Confession: I’m a baker because cookies make me friends. I’m a baker because cakes help me out of a jam from time to time. I’m a baker because brownies attract quality men.
Let’s talk about boys and baking. Boys like cookies and pies and coffee cake with lots of crumb topping. I know. I’ve done the research.
Here’s how to impress a boy with baking.
Note: If your particular boy doesn’t like baked goods… I’m afraid I don’t understand. He’s weird. I’d question his motives.
If you happen to be interested in girls… well… that’s a whole other blog post… one that possibly includes more chocolate and how to hide a giant engagement ring in her favorite cupcake.
Boys. Baking.
You know how boys… the good ones, at least… bring flowers to a first date? I think girls should bring brownies. Easy chocolate brownies with walnuts. Wrap them in wax paper and put them in a simple box. The next day when they’re trying to play it cool and not call you back? They’ll have a brownie and pick up the phone. Guarantee.
Good boys have good friends. Don’t forget them. How about a ‘nice to meet you, friend of the boy I like’ offering? Yes. Lemon Cloud Cookies. Do this.
What happens if you wake up with a boy in your bed?
Mom, I’ve never woken up with a boy in my bed. Never. Not even once. But if I had… well. Nevermind.
If you wake up with a boy in your bed you have several options. Pay close attention.
If you like the boy next to you, hop out of bed, make some coffee, whip up some pancake batter and leave it to rest on the counter. Hop back in bed, wake up cute boy then return to the kitchen to fry pancakes. The smell of coffee and cooking dough will eventually lure him out of bed. He’ll sit at the table. You’ll sit at the table. He’ll wonder how he got so dang lucky. You’ll wonder how you got so dang lucky. If he offers to help you do the dishes… marry him, immediately.
Now… if you do not like the boy in your bed… make. nothing. And never repeat those circumstances again. The whole pretending to be asleep until he finally leaves thing… awkward.
Good boys have good moms. Good moms have hawk eyes. They notice everything. This Apple Crisp will buy you a bit of leniency. Maybe you dropped the s-bomb at the dinner table. Oops. Maybe she got a peek of one of your tattoos and thinks you’re some sort of wild hippie.
This Apple Crisp should mend all that. It’s the crumble topping. It heals all things. Even if you are a wild, foul-mouthed hippie… you’re a wild foul-mouthed hippie who can cook. Moms like girls who can cook. Be a girl who can cook.
Boys like bacon.
Boys like pink things if they taste good.
Boys like when you pull out all the stops and doll yourself up for a date. Boys like when you pull out all the stops and make fancy cakes with expensive nuts.
But really… I think that boys like it best when you just throw on some tight jeans and a cute t-shirt. No makeup. I’m also pretty sure that boys are happiest with a simple meal that involves steak, barbecue sauce, and warm chocolate chip cookies.
Now… it’s not that we need to impress boys. Oh heck no. It’s just that sometimes… we want to, and that’s not a crime.
And that’s my two cents… put that in your brain hole to marinate.
Chloe
This post is amazing! The factual ones are annoying. Being able to relate to a blog is so much more attractive to the eyes. Great detailed descriptions of scenarios:)
Rosie
And those times when the boy you want to impress is your baking partner in crime? What then???
Doublygracedcook
So. Quick question. My man doesn’t really like chocolate and especially not brownies. Not even if his mom makes them… Apparently he ate too much of it when he was a kid? Anyway. He like Reese’s pieces because you can hardly taste the chocolate. I really want to impress him, but all my recipes are heavily laden with chocolate, more chocolate, and typically ripped with chocolate. I’m out of ideas, can anyone help me?
Tisha
You ma’am, are quite wise. I really needed this. I’m making this for the guy I like on Monday. Very excited and motivated. Thank you so very much. :)
Luz Arredondo
Dear Joy the Baker: this post is sooooooo true and every line I read I was laughing my lungs out because you’re not only great at explaining but you make it sound as if I was listening to the coolest aunt I wish I had telling me how to get a guy at the kitchen table!!! Bless your heart and please keep posting!!! ???
Luz Arredondo
Dear Joy the Baker: this post is sooooooo true and every line I read I was laughing my lungs out because you’re not only great at explaining but you make it sound as if I was listening to the coolest aunt I wish I had telling me how to get a guy at the kitchen table!!! Bless your heart and please keep posting!!! ???
Chipps
Hmmmm, never thought of it in this way much. But I did make my boy a cake for the first time yesterday. And I got flowers. Not yet sure if direct correlation, but experiment worthy…
Katie
I absolutely loved this post. :) It was so cute and spunky and sassy. I love baking all sorts of things, but I guess my best would be pumpkin pie. Since it’s his favorite, my boyfriend loves that I can make it.
Boy
fantastic, now to sneakily run this by my girl.
Amanda R
Dear Joy,
I read dozens of food blogs a day but yours is my all-time favorite. You are hilarious. Your words, your recipes and your pictures speak directly to me. I too have eaten a pot of sweet rice pudding directly over the stove with a spoon and not regretted it. I try to impress boys with my baking skills (which works every. single. time.). Everything you say is exactly how I feel. Thank you so much for taking the time to make my day brighter and reminding me why I love to bake.
mike
Couldn’t agree more. A delicious baked anything will win me over.
Gillian
It definitely works with girls…I was helping some friends at uni out with some work and brought big slabs of coffee cake with me. I think there may have been proposals that day.
Also cute girls like to bake with you, so you can spend time with them and eat cakes/cookies/biscuits/pies/miscellaneous.
Also also, I am subscribin to this blog. Thought I never would for a recipe one (I just stumble usually, that gives me my fill) but your friendly and funny writing style has hooked me :)
Dominique
Joy, you’re completely wonderful. I discovered your website recently and I’m now a regular reader. You are just magnificent, a triumph of all things feminine and funny and delicious! Never stop doing what you do, that’s an order. X
Léo
Joy,
this was beautiful.
I would definitely fall in love after a morning like this.
thanks for all.
Devin
you have the world on lock down, kudos
kyra
Once I dated a boy on a diet. It didn’t last.
Once I dated a boy who didn’t like “too much dessert”. It also didn’t last.
And the pancake thing works even better if you put an omelette with bacon next to them, and a smoothie.
Thank you for this post, I’m glad I’m not the only one who makes cookies because it makes me friends :)
joythebaker
hahahahaaa! you have made me laugh. thank you!
Paige
Does this work on lesbians???
joythebaker
definitely.
Phil
Well, I’m the baker in the relationship; she does meals (much, much better than me)
Although, if I ever DID want to impress the boys…
fajas colombianas
This is so true. I way to a mans heart is baking or a simple home made cookie.
