Bright-Eyed Baker
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About Me

Hi! I’m Alexandra.

My friends call me Alex.

I create, test, and photograph all of the recipes on Bright-Eyed Baker. I LOVE desserts and other baked goods - so you’ll find plenty of those here - but I’m also a big fan of coffee and a good craft cocktail. Be on the lookout for those recipes as well!

The Philosophy Behind Bright-Eyed Baker

My goal here is twofold: create from scratch as much as possible, and make it approachable. For me, this means skipping the boxed mixes and other heavily-processed products, and opting for whole foods and simple ingredients as often as I can. It also means that you won’t need to take a trip to an obscure grocery store or enroll in culinary school to make my recipes; they’re designed to be made with ingredients that are accessible to the average person who wants to shop locally, using techniques that are easy to understand and master.

In this vain, you’ll find plenty of what I like to call “DIY” recipes on Bright-Eyed Baker. These are for ingredients or other food and beverages that you might be used to buying, but can easily make at home - everything from cinnamon chips (which can be hard to find in stores) to cranberry sauce (so much better than the canned stuff)!

You’ll also find recipes that can help you reduce waste by making the most of the ingredients you already have. For example, rather than throwing out citrus scraps, you can turn them into candied lemon peel or candied orange peel. Or, you can use the milk that's sitting in your fridge to make homemade buttermilk, so you don’t have to go to the store to buy yet another ingredient. These are little things, but I think they can make a big difference!

My hope is that you’ll find that baking from scratch makes your life better, not harder! All new recipes come with step-by-step photos (so you can follow along if you’re a visual learner) and detailed instructions (so you’re never left questioning if you’re doing it right). I’m largely self-taught and have learned most of my kitchen skills through trial and error, so if I can do it, so can you!

How I Got Here

I started this blog in the summer of 2011 - straight out of my freshman year of college. My mom had very little free time to bake growing up, so I definitely wasn’t raised in the kitchen, but like I said, I’ve always loved my baked goods!

I started experimenting with recipes from a bread-baking book, soon discovered the world of food blogs (which were still relatively new at the time), and decided I should document my creations on a food blog of my own. And that’s how Bright-Eyed Baker was born!

I worked my way through many recipes in an effort to understand the science of baking, and even worked a brief stint at a local bakery. While there, I was able to hone my skills at slightly more intricate techniques, like making macarons and Swiss meringue buttercream, and frosting layer cakes. While the experience taught me that owning a bakery definitely wasn’t my ultimate goal, it reinforced how much I love being able to create in my own kitchen!

Over the 10+ years since I started Bright-Eyed Baker, I’ve graduated college, worked multiple full-time jobs, got a dog, bought a house, and generally realized what it’s like to have many more responsibilities than I did at 18. Because of that, most of the recipes I share now are ones you can easily whip up with an hour or two to spare on the weekend. And while they might not look as fancy as those cakes from the bakery, I can promise you they’re every bit as delicious!

A Note About Baking with Dietary Restrictions

Though I didn’t follow a gluten-free diet when I started this blog, I do now. My boyfriend also happens to have celiac disease, so I fully understand how frustrating it is being unable to eat something due to one small ingredient that could easily be avoided. Because of these circumstances, all of my newer recipes (circa 2017 and later) are either naturally gluten-free or include instructions for a gluten-free modification. In most cases this requires nothing more than a simple flour swap, and allows me to make my recipes accessible to readers whether or not they’re avoiding gluten.

I know I have readers who cannot consume dairy or choose to be vegan, so I also do my best to specify recipe modifications for these dietary needs when possible, and occasionally share recipes that are specifically designed to be vegan-friendly, such as my dairy-free whipped cream and chocolate coconut balls. Whatever your diet may look like, there’s most certainly something for you here!

A bit more about me…

I grew up in a small(ish) town called Clovis in California's Central Valley.

After living in Oakland for just over two years after college, I moved back to my hometown, and now live in the neighboring town of Fresno with my boyfriend and dog (our resident crumb picker-upper)!

When I’m not baking, I love traveling, snowboarding, going to baseball games (Go Dodgers), taking my dog for walks, and sipping coffee on my back patio.

Find Bright-Eyed Baker Here…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mark G.

    Bright Eyed Baker - 36 web pages of heaven! I love browsing your well-planned website for recipes. Today it's your world-famous chocolate chip cookies (GF).

    Thank you for your hard work, and great recipes.

  2. Alene

    What brand of gluten free flour do you prefer to use? I haven't seen you note the brand. Your recipes are beautiful and so easy to follow. Thank you for that!

    • alexandra

      Hi Alene,

      My go-to's are Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag), King Arthur Flour, or Pamela's. The first two tend to be more common in stores, at least in my area.

      And thank you for your kind words! I appreciate the feedback more than you know!

  3. Grommet Farschwaller

    Bright-Eyed Baker - your recipes are the best GF ever.... I went GF in 2010 and I find it very difficult to find recipes that are easy to bake and delicious. Your recipes deliver every time! You have a huge fan and subscriber. Thank you for your blog, it's by far the best one out there.

    I'm looking forward to trying out the Financiers (never heard of them before, or knew how they got the name - I like your history teaching too on each item) with the chocolate and hazelnut flour.

    I can't wait for your next recipe!

