People who know me personally not only know how much I love my baked goods, they also know that with every cookie, pie, or cake, I have to warm them up before I can enjoy them.  Every time there are treats at the office, I nag everyone, “Did you warm it up?”, and they all agree that warming baked goods up does change the flavor.

Home-made cookies and cakes are my all time favorites, but when I’m having a sweet-tooth attack, I’ll eat whatever’s available.  Even store-bought cakes and cookies that I’m not that fond of taste 100% better when they are warm.

© ShortbreadSwee-T’s Lemon Short~n~Sweet Baby lb. Cake

When I make shortbread and pound cakes I like to serve them and eat them when they are fresh out of the oven.  Since everything I bake is made with 100% pure butter (and quite a bit of it), I believe that there is a positive correlation between butter and heat that brings all the flavors in my baked goods to life, and if you love butter as much as I do you understand.  Warming not only makes the flavors more discernible, but, when warmed just right, moisture is regained, and you get all the “ooey-gooey goodness” back.  On those occasions when I am serving “day old” cookies and pound cakes, I just pop them in the microwave oven for about 3 or 4 seconds.  Those few seconds make all the difference in the world.  It turns “day old” or “cold” baked treats into “just like fresh-baked goodness”, and I love it!

© ShortbreadSwee-T’s Mixed Shortbread

So, I have proven to people time and time again that unless you love cold butter, warming up store-bought, day old, or cold baked goods can be almost as enjoyable as fresh-baked cookies and cakes, and every time I give someone shortbread cookies or pound cake, I always remind them that ShortbreadSwee-T’s is “Best served warm”.