Natalie
I absolutely love this post. Very funny and completely true!
Siggy
While I won’t say “skilled at baking” is the ONLY thing a man looks for, I can tell you for a fact that it certainly does help solidify any relationship.
Crafty Audiophile
I love everything about this post. I value my skills as a baker and truly believe that it has brought me some of my best relationships (well, that and my sparkling personality). My last crush didn’t like cookies. I truly could not wrap my head around it. Needless to say, it didn’t work out. No loss there – you can’t trust someone that doesn’t like baked goods.
serod
Oh no! They know our weakness! Awesome post, and i have to say that I do love it when i get baked goods.
Martin
If only there were more women like you, hell if I asked a woman out and she presented me with some form of baked goods when I arrived to take her out I would more than likely want to marry her hahaha. Excellent post none the less, I hope you do one for us blokes too.
Seth
Hilarious post! It really made me laugh about how true most of it is. Now, you should make a post for us baking guys for impressing girls with baked goods ^^
Robyn
Seth,
It doesn’t matter: if you’re a boy who bakes, that’s impressive enough. But I *will* admit to a weakness for banana-nut bread myself.
Naomi
I. Love. This. Post. And I quite enjoy your style. Lovely.
Marielle
This is beautiful!! :) I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks they key to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
Tobias Andersen
Ha ha ha, you are soooooo right. That´s it! More sweet girl with chocolate skills, please!
Jenny
ahh, just read this post and think you are hysterical. In a good way! In a way that I don’t want to go to bed even though I’m really tired because I would rather read your very witty, very funny, very yummy posts! I know my hubby would love the peanut butter bacon cookies. Definitely going to surprise him with those tomorrow!
Jen
Love this post! Am currently trying to impress a boy I like via my baking… and I think it is going pretty well so far. Brownies were a big hit and next on the list is carrot cake :)
Thanks for all your great recipes, love this blog!
Melissa
I love this post. I’ve read it at least a dozen times and it always makes me smile. And I totally agree– baking for boys is the cool thing to do. I agree so whole heartedly…I have a whole blog about it! In my experience, boys really do love chocolate chip cookies, especially when you stuff them with an oreo. Now when I made those… I’m pretty sure I got proposed to twice that day by complete strangers. It was awesome.
MissJean
It’s true! Thank you for this blogpost. I made a “Basket of Bacon Baked Goods” for my boy for Valentine’s Day. Inspired by the peanut butter bacon cookies. It was a huge hit. :) (It also included tomato-cheese-bacon muffins and bacon candy.)
raggtop
Adorable post! Yes, impressed a boy in high school with my ginger snap cookies and 31 year later he still asks for them. A way to a man’s (boys) heart is through his stomach…..silly girls who haven’t figured this out!
how to impress a boy
btw, really great article.:D
how to impress a boy
Oh.. I`m getting hungry. Any boy would be impressed by a girl that can bake. xD
Lynn
Maybe my favorite blog post ever… thanks, Joy!
Melissa
Brainhole??!!! I say Brainhole :) and earhole, and nosehole!! hahah!! Just found this blog tonight and have been browsing around for 2 hrs! Love it!! You rock!
Sarah
This was a hilarious and well written post. Loved it! :) And I will try some of the recipes.
elle a
Thought this post was well-written, hilarious, and included some good advice. It inspired me to bring brownies to a first date recently. Did it work? Yes.
joythebaker
best comment EVER!
Katie
I bookmarked this page months ago. I finally revisited it last night because I am currently living in Denmark and a Danish boy was cooking me dinner. I baked for him. You have the best ideas.
Selina
I always read your blog but hadn’t seen this post untill today and i have to say that i read it at the most perfect time! i am in a super confusing situation with my boy so i think a batch of warm cookies are the perfect idea!
also to the people that considered this sexist! some of us feminists enjoy being the kitchen and cooking for our boys so there!
Meldivius
I would like to inquire as to your methods for keeping your house secured from the hordes of cookie-hungry boys that are surely in hot pursuit of your fine self and your excellent baking skills.
You are my favorite. I’m kind of baking through a whole bunch of your recipes right now. My friends and family thank you, my feelings about my midsection do not. But I’m cool with that.
<3/ Mel
joythebaker
no one is beating down these doors. bummer.
Kathy
I love love love this! Thanks for making me smile
Shanda
YOU ARE THE BESTEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
riot grrrl
I cannot believe how insanely sexist this is. All boys hate pink. Real Men like their women in the kitchen, baking. I want a “boy” who can bake for me. Get your priorities in line.
joythebaker
this is supposed to be a veeerrrryyy tongue in cheek post. please don’t take it too seriously… that would be a mistake.
Nicole
Not gonna lie, a good 50% of why I have decided to become a baker is to attract boys.
Jeanette
I baked a giant chocolate chip cookie in high school for my guy friends. They were all fighting over it…typical boys… so I decided to sell it! I ended up making $30! score
Inês
Hello!
I´m from Portugal and i´ve just found your wonderful blog!..
I really love to cook and i will make a bigg effort to do some of your reacepies..you know, the meisures here are very different, and the names of the ingredients too..but they look soo preety and mouth watering..
Thank you! Maybe, some day, you would like to know some of the portuguese reacepies, some people say it´s the best one ;) *****
Mia
lol i just came across this entry today and i love it! just last week i decided i would bake for a boy i’ve become interested in…(let’s call it an attempt to at least lay a friend foundation!)…this blog is just the encouragement i needed! thanks Joy!
Teresa
Love this post! I agree with everything!
Naomi Rose
this was adorable. Pretty freaking happy to have found your site dollface.
Dana
Love this post. In a moment of brutal honesty, I’m sure my now-husband would admit that he married me for my carrot cake and white chocolate/toasted almond semifreddo. And I’m totally fine with that.
Sandy
This is by far one of your best posts. It made me smile. A lot. And FYI the part about the steak, BBQ Sauce, & Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies – it’s like you know MY boy!!!! I love my boy and he loves Cookies!
Avanika (Yumsilicious Bakes)
Brownies are my sure-fire way to lure boys!
sammie
joy, you are my hero. brownies alawayss get the boys and for some reason or another, pancakes are always requested in the morning! great post! :)
mrsptb
This is the funniest and greatest post ever! So happy to have stumbled upon it!
Dskco
That was the cutest post! My bf loves it when I cook or bake for him. I don’t do it often, so it’s cute when he gets all excited to taste so of my cooking.
Martin
Question, what does it mean when a boy likes to bake?
joythebaker
um…. that they like cookies? a lot?
