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

Having directions for baking at high altitudes is important to me since I live at 7,000 feet elevation.

Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (9/2006) 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!