    Thank you, G. Farschwaller

    • alexandra

      Thank you so much!! I appreciate this comment more than you know. Hope you continue to enjoy every recipe. :)

  4. AlexA

    I really like the new changes to your website. I have been following you for a very long time. Your choice of food selections and recipes are awesome. I am not a baker like you but I still enjoy reading your blog and look at the pictures. I shared many of them with people I know like me and/or those who actually are good bakers too. Our family appreciates the time you take to share these exquisite healthy treats and foods. Keep up the good work and I hope someday we can also purchase your items online or in stores near me. ????

    • alexandra

      Thank you <3

  5. sathya priya

    i m also like do it from scratch person .Wish me luck in my journey too alexandra .u got a new follower from now on ...

    • alexandra

      Thanks! Glad to have you following along. :)

  6. TOM

    Can we subscribe to your blog?

    • alexandra

      Yes! You can click here to subscribe by e-mail or here to subscribe by RSS.(These links are also available by clicking on the envelope icon or the RSS icon on the top-right corner of any page on the blog.) Thanks for asking!

  7. J Marie

    Thank you SOOOOOOOO much for the DIY caramel sauce. It was SOOOOO easy and everyone LOVES it. I never thought I could make something like that. I can't thank you enough!!!!

    • alexandra

      Yayyy! I'm so glad! Thank you for telling me. :D

  8. singadiva

    cinnamon chips!
    now you've made a truly bright-eyed novice baker out of me! i ♥ cinnamon! THANK YOU! i chanced upon your DIY cinnamon chips recipe via google as i've never heard of it before (i'm asian). definitely a must-try as soon as i get my hands on some vegetable shortening.
    your blog is a breath of fresh air. love the fact that you DIY this & that! gives your food an extra dose of love :) my mum cooks & makes everything from scratch, too! that's how i do it with my family.
    i've 2 not-so-little angels who are self-confessed chocoholics so you are the perfect mentor ;) we'll be "studying" your recipes to pick out what to bake pronto.
    what a way to start the day :)
    sending you lotsa sunshine from dubai!

    • alexandra

      You made me so happy reading your comment, so thank you! It thrills me when people get something out of reading my blog.
      One reader tried the cinnamon chips with coconut oil rather than vegetable shortening, so if that is more accessible to you, you could try that out as well.
      And I think you'll find plenty of chocolate recipes to experiment with here! I hope you enjoy them all. :)
      Thanks again for making my day!

  9. Max

    I am absolutely in love with your site! You communicate a passion for life and for baking in this blog that I have never encountered elsewhere. I enjoy the sincerity and simplicity of your writing and the fact that you find humor in your own foibles - I found it amusing that you never preheat your oven because you are too slow to get everything ready, as I am the exact same way. I, like you, love the feeling of warm, living dough in my hands, and I love to try new recipes. I have made your pain du chocolat twice already and am in the process of making it again as I write this; it is a recipe that I pull out when I want to impress people. I hope that you continue to enjoy your baking and to update your blog. I bet that you have thousands more readers than you realize, as many of them, like me until just now, are probably too shy to leave a comment. Keep up the good work!

    • brighteyedbaker

      Your comment means so much to me. You have know idea how great it makes me feel when someone like you comes along and takes the time to share such kind words. I hope you continue to enjoy everything on the site. The pain au chocolat is one of my favorites as well; it definitely is a recipe built to impress! Thanks again for making my day. :)

  10. carolina

    I am absolutely amazed by your wonderful blog... Thanks God, I can read in English and follow your recipes... I am from Spain and have just discovered your page through facebook and obviously had no time to try any of them, but i will, that´s for sure!!! meanwhile, i´ll keep on reading your confessions and decide my next recipe.

    Carolina

    • brighteyedbaker

      Thank you so much for your sweet comment. You have no idea how happy it makes me to read comments like yours. I hope you let me know what you think when you get a chance to try some of my recipes. :)

  11. Faith Thompson

    I absolutely love the danish cookies you can buy in a tin this time of year. In fact I ate whole tin (a small one) by myself yesterday. Everyone goes for the sugared ones. I tried a shortbread recipe thinking it would be close but it was no where near. In fact it was really plain and boring. Do you have recipe that would be similiar, (yet better because it is made from scratch) to the Danish cookies I love so much.
    PS. I am going to try your pumpkin chocolate chip scones for Christmas breakfast. Do you top them with anything? A drizzle or raw sugar?

    • alexandra

      I have shortbread cookie recipes, but none that I've made lately other than these, which are covered with chocolate. Everyone loves those, but if you want something more like the Danish cookies, what I would suggest is to make them but use a dish half the size so they'll be thicker, sprinkle some sugar on top before baking (perhaps coarse sugar) and adjust baking time to be longer if necessary.
      As far as the scones, I love them how they are. You can try a chocolate drizzle, perhaps, but I don't think it's needed at all.
      Hope this all helps :)
      Thanks for stopping by!

  12. foodepix

    Hi there,

    I'd like to introduce to you a new website http://www.foodepix.com that we have just recently launched. Foodepix is a photo gallery of delicious and mouth watering food.

    We've seen your blog and we love your pictures and recipes. We would love to invite you to register with foodepix.com and upload your pictures.

    Hope to see you there. :)

    Thanks.

    • alexandra

      Thanks for letting me know! I'll be sure to check out your website :)