Martin
In this case, it was the marbled cheesecake brownies from Smitten Kitchen, but I concede your point. Now I just need to find a girl in LA who likes being baked for as opposed to the other way around
joythebaker
you shouldn’t have too much trouble with that. ooh wait. models and actresses…. hmm… good luck.
Brittani
Well..Joy…I love to bake and wanted to impress a certain red headed boy myself. It is a three hour drive to his place and I will be visiting him for the weekend. I need something to impress but not too fancy that it will destroy itself in the car on the drive over…any suggestions?
joythebaker
brownies! do it.
Patty Tomaskovic (in the Chicago area)
I formerly was an ad agent, calling on car dealerships, and every once in a while I would bring my dealers homemade treats such as a tray of chocolate chip cookies, or chocolate dipped strawberries, cherries, apricots and pretzels….well….99% of the management & sales force is male-dominated…..and let’s just say that my sales numbers went through the roof;)
You know the old saying, “The way to a man’s heart (and ad budget) is through his stomach!”
Yup. It’s all true.
Hailey
OH MY GOSH! You are the cutest writer ever! I LOVE baking for my BOY and you are so on the money… about everything! Thanks for being so inspiring! LOVE!
Danielle
I have gotten one marriage proposal over a cupcake.
…and it was not from my boyfriend! Hahahaha totally works!
Jared
I am trying to think of a way for my girlfriend to see this without coming across as a chauvinistic pig…
joythebaker
hahahaa! just email it to her! and then take her to a nice dinner. :)
david
or make her a nice dinner/cookies/cake instead…
Loosha
Oh, Joy. I want to be you when I grow up, which is right about now.
Angela
I found your blog through a blog through some other blog. I love your writing style and I think that this particular post is adorable! Plus your recipes make me long for baking abilities that I have yet to acquire. I can’t wait to see what you write/bake next!
Wizzythestick
I like way your brain works. You had me laughing out loud. Now we know that boys like girls who can cook however I only have sons which begs the question, do girls like boys who can cook? :-)
anonymous
God, do women really still think like this? My eyes could not roll harder.
Kenna
Very well written post! Love it!
Carolina Garofani
Oh my. Lovely, lovely post there Joy.
But it makes me wonder… is this REALLY the reason why I’ve been baking and cooking like crazy in the past couple years? Is it why I’m on my way to becoming a certified Chef Pâtissier?
To LURE the pretty boys?
I’ve put all my friends under the spell already.
Now I need to do it with my coworkers.
And then find the Man… or not, and just bake my way into eternity.
Stephanie
I loved this post. It made me laugh and made my heart happy. You’re great. And funny.
Karen
I had resisted learning how to bake because I didn’t want to end up eating everything I made … but this article changed my mind! My honey could use a few more pounds, and maybe his mother will like me better if I bake cookies for him.
Sae
This is so cute! And yeah. Both my male and female friends get pretty excited when I bring them baked goods.
Haley
Loved this post SO much I posted in on my tumblr! I also made your cinnamon sugar biscotti this weekend and they were a delicious hit!! Thanks!
Ash
haha, this is just plain awesome! You rock!
Marlene Miera
I’ve always said that the fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. My husband always gives me a squeeze when I make something good to eat.
Rosemary
Boys like sugar and spice and all things nice! So true, they love to have their cake and eat it too!
Marisa
Cute post! I won my boy (now husband) over with three tins of homemade cookies for our first Christmas together and he STILL raves about it (6 years later).
Mmmm, think it’s time to bake some cookies again.
Mae
Impeccable timing Joy – I just had a baking session for a boy I have my eye on. Fingers crossed!
joythebaker
ooh! good luck!
my little apartment
one of my favorite posts, Joy! miss you and all my LA ladies :)
joythebaker
you’re super sweet Dean! thanks! we miss you too!
patrizia
Oh wow you are so right. Such a cute post.
Mina Smith
I’m a 17 year old girl with lots of boys around me to feed, and this totally speaks to me! I also have two older brothers and a cookie fiend dad, so thanks Joy, you know what’s up!
Alison
Bwahahaha!! OMG your so funny. Pretending to sleep till boy leaves…akward… haha!
Thanks for the post. Yummy treats and a good chuckle. =]
Grace
Genius. Absolute genius. Love this! And will be posting it on my blog … love everything about your blog. Keep it up!
krista
loved this post!!…and LOVE all your receipes!
callas
Oh my God, how right you are! I love this post, it’s not only too true, it’s also hilariously funny and your warmth and generally wonderful personality shine through your writing (as always) and make it a really, really uplifting read.
I’ve been known to scare off men by being too brutally honest (or just really good at putting my foot in my mouth) and too independent. My granny also thinks, I’m just too intelligent, but that simply can’t be true (see above comment regarding ineptitude to be cute)…
…then I learned to bake…
Nowadays, not only do my guy-friends start to drool like Pawlow’s dog whenever I mention baking, I’ve also upped my count of marriage-proposals from strangers in the street who saw me carrying cakes to about six. There are few things more fun than seeing men go all googly-eyed when seeing baked goods…
joythebaker
i’m glad it’s all working out for you!
Debbie
This is so true! A hot pan of brownies gets my husband anytime. He also loved this new recipe.
Alma
Great post! And so true!
Candace
My favorite post of yours ever! Such truths!!
Liz
So glad that I stumbled across your blog through bakerella a few months ago. I love reading your blog and the recipes you share. This post is hands down my favorite post that you have written on here! I love it!!! I never even thought about the whole baking their friends cookies. Good tip. I’m going to have to try making those lemon cloud cookies. :)
Cheery
This is why I read your blog – it’s funny and charming and everything I need to cheer me up :D
Chocolate Freckles
Boys do love food!!! My “Chaparrito” have eaten really good food, but I have to admit sometimes he tried some of my experiments and told me they were perfect even though they weren’t good at all.. That’s they kind of boys you have to have on your side!! :) Loved your blog!! .. so cute!
Emily
Love the post! My boy actually impressed me on out first date by cooking me yummy veggie curry. Though he did accidentally add enough hot peppers to make my eyes pour. He didn’t used to be a fan of sweets, but after 3 years together he is quite overjoyed when he finds something warm, sweet, and delicious in the kitchen!
alissa211
Joy – This is one of my favorite posts! Had me laughing out loud. Thanks for all the great tips. . I think I will start following them from now on – they might help this single girl out!
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets
I love your recipe round-ups and this theme is AWESOME! I’m definitely guilty at times of trying to win hearts and minds via the stomach.
