During this season of social distancing, I am sure that many of us have been finding new ways
both to stay connected with people and to stay occupied while we are mostly stuck at home. One such
thing that I have been a part of is a recipe exchange with friends over email. A fellow student at Asbury
invited me to join a chain of people doing this, and it is super easy and lots of fun!
Once someone invites you, you are instructed to share a simple recipe with ingredients you would
find at home with one person, and then copy the original email. At the bottom of the email, there will be
two names, the first being the person you are to send your recipe to, and the second the name of the
person who invited you to join the recipe exchange.
Once you have copied the email, you simply put your own name and email address in the second
position, and the name of the friend who invited you in the first position. Then send that copy of the email
to twenty or so of your friends and a favorite recipe to the first person at the bottom of the original email.
After that, all you have to do is sit back and watch as favorite recipes from other people get peppered into
your inbox, and then the cooking begins!
I have chosen three of the recipes that I received to try making and ranked them on a scale of 1
(poor) to 5 (excellent) based on the categories of ease of preparation, availability of the ingredients and
overall taste. Here’s how they stacked up:
1) Kentucky Butter Cake Cookies: Overall, these cookies were super simple to make, as
they only require a few ingredients. The ingredients are easy to find; however, I did have
to run to the store to grab a cake mix and more butter because I did not have enough on
hand. The cookies are very rich and enjoyable, but I prefer something with chocolate or a
little more flavor. I would give this recipe a 5 in easiness of preparation, 4 in availability
of ingredients and 3.5 in overall taste for a total of 12.5 points.
2) Peanut Butter To-go Protein Bites: This recipe was also super easy to make. There were
just a few more steps and ingredients in the process. I had a couple of the ingredients I
needed, but the flax seed, rolled oats, slivered almonds, and shredded coconut I had to try
and find at the store because I do not regularly keep them at home. These protein bites
taste amazing, and I love the peanut butter flavor. I am excited to make them again so I
can eat more of them soon! In rankings, I would give this recipe a 3 in easiness of
preparation, 3 in availability of ingredients and 5 in overall taste for a total of 11 points.
3) Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake: This cake was really easy to put together, it just takes a
little longer. You do have to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately and then
eventually stir them in together. I already had all the ingredients that I needed at home, so
that part of this recipe was very simple. The finished product was amazing! It was very
rich and chocolatey, which I love. The icing is also delicious, and probably some of the
best I have ever had. I rank this recipe a 4 in easiness of preparation, 5 in availability of
ingredients and 5 in overall taste for a total of 14 points.
Overall, I have absolutely loved doing this recipe exchange. It has not only been a good way to
stay connected with some friends, but it has also kept me busy, as I’ve gotten to try some new recipes and
do some baking over the past weeks. The triple chocolate Bundt cake was definitely my overall favorite
of these three recipes, but that may be partly because chocolate is definitely one of my weaknesses.I have
included the recipes for the three dishes listed above for your convenience. If you want in on all the
cooking and baking fun, go ahead and start your own recipe exchange with some of your friends and
enjoy all the new recipes that come your way.
Kentucky Butter Cake Cookies
Cookies
1 box white cake mix
2 eggs, whisked
1/3 c melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix cookie ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Scoop
cookies onto a cookie sheet, and then bake for 7-8 minutes. Once done, remove and let them cool.
Glaze
¼ c butter
½ c granulated sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
Combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook on medium low heat until the sugar is dissolved,
stirring the whole time. Then, spoon onto each cookie and let set. You can add a little powdered sugar on
top as well once the glaze is set if you like.
Peanut Butter To-go Protein Bites
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flax seed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Mix together in a bowl, roll into balls, refrigerate for 3 hours and enjoy.
Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake
Cake
2 eggs
1 ¼ c water
1 ½ sticks of butter, melted
2 ¼ c flour
1 2/3 c sugar
2/3 c unsweetened baking cocoa
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ c mini chocolate chips or whatever add in you would like
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease bundt cake pan well with shortening and flour. Combine
eggs, water, and butter in a large bowl. Then add all other ingredients except the chocolate chips and beat
with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Then scrape the edges of the bowl and beat for 3 minutes on
high speed. Then fold in the mini chocolate chips or add in of choice and pour into the pan. Bake for
about 40 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and take out of the pan.
Glaze
½ stick butter
½ c chocolate chips
2 c powdered sugar
Boiling water as needed
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate chips together on low heat. Then slowly add the
powdered sugar, making sure to continually stir the mixture. If it becomes too thick, you can add small
amounts of water until it thins out a little. If it becomes too thin, just add more powdered sugar. Once the
glaze is at your desired thickness, pour on top of the cake. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top if
desired. Let glaze set, and then enjoy.
