The Business of Baking in Germany

I just returned from my first grocery shopping excursion post kitchen installation.

Whew!

Finding ingredients in another language is tough! I was lucky to have Lucinda, aka the Domestic Godess', help in deciphering some of the differences between American ingredients and the German counterparts, so I had a heads up that I might be in for some fun! I had some trouble finding the baking soda, but I found some helpful people and made it out of the store with everything I wanted, including M&M's!!

First of all the vanilla comes in tiny little vials like perfume samples. Weird, I know. And apparently, it's very potent, so just a smidge is enough. Definitely wouldn't want to over do it and ruin the cookies!

Baking soda, translates to Backpulver, however, so does baking powder. Well, those are two very different things, right? Lucinda told me to look for Natron which is actually baking soda. Backpulver is baking powder and it comes in little packets, almost like yeast does in the US. If you confuse those two in a recipe, the product will not come out right, trust me, I have made that mistake before! Very flat banana bread ensued.

So, with the addition of the chocolate chips flown in from England thanks to Christy, I am ready to do some cookie baking.

Well, not quite ready.

At lunch time, John and I are going to get the converter so that I can use my Kitchen Aid mixer for the cookie dough. Can't really make cookie dough without a way to mix all the ingredients together into a big doughy mess!

I am absolutely itching to get my hands on that beauty after not baking for over three months!

So all the goods are ready and waiting!

Here's to hoping my first baking experience in Celsius goes well!