Kari
Ms. Joy… this is why I love your blog. I feel like I am having a conversation with a best girlfriend. I adore you! This is so cute I will be sharing with all my single girlfriends! By the way, My husband got me by making fabulous homemade crepes and coffee in the morning.. I knew that morning he was the one.. and he still is!
Dajda
Oh Joy, this is just lovely!
Niki
There is some kind of unreal satisfaction when your man makes that little MMMMmmmm sound while he’s eating something that you made. Best reason to cook ever!!
Evan
EL-OH-EL! You crack me up, lady. And unfortunately, The Hubs is one of those weird guys who doesn’t love sweets and baked goods. Oh he will eat an entire batch of chocolate chip cookies in one sitting IF AND ONLY IF they are made to his standards, which can be quite a difficult task. But I do it…because I love him…and he loves the perfect cookies…and me. He most definitely loves me.
Shannon
Bringing brownies on a 1st date = genius. You are a rock star, Joy.
expresso
My dear husband said:
YEAAH, she is RIGHT! ;)
(the first time i tried to impress him by baking was a desaster. NEVER mix dark orange-chocolate with fresh raspberries in a cake. but he was still in love with me. Glad for that! ;))
Sandi
Oh my goodness gracious.
I thought I was the only one!
For the past few years, everything I’ve tried to cook has been garbage-worthy.
And then I met this boy.. who just so happens to be an enthusiastic cook. So I’ve worked my butt off baking and cooking and learning and practicing. And cross your fingers that it pays off!
I loved this post.
Kelly Mac
This is hands down my favorite post ever!!! I love to bake for my man, and it has never done me wrong! I love all the sweet ideas! Thanks!
Sassy Molassy
Mmm…love the fork candles! Looks like an awesomely fresh twist on the bday cake.
Jan C.
You are obviously wise beyond your years.
I started baking because my mom insisted that I learn to cook and bake, and baking seemed a whole lot more rewarding. Taught myself to make chocolate frosted eclairs when I was 12. Definitely agree with you that knowing how to bake yummy food wins friends and influences people–especially boys. I’ve been baking for my favorite guy for like 30 years now, and I think the baked goods have made up for a lot of PMS-type shenanigans and crabbiness over the years.
Champa
Loved this post. Too bad I never got to impress any boy and I guess it applies to impressing husband and in-laws. (Mine is an arranged marriage) You are so funny.
Jason
What about boys who bake?
Lora
I made that very pink cake for my husband’s birthday this year. He claimed to be trying to eat healthy, but he had that cake polished off in a couple days ;) Who said you can’t have strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting for breakfast? Yup- that’s true love ;)
Terresa Wellborn
The part about baking something with expensive nuts made me about laugh aloud. Yep!~
PS: We have the exact same pig glass. And I sheep one, too. Love It!
Debbi
I made a yogurt/jello no bake key lime pie in a store bought graham cracker crust, and my guy went nuts. Now I’m back to REAL baking and he thinks I’m a Goddess!!! (Mostly thanks to you!!) Great post, every word of it true!!! BTW… he LOVES your holiday cake!!!
Anna
TOTALLY agree with you here on this one…I don’t trust people who dont like sweets.
I hooked the man with meyer lemon tart, his sister with irish carbomb cupcakes, and his momma…well…mom’s are hard. Maybe I’ll try the apple crisp. Taking coconut cupcakes to easter tomorrow, they’re INSANE good, so maybe that’ll put her over the edge :)
And I’m utterly convinced all my friends are only friends because my birthday present to everyone is always “any cake you want me to make”. Its ok. I like to show people I love them by fattening them up :)
Amanda Elizabeth
I agree with everyone else, this post was so great!!! I’m making the brownies right NOW just because it’s Friday. And I’m thinking they’d make my husband smile ;)
drika
Hi Joy….
I loved the post…..you are soooo good with words….
Melanie
Wonderful :) I wish I had a boy I wanted to impress and I would try all of these. Ooooor maybe I’ll just eat them myself instead.
Holly
Totally love this post. Makes me all happy and hopeful. When I get myself a boy (because I’m due one, he should be around the corner somewhere), I will totally do this. =D
I already bake for the boys at uni. Baking is wonderful, and makes people smile and share. I like that.
Your blog = me smiling all day. And also baking, thus bringing smiles to others. Thankyou!
Meghan
what a cute post! now to find me a quality guy! :)
Lauren
It’s confirmed. You’re my hero. Amazing post.
Vanessa
Baking rocks, this post rocks, and you Joy, of course you Rock! Love it! Have a great weekend!
Natalie
Wowww all of these baked good looks so amazingly good, funny post too hehe :)
Christine
Joy-I love this post! I’m enrolled in the class at Ramekins on Saturday and cannot wait!!
joythebaker
awesome! can’t wait to see you!
Sarah Friedrich
Just wanted to say hello, I read your site all the time and have used your recipes too! Have a good Easter!
Miranda
That is no joke. Now its what do you do with him when he’s fat and a little unhappy because he likes your food?
Yoko
Being “boy-less,” I’m hoping with a good amount of luck, I’ll lure him with baked goods. Thankyou! Just what I needed.
Danielle
Funny. very. funny.
Me and mine have been married seems like forever and we are celebrating our anniversary tonite – a nice dinner out for a no-stress start but want to whip up something lucious for dessert, maybe your steamy looking brownies hot out of the oven in all their fudgey goodness!…mine loves hot brownies too, nothin short of heaven! thx for your inspiration-always! ;)
trisha
Oh how I love this post! There is a boy that I love to bake for and when he compliments my baking it gives me butterflies…
You are adorable.
Annalise
LOVE this post. You are hilarious!
Unfortunately I snagged an amazing guy who happens to not have a sweet tooth. I’m a baker and it KILLS me. I make a batch of cookies, he eats one, I eat twenty. He is supportive and encouraging, but doesn’t help out much when it comes to the eating of the goods. I try not to let it bother me.
I won my man over with steak. Thank god I also know how to grill a good steak.
Malak
Joy, I was on the floor laughing my head out:D
Thanks for posting…KEEP posting:)
Dee
This post is AMAZING. I just recently discovered your blog, and I adore your work! I feel like you are speaking directly to me with this one! My boy of six years loves all of the things you mentioned; from brownies to coffee cake with the crumble topping. In fact, I am pretty sure a quality crumble topping is what sealed the deal for him :)
Keep up the wonderful work! You absolutely have a new fan in me. I will be making your lemon cloud cookies this weekend..
xoxo
Genne
This is, without a single shred of doubt, my favorite Baking post ever.
