From Dottie's kitchen

The Bakery Recipes Folks Lined Up For, Written Down at Last

100 recipes from 41 years behind the counter on Main Street

Watch Dottie explain (2 minutes)

Holiday pies, 3-ingredient treats, Christmas candies and make-ahead bakes that never go stale. Plain pantry ingredients, exact measurements, and the little counter secrets that make them come out right every time.

✓ 100 recipes + 12 printables✓ Large print, easy to read✓ Print any page
Dottie Harlan in her gingham apron
Hello, hon

I'm Dottie. I ran a bakery counter for forty-one years.

I was sixteen when I started sweeping floors at Hoffmann's Bakery. Mr. Hoffmann didn't say much, but what he said stuck. "Cold keeps, wet ruins." I still hear it every time somebody wraps a warm loaf.

In 1971 my husband Clarence and I opened Harlan's Bakery on Main Street in our little Ohio town. Clarence ran the ovens before the sun came up. I ran the counter. For forty-one years we fed weddings, funerals, church suppers, bake sales and every Thanksgiving table for miles.

Folks always asked for my recipes. For years I said, "Come to the counter, I'll sell you one." Then my granddaughter Kayla, who rolled her first pumpkin roll at nine, sat me down with a pad of paper and wouldn't let me up. So here they are, hon. Every one of them.

Dottie
The trouble

You follow the recipe. So why doesn't it come out like the bakery's?

None of that is your fault, hon. Bakery recipes come with bakery know-how. Somebody has to tell you when to pull the pie (the center should still wobble a little), how to prep the pan so the cake falls right out, and which bakes you can make on Monday for a Thursday dinner. That's what this book is.

What's inside

Nine parts. One hundred recipes. Every one tested at a real bakery counter.

Dottie's Bakery Counter Recipes cover
Part 1

Pies the Bakery Was Known For

Sweet potato, pumpkin, apple, pecan, chess, buttermilk and coconut custard pies, a no-crust sweet potato pie, and my all-butter crust (butter is all the fat you need).

Part 2

3-Ingredient and 5-Ingredient Treats

Fudge, shortbread, cookies, bars and candies that look like they took all day. The count on the title is the true count.

Part 3

Christmas Candies and Cookie Tins

Fudges, buckeyes, toffee, brittle, haystacks, turtles, divinity, pralines, sugar and butter cookies, plus how to pack a gift tin that arrives unbroken.

Part 4

Cakes That Never Stick

Pound cakes, bundts and sheet cakes, my pan-prep method, how to tell when a cake is done, and how to turn it out in one piece.

Part 5

Bars and Pans for a Crowd

Pecan pie bars, cheesecake bars, lemon bars, magic bars, brownies, blondies and church-supper banana pudding, with sizes for a crowd.

Part 6

Breads, Rolls and Morning Bakes

Bakery cinnamon rolls, Sunday dinner rolls, buttermilk biscuits, quick breads, muffins and coffee cake.

Part 7

Make Ahead and Freeze

The bakery's Monday-to-Thursday system, what freezes baked and what freezes unbaked, and how to wrap, thaw and refresh so nothing goes stale.

Part 8

Holiday Menus

Thanksgiving dessert table, Christmas cookie day, Christmas morning, Easter and the church bake sale, with what to bake on which day.

Part 9

Bakery Secrets

About 40 counter tips: measuring flour, why pies weep, why cakes sink, fixing grainy fudge, high altitude, and easy substitutions.

Peek at the full recipe list (all 100)

Part 1. Pies the Bakery Was Known For

  • Dottie's All-Butter Pie Crust
  • Main Street Sweet Potato Pie
  • No-Crust Sweet Potato Pie
  • Harlan's Pumpkin Pie
  • Double-Crust Apple Pie
  • Dutch Apple Crumb Pie
  • Pecan Pie
  • Old-Fashioned Chess Pie
  • Chocolate Chess Pie
  • Buttermilk Pie
  • Coconut Custard Pie
  • Cherry Lattice Pie

Part 2. 3-Ingredient and 5-Ingredient Treats

  • 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
  • 3-Ingredient Butter Shortbread
  • 3-Ingredient Microwave Chocolate Fudge
  • 4-Ingredient Coconut Macaroons
  • 3-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Clusters
  • 3-Ingredient Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers
  • 5-Ingredient No-Cook Butter Mints
  • 3-Ingredient Chocolate Truffles
  • 5-Ingredient Brown Sugar Oat Bars
  • 4-Ingredient Jam Thumbprints
  • 5-Ingredient Pecan Sandies
  • 4-Ingredient Lemon Icebox Pie

Part 3. Christmas Candies and Cookie Tins

  • Old-Fashioned Cooked Chocolate Fudge
  • Brown Sugar Penuche
  • Cooked Peanut Butter Fudge
  • Buckeyes
  • Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
  • Butter Toffee with Chocolate and Pecans
  • Peanut Brittle
  • Butterscotch Haystacks
  • Pecan Turtles
  • Christmas Divinity
  • Pecan Pralines
  • Christmas Spritz Butter Cookies
  • Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
  • Snowball Cookies
  • Gingerbread Cookies
  • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
  • Peppermint Bark
  • Rocky Road Squares

