Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.
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You know, for most things I'm a purist at heart. I make my own pie crust and can NOT bring myself to buy refridgerated sugar cookie dough for anything. Maybe I'm just too cheap to do it, but I also know my version tastes better, so there's that too.
Having said that, though, I'm also not opposed to the occasional use of a mix. There. I said it. It seems that for some who do lean toward the "made from scratch" baking side, there is a stigma attached to admitting you sometimes use a mix. Case in point: Several years ago we attended a Christmas dessert gathering in the home of some of our seminary friends. She made the Most. Amazing. Peppermint Log I've ever had. It was seriously good. I asked her for the recipe and she blushed. She said, almost with shame, "I got it from The Cake Mix Doctor
cookbook." I looked at her with amazement. Such a book exists? SIGN ME UP!
I bought that book and have never looked back. I make all my cakes based off of it now. It takes the easy and allows you to make it homemade. And really, the cakes DO turn out better than they otherwise would and they also turn out better than had I just made them from scratch all by myself.
Having said that also, there are a few mixes I'm good with straight from the box. Coffee cakes and muffins fit this category for me. I think they taste good just the way they are and they are pretty simple to pull together. Take this Apple Caramel Cake for instance:

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. You may be thinking, "Oh my, did she really serve cake to her family for breakfast?" And to you I simply say, "Yes. Yes, I did."
And it was good.

Sometimes breakfast needs a special kick and this did the trick for us this morning.

Paired with a glass of milk = perfecto!
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Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.