Christina
I am getting ready to bake for a boy tonight and this post made me LAUGH! We’re both athletes and will be eating straight after evening practice, so anticipating being really tired, I’m doing “breakfast for dinner”. Which involves cinnamon rolls. I’m expecting great sucess.
Tiffany
i’ve had my boy snagged for nearly 11 years (which makes me sound way old, but, trust, i just started early) he surely loves his pancakes and pink things that are sweet!
this post absolutely made my day…thanks joy!
Tracy V
Your post just made my day…how cute was that!! It also hit quite close to home. When I met my husband I lived about an hour away. I was sooooooo head over heals for him and hated the drive. Well shortly after commuting back and forth and after staying over so many times I eventually moved in….my rent – 1 peanut butter pie every other week!!! Thats how I hooked him! We were out and he mentioned that he loved peanut butter pie…I said…I can make a good peanut butter pie, thats all she wrote! After 11 years married, I still make him his occasional peanut butter pie (can’t have it too often, not good for the waistline!)
Thanks for making me smile today! i love your blog.
Chelsey Green
I bake and bring it to school…a lot! Always have to make sure the cute boys get a piece of it and if they ask, it was so easy to make :)
With love and cupcakes,
CookTeen
cookteen.blogspot.com
Emily
I just have to chime in with everyone else that this post rocks. Seriously, one of my favorites. Would you be scared if I told you my husband isn’t a huge sweets fan? Yes, it’s true, and sometimes it scares me. But I did charm him with homemade soup and cornbread (from scratch) when we were a newly dating couple. :) Thanks for making me smile, Joy!
Sheila
Love today’s post! Definitely made me LOL! Thank you for that!
Sandi
Love it!!!
Petty Witter
And here was me thinking the last blog I visited had a lot of people leaving comments. You, however, break that record.
I saw you mentioned at Jennifer’s Just Add Water and thought I’d drop by to say hello.
Nice to have met you, best wishes.
Courtney
Oh Joy ~ How you brought me so much “Joy” with this post :) Now I’m glad I asked you on twitter. The brownies look deslish and so does that strawberry cake, I’m allll over it :) Thanks again for takin the time to answer my post and with such class!
Sophie @ yumventures
This is one of my favorite posts I have ever read. And its so true! You made me laugh and smile, I am definitely saving this to re-read all the time!
Refrigerator Gaskets
Great stuff once again. As a guy, I can totally relate to the Brownie treatment. It got me hook, line, and sinker!
Danni
Truly adorable.
I might go and bake some of those brownies for myself now…forget about the boys!
Danni
xxx
Tonya
I love this post! The truest (and funniest) words of woman wisdom.
Liska
“brownies attract quality men”
How I LOVE your sense of humor :) But you’re absolutely right!
Sharon
I must say I never write comments.. don’t know why. This time however I just couldn’t resist! This post is so cute and sweet that it just made me smile all day (and send my best friends a link to it)
Oh, if i’m already here, let me add that i’ve been reading your blog for a while now and fell in love with it and with you! You are very special Joy. Thank you for sharing the love for life and baking.
KarlKrist
As a boy who is easily swayed by baked goods, I must say that this entire post is entirely true, in its entirety.
Apple crisp? That’s a woman I’ll wash dishes for anytime.
Finishing with chocolate chip cookies nailed it.
Laura
Love it! You are my mentor. I’m gonna call you Obi-Wan.
Brie
OH. By the way, Im am going on tour with a van full of boys… any suggestions as to what baking suits musicians and long van rides?
Again,
Much love,
Brie
Brie
You are just my favorite. This post was so splendid and hilarious.
You are a baking goddess.
Much love,
Brie
Jennifer Post
OMG I just found your blog and I LOVE YOU! (ok, not THAT way, I am married and have two lil ones…not that you arent hot enough though!) you are so funny and cute it is actually a little bit painfull to read thru your blog! but painfull in a good way, no a GREAT way! thank you, cant wait to have your fun rambling emails rolling into my inbox! (ok, that sounded dirty, unintended sorry…lol!)
Jenn Post
ps, cant wait to attend one of your classes or events! love the On the Lamb page too!
kim
looove this post. I read parts out loud to my husband, who is a non-sweet eater. I was suspicious while we were dating because this is not normal. Normal people would never have a family or friend get together without a dessert. His family does though, weird I tell ya.
Paula
I’m new to your blog. And I have to say I’m addicted! Everyday I wonder what you’ll wriite today and everyday you put a smile on my face. Love, love, love today’s post ;)
Heather
Dear Joy,
I love you.
Sincerely,
Heather.
Amy P.
Oh my gosh, this post is cute and hilarious at the same time. It sums up the situations in life with boys we all have and people in their lives !! I love it.
Leah
This post makes me so happy.
Oh, wait… this blog makes me so happy!
Thank you!
Micha B
LOVE this post.
kim
okay first of all, i’m never much of a commenter to anything.. but i HAD to comment for this post! it’s adorable and reached out to me cause i agree with you on every bit. how do you think i got my boyfriend? peanut butter blossoms, snickerdoodles, and chocolate chip cookies, of course! :)
Alison
I tried to woo with brownies a while ago. Unfortunately though, they had to be mailed overseas and the nasty people at the customs department REFUSED them and mailed them back to me. i don’t know who was more upset, him or me. LOL It wasn’t a typical box of “goodies”, that is for sure.
I am hoping one day to deliver them in person. That way I KNOW I will have made my way “in” and on my way to making pancakes soon after. LOL
Pilar
Love it! Thanks
Adriana
i’ve read this post like 3 times today, i love it, i love all the recipes in it, i love the idea in it… in spain we say that you win a man by his stomach… how darn true
Raina @ TheGarden of Yum
I love your post. I think if you brought those brownies on a first date the guy might propose right there. Well I have been waking up with the same boy in my bed for a long time now, a.k.a. my husband. Maybe, I should make him some of those pancakes.
Rhubarb and Venison
OMG, have you met my husband? You nailed him with the bbq/choc chip cookie part. So true. And he does the dishes. I’m a lucky gal. :)
sue
You had me at “I’m a baker because cookies make me friends”… typed as I finished up the cupcakes that I’m taking to work in the morning. Mostly for a bunch of boys :)
Andrea
Brownies on a first date. Why didn’t I think of that? Love the post, love the blog! It improved a remarkably bad day.