Part 4. Cakes That Never Stick

  • Sour Cream Pound Cake
  • Cream Cheese Pound Cake
  • Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze
  • Sweet Potato Bundt Cake
  • Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
  • Lemon Glazed Bundt Cake
  • Fresh Apple Spice Bundt Cake
  • Church Supper Chocolate Sheet Cake
  • Hummingbird Sheet Cake
  • Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting
  • Red Velvet Layer Cake
  • Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Part 5. Bars and Pans for a Crowd

  • Pecan Pie Bars
  • Classic Cheesecake Bars
  • Lemon Bars
  • Magic Bars
  • Fudgy Brownies
  • Brown Butter Blondies
  • Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Frosting
  • Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Apple Slab Pie
  • Oatmeal Jam Crumble Bars
  • Peach Cobbler for a Crowd
  • Church Supper Banana Pudding

Part 6. Breads, Rolls and Morning Bakes

  • Bakery Cinnamon Rolls
  • Sunday Dinner Rolls
  • Buttermilk Biscuits
  • Sweet Potato Biscuits
  • Banana Bread
  • Pumpkin Bread
  • Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
  • Sour Cream Coffee Cake
  • Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins
  • Skillet Cornbread
  • Monkey Bread
  • Old-Fashioned White Sandwich Bread
  • Apple Fritter Bread
  • Honey Oat Bread

Part 7. Make Ahead and Freeze

  • Freezer Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
  • Freeze-Ahead Cream Biscuits
  • Freezer Apple Hand Pies
  • Freezer Pecan Tassies
  • Morning Glory Muffins
  • Make-Ahead Classic Cheesecake
  • Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
  • Freezer Butterhorn Rolls
  • Freezer Peach Pie Filling
  • Freezer Mixed Berry Galette

Part 8. Holiday Menus

  • Kayla's Pumpkin Roll
  • Cranberry Apple Crisp
  • Stained Glass Window Cookies
  • Chocolate Pinwheel Icebox Cookies
  • Overnight Orange Sweet Rolls
  • Cranberry Orange Scones
  • Easter Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Hot Cross Buns
  • Bake-Sale Snickerdoodles
  • Bake-Sale Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Part 9. Bakery Secrets

  • About 40 counter tips, from measuring flour to fixing grainy fudge
Bonus: 12 printables

Print them, tape them inside the cupboard door, and use them every year

Thanksgiving Baking CountdownChristmas Cookie-Day PlannerFreezer LogPan Size Conversion ChartMeasurement and Substitution ChartCandy Temperature StagesOven Temperature GuidePie Crust Troubleshooting CardGift-Tin TagsFamily Recipe CardsBake-Sale Pricing SheetHoliday Baking Shopping List

They come inside the book and as their own separate PDF, so you can print a fresh freezer log or a stack of recipe cards whenever you need them.

See for yourself

Two real pages from the book

Big print for tired eyes, the cups and grams side by side, and each recipe on one page you can print and bake from.

Sample recipe page
No-Crust Sweet Potato Pie
Sample recipe page
Buckeyes
Everything above
$37

100 recipes · 9 parts · 40 bakery secrets · 12 printables · instant download

Who it's for

This book is for you if…

"Cold keeps, wet ruins." Mr. Hoffmann taught me that at sixteen. I'm passing it on to you.

30DAY
GUARANTEE

My 30-day money-back promise

Bake from it for a whole month. If it doesn't earn its place in your kitchen, send one email within 30 days and you get every penny back. No forms, no hard feelings, hon. You can even keep the pages you printed.

Questions

Questions folks ask at the counter

Is this a printed book?

It's a digital book, a PDF you download right after you pay. You can read it on a tablet, phone or computer, or print the pages you want. Every recipe fits on one page, or two facing pages, so it's easy to print and bake from.

How do I get it after I pay?

You'll go straight to your download page. Tap the button and the book downloads. Bookmark that page so you can come back to it later.

Is the print really big enough to read?

Yes. The ingredients are set in 14-point type and the steps in 13-point, with strong dark-on-cream contrast. It was made for eyes like mine.

Do I need fancy ingredients or equipment?

No. Flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk and the usual pantry staples. Standard pans: a 9-inch pie plate, a 9-by-13, a bundt or tube pan and a loaf pan. A candy thermometer for the cooked candies.

Are there grams as well as cups?

Every flour, sugar and butter line gives cups and grams, so you can use a kitchen scale if you like.

Does it have allergen information?

Every recipe has a line that flags wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. Always check your own labels, too.

What if it's not for me?

Then email us within 30 days for a full refund. That's the promise.

How do I reach you?

Email dottieharlanbook@gmail.com and someone will get back to you, usually within a day.

Pass it on, hon

Forty-one years of recipe cards, written down so they don't get lost

Mr. Hoffmann passed his recipes to me. I'm passing mine to you, so you can pass them to your grandkids.