CED in 3: Jennie Baumann

January 9, 2023

Jennie Baumann, a Curriculum, Instruction & Teacher Education doctoral student, shares 3 “Dessert Recipes You Should Make When You Need A Win”:

Many of the folks in my cohort know that I’m a huge fan of baking my way through classes. For a class on sociocultural theories of learning, I taught myself how to make gluten-free pie crust for (what I think is) the best apple pie on planet Earth. That was a very pie-filled semester. I’ve also demonstrated new recipes to symbolize community-engaged learning processes, shared homemade treats in Proseminar, and procrasti-baked through writer’s block more than once. 

Yes, baking is delicious. I choose to see it as a scrumptious act of love and community, because food brings people together. After all, ed majors, we know it to be true that when we address Maslow’s, we can better address Bloom’s…and who doesn’t need a project they can finish in a day?

  1. Grandma’s Lace Cookies: I first made these for my community engagement class. I’ve since lost access to the blog I made to document the journey, but I’m pretty sure I chose these cookies to symbolize the delicate relationship between community partners and universities. Either way, they’re delicious. Pro tip: they need time to cool before taking off the baking sheet, so have multiple baking sheets or room in your fridge. Full cookies > cookie shrapnel.
  2. Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: I don’t eat chocolate, but baking these cookies single-handedly got me through the pandemic when supplies were available. (That, and entire seasons of Criminal Minds.) Chill the dough, add the salt to the top before baking, have yourself a little party.
  3. Smitten Kitchen Blueberry Muffins: Want to impress your partner/neighbor/advisor/fill-in-the-blank? Bake a batch of these blueberry muffins. The sugar on the top takes them over the edge, but if you forget it, not a big deal. Best served warm with butter based on my extensive research, but nut butters may also be good. Future directions, you know.

“CED in 3” spotlights the College of Education grad student communitystudents, faculty and staff. Read Ph.D. student Ayah Issa’s picks from our last issue via the Grad Link website.