Elizabeth
I live with six girls, four of whom have boyfriends and one who umm, well she never sleeps at home, if you know what I mean. Every morning I wake up and make coffee for us. On weekends I make apple crisp (my grandma’s recipe but I will be sure to try yours– it looks scrumptious!) and a different kind of cookie. We all make dinner, eat together and watch something or go out for drinks but when we come back they all go into their rooms with their hunky super duper nice boyfriends and I go into mine and dream of baking and pies and the hunky super duper nice boy out there for me. Your post is inspiring but is there any way to do it in reverse? To make the baked goods and then get the man? Maybe I should post flyers…
EmLue
You made me laugh – I was talking to this guy the other day about what I did on the weekend, and when I said I made cookies he asked me to bring one in – he absolutely loved it and asked if there were any more. He hasn’t asked me on a date, but I’m hoping more cookies will lure him in – but then I’ll be wondering whether he’s just in it for the food. :)
Elizabeth
I’m so glad that after Joy’s hilarious and amazing post, the little insight into my life could get such a lovely response. Also, whether he’s in it just for the food or not is definitely a worry. I mean how can my personality compare with triple chocolate cupcakes with chocolate fudge frosting (my last boyfriend’s favorite). However my friends’ boyfriends have told me a guy will not talk to a girl unless he’s at least a little bit intrigued and asking for more baked goods…he’s definitely interested. Not that I’m an expert or anything but, I’m sure the cookies will do the trick, if he’s smart!
Carolyn
Hi Joy! I’m sure you don’t have time to read every single comment, but I just wanted to let you know that I ADORE your blog. You are so cute, and such an inspiration. This was such a darling post!! I’m a 16 year old college student who lives in New Mexico and I bake to keep myself from going crazy. I also love baking special things for the people I care about, it tends to make them smile, which in turn makes me smile. :)I made your Macaroons from your last post today for my (substitute) father because he had a bad day, and he told me they made him feel a million times better. Thank you so much for this amazing blog!! Never stop, you are incredible!!!
Thanks, Carolyn
Megan
I think even just sweatpants and a cute t-shirt work when you have warm chocolate chip cookies. I really loved this post. It was so fun to read.
Heather
My friend just introduced me to this blog today, and she was right… I LOVE IT! Can’t wait to continue reading!
JeanineE
Love it! This post is so wonderfully funny and at-many-times spot on. Thanks for sharing a clever twist to cooking here.
Molly
You’ve written some great posts in the past, but I have to say…this one is my Favorite!!!
And you are SOOOOO right…mom’s like a girl who can cook.
Lori
I’m marinating and I like it :)
Jen
Unfortunatly I married a guy much more interested in steak, samami, and pizza than cake, cookies, and pies. Dude loves his browines though so I will have to try out your recipe.
Side note: I seriously love that cup with the pig on it, I would be every so appreciative if you could let me know where to find something that awesome!
Drew
This is so true! I love baking and I won my BF over with it ;)
cindy
oh, this is the greatest post! i won my boy over by forcing him to try new things with some brownies and cookies sprinkled in for good measure.
i’m still trying to win over his parents (i’m a girl with tattoos AND opinions). i’ve cooked every major holiday meal from scratch with at least one showstopper dessert for them for the last 4 years…i’m hoping diligence and a good amount of butter will help me out there.
Marianne
I made the mistake of reading parts of this out loud, and now my own cute boys (49, 14, & 12) want brownies! LOL
Sandy
this is so cute! Yes chocolate = boys! that’s how i got my boyfriend for sure =) love this post joy… =)
Kaitlin
I may be guilty of doing a few of these things myself…
This post made me smile, but that’s not at all unusual!
Cate
Joy, I love this post. I would also like to know where you’re meeting these boys who bring flowers on the first date- when I find one of those he will definitely get brownies!
Melanie
all very true.
my husband agrees.
kylieonwheels
Woh. I’ve been following and enjoying for a while but that one, that one was awesome. Mostly because I’m a wild, foul-mouthed hippie who thankfully can cook. Thanks for understanding :-)
g’day from sydney!
Jen
I just love this post. Too. Cute. I seriously think you may be on to something there with the tight jeans, t-shirt, steak and cookies…
Debby
boys and brownies made me laugh and brought back memories of Home Ec. class in the early 70’s…my kitchen group decided that we would hook a football player with brownies and we got so wrapped up in the discussion about which one each would give the brownies to that we forgot the sugar!!! Brownies with no sugar will not snag a fellow!
Katie @ Cozydelicious
Haha. Joy, this is my favorite post you have ever, ever written! And I have adored them all. Seriously though… eating at the table??? If you wake up with an adorable boy in your bed the proper protocol is to bring breakfast on a tray. The more crumbs the better. But yes, I agree – tight jeans and chocolate chip cookies. And waffles. I wooed my husband with waffles. The fact is, boys seem to like simple. And yummy. No matter how many fancy desserts I make, my husband wants chocolate chip cookies with a big glass of milk.
joythebaker
you’re so right Katie… breakfast in bed… duh!!
Ethan @ tastesbetterwithfriends.wordpress.com
I smiled through the entire post…so thank you:)
As a guy who bakes and cooks, I can’t wait to try the pumpkin pancakes or banana/chocolate chip pancakes to the future girl of my dreams (red-haired or not!)
Talia
*giggles* this is so adorable! I’d like to think that I found a good boy, one who brought flowers to our first date and offers to do the dishes after every meal (because he can’t cook/bake, except pancakes, which I make him make ;)). And when your boyfriend’s parents’ house has a million blackberry bushes in the backyard…you bake a lot of pies, which wows said parents even more *grin*.
Maggie
love love LOVE this post! it’s so true…and so cute!!
Memoria
What a painful post for a feminist like me to read hahaha. If I were into boys, I would want the boy to bake things for me at least most of the time, not the other way around. Actually, I think it should depend on who likes to bake the most and has the time. Gender shouldn’t be a factor at all.
Thank you for acknowledging that there are people (i.e., straight/bi men or bi/les women) who are into girls who read this blog, not just straight women (or gay men) haha.
Kelly
You are amazing. That post is so stinking cute! I gave up sweets for Lent and cannot wait until I can have chocolate! Problem is…I can’t figure out what to make first!
Seth @ Boy Meets Food
Speaking on behalf of that “boy” persuasion you speak of… I think I would pretty much agree with most everything you said. Girls should definitely bring baked goods to a first date!!! and the second, and the third, …
Gill
So THIS is how I know my true love when I find him – the rate at which the brownies disappear! Bonus points if he surprises me with ice cream sandwiches using home baked cookies. That’ll be me done, hook, line and sinker.
Favourite line: “If he offers to help you do the dishes… marry him, immediately.”
Also, Julie Anne Rhodes: Big hips are beautiful! And VERY sexy. What shape do guys hands make when they see a beautiful woman? 8, that’s what. Hourglass beauty. Trust me. I heard it from my evolutionary psychology prof, and he’s never wrong about anything. (excellent news for us bodacious babes with a sweet tooth!)
