll it out? I tried adding it to the dough and not adding it to the dough. Both verisons suck eggs. I also tried Grandma's Rugelach (page 42), the dough would not roll out and broke when I was trying to roll it up. I didn't roll it out to thin either. The jam, chocolate chips, butter and cinnamon/sugar mix just oozed out of the sides. The author claims these recipes give upwards of 35 cookies per mix. I call shenanigans. I find it interesting to note this book was the winner of Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, something I will admit to never hearing of before. I will probably try one or two more recipes from this book to make absolutely certain its a dud before I put it in the 'donate to library' bin. I think "The Muffin Lady" should stick to what she apparently does best, muffins, and leave this in the reject pile. To anyone who managed to get anything from this book to work, I commend you. For me however, I have other cookbooks, not high elevation ones, but they still give a reliable product that a. looks like what I want to make, b. does what it's supposed to do and c. is something that, when I take a bite, will make me want to take *another* bite instead of grabbing a glass of water.

We live at 9,000 feet in Colorado and I probably cook muffins or quick breads from this cookbook every week. Indeed, my better half said the title of this review just a few weeks ago.

My only caution is that more than once the recipe has said it would make 12 muffins when it actually made 24. I've learned to apply a common sense test to the list of ingredients. And if I end up with 24 muffins, somehow they always are eaten.

I am an avid baker that grew up at a normal altitude of about 1,200 feet. Thirteen years ago we moved to 7,200 feet. I haven't been able to bake well since and it has been driving me crazy! Finally, I checked this book out of the library and first tried the chocolate chip cookies. PERFECT! Today I tried the Snickerdoodles and my entire family agrees they are the best cookies EVER! Awesome book! I plan to adjust my favorite recipes as she recommends and bake bake bake. Thank you!!!

What a helpful baking aid! I have lived in the mountains at 9,00 feet for five years now and have not been successful baking from scratch. My cakes have been gooey and have fallen and my cookies have spread-out too thinly. I resorted to using mixes because they usually give "High Altitude" modifications, as most recipes in magazines and on the internet don't. I baked the "Banana Bread" recipe and it turned out perfectly! I am so happy to have this book. Now I can go back to baking from scratch as I always did before moving to the mountains!

I live in Denver CO and I've made a number of things from this book and they all have come out great. I just made the banana bread (again!) - always perfect. After I got my Kitchenaid mixer, this was the first cookbook I got. Thanks Randi!

Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (9/06)

Randi Levin, better known as The Muffin Lady, has written a unique cookbook with an extensive variety of baked goods adjusted for baking at high altitude. All the recipes are tried and true, old-fashioned, and have been handed down and enjoyed for several generations. Many of the recipes have been used for professional preparation over several years. The distinction of this cookbook is that it is written for scratch baking at a minimum of 4,000 feet above sea level.

The Muffin Lady shares recipes with us and gives tips on how we can adjust almost any recipe to high altitude baking. With her book, successful alterations to almost any recipe can be quite simple and fairly easy. The recipes found here can also be adapted to meet dietary needs that are sugar-free and low in fat.

"Baking at High Altitude" offers a superb variety of recipes including cakes, cookies, mountain muffins, sweet breads, fruit-filled treats, brownies, pies and strudels. Inspiring quotes are mingled throughout, and a personal note of each recipe's origin is included with each recipe. A color picture is encompassed in each chapter showcasing what the finished treats will look like when prepared, and attractive pencil drawings make the pages eye-appealing. The book also stays open nicely to a particular page so that a specific recipe can be followed and prepared.

The Muffin Lady hails from Evergreen, Colorado, which is where she was nicknamed "The Muffin Lady" by the United States Postal Employees. She frequently delivered muffins and other baked goods to the local shops in the area, and it was these individuals who helped her realize just how successful her recipes and baked goods could be. The Muffin Lady has since served such customers as the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, Colorado and the Wild Oats Natural Marketplace.

I recommend "Baking at High Altitude" to everyone who lives at or above 4,000 feet above sea level and who enjoys baking. If success from the oven is what you desire, your needs should be met here, for The Muffin Lady says all the recipes have been tested and perfected to insure great results. All the recipes are eye-catching and will entice you to give them a try. The Muffin Lady offers a unique quality of cookbook unlike any other I am familiar with. I encourage high altitude bakers to give it a try. I will begin by trying the recipe for Fresh Peach Cake!

* Best First Cookbook in the World 2004, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
* 1st Place EVVY Awards 2004, Colorado Independent Publishers Association

Received book free of charge

I have bought this book for several of my new neighbors who have no idea that you must change your cooking methods at high altitude. It is a blessing for basic cooking advice.