Years ago, baking was a regular weekly event in our home, though as the years passed, travel took over, and the waistlines grew, so out went the baking until now. The current baking journey idea originated with the Squire dropping axiomatic hints about how lovely it would be to have home-baked treats. How could I say no? Well, quite quickly, when I thought of how I really didn’t want my waistline to expand anymore. Then, I rationalised that my fears of expanding waistlines were unjustified as I partake in group and individual sports on a daily/weekly basis. Indeed, so surely, baking and I could once again become a heavenly duo and produce an abundance of sweetness with no angst on my part. Of course, we can. Scurrying down that rabbit hole of overthinking again, I came across another glitch that needed to be addressed; what would I do with the surplus, as there are only enough sweet treats a man can eat in a week.
Enter.
Good Bitches Baking
In Wellington, 2014, two good friends got together over a drink, they formulated a recipe using a pinch of adversity, a spoonful of kindness in wanting to create a kinder world, then added a dollop of wanting to give others a treat during an otherwise tough day. Stir this all together and bake. The result?
A recipe for creating a successful charity.
GBB continues to expand with Chapters throughout New Zealand, with literally thousands of volunteers on their rosters. The Tauranga branch has a waiting list of eager bakers, of which I was one until now. As of May, I’ve been allowed to contribute my baking. I found out about this organisation by accident, and I am so pleased to have found an outlet for my excess baking. There are more reasons for being involved. We’ve all had shitty tough days, and I’m sure we all remember how grateful we were and how rejuvenating it was to have a good deed sprinkled on us. It gave me that all-needed burst of energy to get through another tiring day. I have been practising and have a few willing guinea pigs during these past months. Baking is rewarding when you see the smiles (or not when they realise I’ve been too adventurous with the recipe’s ingredients and it hasn’t all gone to plan). That’s the fun of it, create, be creative, get out of your comfort zone, share your baking with strangers and know that kindness is contagious.
To read more about this organisation, head on over to the Good Bitches Baking website. They make no apology regarding their organisation’s title, which is explained further on this page.
Life at No. 22 
You got me with the scone! And what is that naughtiness in the Header, Suzanne? I’m not a baker, sadly, but I’m good at sampling. Glad you found such a useful outlet.
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Hi Jo, I am a continuous learner when it comes to baking not a pro. It’s a good cause plus another exercise in using my grey matter 😉 The heading image is a NZ favourite slice – ginger crunch.
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It could be my new favourite!
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It is a favourite in this household.
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Hi. The date scones look great. I could go for a couple of them right now.
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Hi Neil, Would fast post assist in getting them to you, I wonder?
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Those look so yummy! My hubby has a sweet tooth and is blessed with a fast metabolism me, not so much. We both bake now and then and enjoy the results but I find it hard to resist indulging as much as he does. I MUST have that recipe for the ginger crunch… where can I find it?
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Janis, this is the recipe I used there are quite a few though I found this one reasonably easy. https://vjcooks.com/gingercrunch/ There is nothing quite like home baking and if it is a treat and not a regular daily occurrence, then all is well on the health front. Oh, to have a fast metabolic rate, that would be bliss.
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Thank you! I’ll check it out. Hubby and I are huge ginger fans.
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Oh, they all look so scrumptious. I rarely bake, we have large enough waists as it is, but I do like a nice lemon polenta cake, the odd almond chocolate brownie and I am sorely tempted by your ginger crunch. We loooove ginger!
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We’re partial to ginger and I buy some at the local deli though its from the islands. Queensland produces some very tasty ginger. The almond chocolate brownie sounds like a good choice. I might have to look into the polenta cake just for us or any future visitors.
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Apart from bread, I haven’t been a baker, as I prefer savoury to sweet, but I have a visitor with a sweet tooth, so I’m baking biscuits today. I hope they turn out as well as yours have.
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I’m sure the biscuits turned out fine and were appreciated.
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They were better than I expected.
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Looking good – but I usually pass on cake – not because I don’t like it, but because of the waistline
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Life is far too short to say “no” to cake as long as a walk is involved before. No worse than a glass of wine 😉
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True 🙂
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I only bake occasionally, for all the reasons you mention 🙂 That organisation sounds great, I don’t think we have anything quite like that here. Your cakes look yummy, I’m sure the Squire must be enjoying them!
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Baking and consuming is done now and again. It is a treat and I for one would soon tire of baking if it became an every day occurrence. I love the idea that someone’s day is going to be cheered up with a treat. As far as the Squire goes, he is enjoying the end result, no weight gain. All good 🙂
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The chocolate afghan cookies look delicious. I love to bake but don’t do it often as I did when younger. It’s too tempting to have lots of goodies in the house. I’m sure you understand.
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I totally understand as I sip my coffee with no treat 😉
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Your baking looks amAAAAzing! And what a great organisation, I fell down an Internet rabbit-hole reading about them.
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Cheers Anabel, those rabbit holes are deep and very time consuming. I too, think it’s a wonderful organisation especially when there is so much negativity in the world and people feeling left out and on their own. More sprinkling of kindness is needed on ourselves and others.
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Very true!
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They all look so yummy. It’s a good thing for my waistline that I can just look at them and not eat any.
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Oh well, Natalie, with all your walking and cycling come summer and throughout the year, you can indulge in a few treats.
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Yum yum! Your baked goods look ass good as I’m sure they must taste. How good to find an out less for the excess. About the only baking I do is rustic bread and the occasional pumpkin pie. Right now it is rhubarb season, so there’s usually some crisp on hand to go with vanilla ice cream – no calories there!😄
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Oh heck they look fab. Never heard of a chocolate afghan… melts in the mouth nit in the mosque I suppose. I must give them a dart…
And what a grand organisation. More power to its mixers..
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Well, regarding that name, Griffins renamed their biscuits due to the reference to Afghans in times of political unrest around the world, mainly to do with refugees. Some prefer it to be called the Cornflake biscuit. Whatever it is named it’s still a classic biscuit to bake and enjoy. My sister in law, to this day makes the best ones we’ve tasted. I encourage your use of the dart.
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I’m on it…
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