EmLue
Bummer for me. I’m small all over – which is nice for the waist, but sad for on top, if you know what I mean.
Nikkilooch
I married one of those boys who does dishes.
Cute post :)
Allison
Joy, I absolutely LOVE this post! I think I have won the hearts of my in-laws with homemade biscotti and oatmeal cookies!! Cooking home-made meals for my MIL’s youngest son didn’t hurt either!
Unfortunately I am studying for an exam, but come April 17th, the kitchen-aid mixer will be back in use (to make your tasty treats and keep my husband smiling!)
Christine
Dang. I was kind of hoping for an “APRIL FOOL’S! Boys aren’t worth baking for!” Too bad they are, sometimes.
joythebaker
too funny!
i actually intended this post to be an April Fools joke. halfway through writing the post i realized that i was serious…. and i wasn’t joking at all.
yeesh! i guess the joke is on me!
Katie
This is a wonderful post! Who doesn’t like a sweet treat on occasion? Supposedly there is research that shows men crave more savory items where as women crave sweet treats, but everyone needs a little sugar now and then! I kept a boy all through high school by loving him with peanut butter cookies. It’s interesting how boys differ on their joy of sweet… my dad can be won over with a decadent chocolate caramel cake, where as my hubby would rather have another piece of meat. It’s weird.
Thanks Joy!
Crystal's Cozy Kitchen
My husband loves that I can cook/bake. The other day we were driving into the grocery store and he said something about how he ate before he met me… and is so grateful he doesn’t have to eat that way anymore. He also loves that I cook better than his mother (but don’t tell her he/I ever said that!)
Nastassia (let me eat cake)
LOVE THIS POST! So true so spot on so funny! you are cute :)
jeri
This may be the single greatest blog post I have ever read. I am saving the link to reread on a cloudy day. I’ll probably even fwd it to my boyf so he knows what’s up. Love love love it. :)
Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen
this post is amazing. totally amazing! if you only knew….ha!
Indigo
This is so very true. When I was in shared halls in uni last year I was well-known as a baker, and I once spent a whole evening hanging out with the boys in the flat downstairs while they told me (in great detail, and hopeful tones) all the sweet things they liked to eat. I’d turn to watch the TV, and someone else would go, ‘BROWNIES! Can you make brownies?!’
‘I make awesome brownies,’ I told them; honestly, if not modestly.
‘Make brownies! My mum makes ones with peanut butter in. Can you make ones with peanut butter in?!’
…and so on. You could actually SEE the visions of sugar plums (or, um, pb brownies) dancing through their heads, bless ’em.
Amanda
The strawberry cake looks amazing!!! I’m 7 months pregnant and currently craving CAKE… lovely, moist cake. So much that I will take breaks from work just to go find some. However, nothing has filled the craving so far:(
I’m definitely going to try this.
One question, I hate cream cheese (I know, weird). Is there another frosting that you would suggest with this?
Jessi
This is my favorite post of yours of all time!! So witty, fun and TRUE! :) I have woo’ed many a boy with my scrumptious morsels… in the kitchen! ;) I do love cooking for a good, cute boy that I like. My good, cute boy that I like very much loves to eat and loves my cooking – yay for me!
DessertForTwo
You are so right about the coffee cake thing! My man LOVES coffee cake and I don’t quite get it. Wouldn’t he rather have something more decadent–cheesecake, triple layer chocolate cake, something hard to make? Nope, he’ll take a plain cake (made with sour cream) and topped with cinnamon and sugar. Maybe they like it because it’s breakfast and dessert…who knows?
Fabulous post!
Stephanie
When I found out my boy loved pastries, I surprised him with a pink box filled with half a dozen pastries from this amazing bakery that used to be in our town… he went from “I like her a whole lot” to “I’m gonna marry her”! Now I bake all his treats myself, but you are SO right on about the impression home-baked treats make on boys! Mine still gets the love-lights in his eyes anytime I bake cakes or cookies!
amy
hands down, funniest post eva!
love it, love it, love it.
heck, i even linked to it.
Seyi
This post is totally awesome! Your advise is right on target. Baking works on not just the boys you are interested in but also on the ones you are related too. There is nothing like the sound of your mixer whirling to get a brother to be nice to you.
Lindsay
So cute. But do you know any single boys that want to give me flowers on the first date? I’m having a hard time finding one myself…
P.S. I’m totally making that strawberry cake for a dinner party next week! xo
jessica
i love this post! i will definitly have to remember you advice the next time i’m on a date. brownies for him on the first date – fantastic idea! :)
anna
i just LOVE this post! because of me, my boyfriend had to create the “anna rule”: always leave room for dessert :)
RachelSmiles
my boy is one of the ones who doesnt want baked goods unless they are chocolate chip cookies. he’s trying to look “svelte”
sighhhhh
i bake for myself! :)
nicole
Love this – so cute. And I’m dying to make that strawberry cake.
jordan
you are hilarious. i love this post. its all roMANtic and matter of fact. short, simple, straight forward.
bake on, girl.
Shannoncita
Oh Joy, how you make me laugh!
I actually won my boy by sending him my famous choc chip cookies from London to Madrid by in the mail. Seven years and several batches of cookies, cakes, muffins, breads, pancakes and waffles later, we are as smitten as ever!
toya
This a sooo sweet post. just love it
Lauren
i wish there was a “love” button on this thing. loved it! love you.
Rocky Mountain Woman
Love it…
Good advice if you already have a “boy” of your very own and want to make him happy!
pamela
So the hubby’s favorite story is how he snagged me- we worked together at a restaurant I waited tables he was the bartender. Every night after we closed he would get a piece of chocolate cake and share it with me. Now a days I know that he really wouldnt order a piece of chocolate cake he doesnt like chocolate cake but it was the worm used to reel me in. I’m a sucker..but he definately is a keeper.
Dim
I love your writing! I love this post. It is so whimsical and romantic and usually I have a heart of stone. Pretending to be asleep until he finally leaves…hehe.
Marisela Cabrera
JOY!!
I wish I could say your wrote ths just for me! lol That’s exactly how I feel! Honestly I just became “official” with my boyfriend and I luried him in by making your red velevt cupcakes, white cupckes with chocolate buttercream, cherry oatmeal cookies with white chocolate chips, perfect chocolate chip cookies, and I still plan to wooo him with your lime-white chocolate macademia nut cookies, pumpkin-butterscotch cookies, and everything else that is utterly amazing that your post up here.
I honestly LOVE your blog and am a better baker and girlfriend for it! Next time I spend the night I will for sure mix up some pnacake batter for him! No more bisquick for us!
