Well, hello! I am so happy you are here! I’m Maureen, the chief baker and bottle washer here at our little red cottage. I develop recipes, test the recipes, as well as style and shoot all the photography you see here on my little baking blog.

I love to share recipes for all the best baking recipes here at Red Cottage Chronicles, especially old fashioned desserts, squares, cookies and pies that that your grandma may have made. As well as new recipes for sweets and treats for the home baker.

As a home baker myself, I share simple recipes like these Easy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars or Easy Apple Cake, but if you want to challenge yourself and learn some new skills in the kitchen, this Triple Lemon Buttercream Cake.

A little about me and my baking journey

Have you ever found yourself kind of “stuck” not knowing exactly how you to move forward, but knowing for sure you do not want to go back?!

I was closing in on my 50th birthday and struggling with what my identity might look like now that I could think about “me” again. My girls had now left the nest, which kind of left me with a feeling of “what now”!

Growing up my mother was a cake baker, decorator and candy maker, and my Nana was one of the best baker’s ever. Her apple pie and chocolate cake were pretty much legendary!

My fondest memories are coming home from school to a house that smelled like freshly baked cookies, or just enjoying a homemade tea biscuit and jam on Saturday night a long-lasting memories. Over the years I loved to bake at home and enjoyed sharing what I made with family and friends.

So, I decided to explore my passion for baking, and I enrolled in a baking course at Niagara College’s Culinary School. Although on that first day of class my husband had to literally push me out of the car, I am so very glad he did. I learned so much about the how’s and why’s of baking that I continue to expand on.

My goal is to encourage, teach and inspire everyone who visits Red Cottage Chronicles to “start baking memories”!

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Married to my high school sweetheart for more than 35 years, we have do grown daughters who have flown the nest, so it is just the two of us and our 2 snuggly golden retrievers in our little cottage home.

I continue to live in the small community in Southern Ontario, in which I was born and raised. We are blessed to live right in the heart of wine country, and an area rich in agricultural land, making it easy to get fresh from the farm fruit and veggies during growing season. You will find recipes that reflect what is in season from spring through fall including strawberries, cherries, peaches, apples, and more.

I am a happy homebody who loves to putter around our little kitchen creating sweet treats for family and friends, entertaining outdoors in the warm weather, and cozying up with a hot chocolate and a good book in the winter.

Apple Upside Down Cake

There is no denying I love pretty and cozy things.  A beautifully set table just because.  I think a delicious homemade dessert that appeals to the eye as much as the appetite makes a wonderful centrepiece..  There is just something about a freshly baked dessert that welcomes guests and makes them feel at home.

Kir Royale Cocktail

What you’ll find here at Red Cottage Chronicles

  • EASY RECIPES – Most of the recipes here on the blog are easy to make, with a few that offer a chance to develop new baking skills.
  • RELATABILITY – As a home baker myself, I am still on a journey towards improving my baking skills. I regularly seek out and enrolled in baking workshops and classes so that I can increase my knowledge, hone my baking skills so I can pass them along to you.
  • A NEWSLETTER – Get new recipes, baking tips, and inspiration sent right to your inbox. I also share feature fellow bakers, my favourite products, and exclusive content. Subscribe to get your weekly email.

FAQs about cheesecloth

We literally live in a tiny red cottage style home, so the Red Cottage part was easy. The Chronicles came about because when I started the blog way back in 2012, it began as a way to chronicle what I was learning at baking school to share with my family.

I think the biggest challenge is getting the technical side of baking correct, so I can create recipes that will get you great results every time. I am about to begin a Recipe Development and Writing course through Le Cordon Bleu and I am so exciting to get started learning to refine this process. That and wanting to bake all the things!

Oh my goodness! There are so many to choose from. A personal favourite is the Double Chocolate Banana Bread, and based on popularity amongst visitors of Red Cottage Chronicles I would say you must try the Toblerone Shortbread Cookies.