Elizabeth
This post is amazing. Fantastic advice that I will be following.
Tay
Okay Joy. You’re the expert. At least I’m labeling you the expert anyway. Where do I find this guy so I can start impressing him?
Bree Hester
Baking got me my husband. Totally works.
emily s
Okay, too cute! Loved it! Lol, boys like almost anything, that’s for sure : ) esp when it involves girls … hehe
Rebecca in STL
So true about pink cake! My husband requested a pink strawberry cake for his birthday this year. I think that’s part of becoming an adult man–learning to freely admit that you like pink cake. Besides, parents hardly ever make pink cake for their sons’ birthdays, so they have to make up for it in adulthood.
With your baking, you’ll charm the pants off of a future mother and father-in-law someday. Either that, or the mother will be totally jealous. Which is weird. And Freudian. Actually, you could do some great psychoanalytic stuff with this post…. And that’s my cue to get back to my seminar paper…
Maria
Love this post. The first time I met my husband I fed him coconut cupcakes and he never looked back:) I won him over by my baking:)
Alyssa Goodnight
I loved this post.
Ariel
Cutest post, ever! :) So true, too…boys seem to go for different kinds of desserts (pie and coffee cake with lots of crumb topping, especially), but my boy still eats everything I make :D They’re sweet like that.
Rachel @ Suburban Yogini
It’s all true, I can vouch for it. I got my boy with vegan chocolate chip cookies. Oh yeah!
Karena
I love to bake and ended up marrying a boy who doesn’t really like sweets. I don’t get it. I think he is very weird. But sometimes you can’t help who you fall in love with. But when I do make something he can’t resist I know I’ve really outdone myself.
Meredith
Joy-
You are awesome!
Julie Anne Rhodes
So THAT is what I have been doing wrong! I don’t bake enough. Problem is… i have no will power around batter and dough, and one thing my boys do not like… are big hips.
Michelle
Yikes! Then ditch the boys! Big hips are sexy.
Sarah
Great post!! I’m with a boy who doesn’t really go for baked goods… or sweets at all. At least he says he doesn’t, but then he appreciates it when I bake for him. I make a lot of ice cream, which usually gets eaten only by me *sigh*. But for last year’s birthday, I pulled off a carrot cake he raved over, and this year I found the perfect combination of his favorite things – a dense almond cake with strawberry/rhubarb compote and créme fraiche ice cream. There’s hope for even the most stubborn.
Beth @ 990 Square
I think my husband’s family only decided I was worth keeping when they realized I could bake. And not “sort of bake” but REALLY bake. Of course the tradoff is that I have to provide every dessert for every family function, but at least now they sort of like me.
joythebaker
love it!
Chess
I don’t trust guys who don’t like treats either. I got my first boyfriend with brownies. :)
Sara
absoluetly greatest post of yours I’ve read yet. ‘put that in your brain hole and let it marinate’… new quote of my life. we totally need to be friends.
joythebaker
hahaa! ‘brain hole’ is my new favorite combination of words. if you like it too… clearly we need to be friends.
Sonja
this is so true. my boyfriend actually is in love with my cooking/baking and can’t resist anything that i make him. which i do quite often. usually making your recipes. thanks joy :)
Chantelle
Love this ultra adorable post Joy :)
Meaghan
You’re so clever! Wonderful post!!
Jacqui
Joy you sound pretty smitten! I bet this guy is feeling pretty lucky to have you around and wondering where you’ve been all his life!
I don’t think I’d trust a guy who didn’t like sweets either. Brownies, cake, and cookies are what feed my guy. Although I throw in some homemade salsa and guacamole once in awhile too!
Teagan
hahah I could not agree more! The way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach :) Especially when it comes to home-baked goodness!
Thanks for the recipes, I might just try some of these :)
Saffron
I love you Joy and I love this post! Now I just need to find a boy to bake brownies for…
Nadia
I love it! When I find a boy to impress.. I will definitely refer back to this post! A way to a man’s heart is DEFINITELY through his stomach!
Kat
Your blog never fails to put a smile on my face. Thanks for being awesome.
Laura
You’re adorable.
Neesie
Thank you for making me smile! I thought of my son and his girl friend with a tatoo and her bringing me coconut, chocolate chip cookie bars….yes we like her!
Food Hunter
So true!
Habbala
This is my favorite post you have ever done EVER.
I have also found that baking brings all the boys to the yard. Also, if their mom is a baker, once you’ve been dating for a bit, ask for his favorite recipe of his moms. Works like a charm.
laura
love it!! what you said about jeans, a t-shirt, steak and BBQ sauce – that is definitely true of my husband! you are one insightful lady.
GrapeSugar
My husband loves sweets, but not cheese for some reason? He saved himself with loving sweets, if he didn’t like sweets OR cheese…we’d have a problem. Oh and his ability to do dishes helps also…
Sam (My Sugar Obsession)
this is hands down my favorite post you have ever done! ah i love it. sadly i have a boy who isn’t big on sweets. it kills me, but he always tries everything i bake despite his dislike for sweets. i think that means he’s a definite keeper. plus thats more sweets for me to eat :)
Lindsey
I made your peanut butter and bacon cookies for my boyfriend, and he LOVED them! Although we did get into a little spat over who got to eat the last one. :) I also made your pumpkin pancakes, and he (who does not eat pancakes) became a pancake convert. Thanks for posting all your delicious recipes!
Amanda Roper
When my now-husband and I moved from friends to kinda-dating he mentioned that he hadn’t had home made cookies since his grandmother passed away. I baked him cookies and a months he proposed.
Also, he is so happy when I’m baking and when he is eating the baked goods that he gets… erm… appreciative (if you know what I mean….)
marti
this is all the reasons I needa finda boy!
Shauna
I love everything about this post! I bake to make my family happy, I bake to make my co-workers love me so much they’re willing to do my bidding, and most of all, I bake to show people how much I love them. And yes, that usually involves either lemon cake, brownies or chocolate chip cookies. Thanks for posting this and making me feel lots better on an icky-tummy-evil-headache kind of day! :)
janelle
My boy loves baked things. He is working in Seattle, so I mail him yummy baked goods. While they aren’t fresh out of the oven, he loves them just the same
Carrie
You are so darling! I love this post! My husband melts for all things baked.
You rock!
Keri (CA)
Love this post! Made me smile!
Happy day to you too…. :)
Jessica
hahaha I LOVE it!
Rhonda Steed
I totally won over my husband through his stomach :) This post is true and funny.
Samantha
My stomach just growled big time after reading this post!!!
Lothaire
It’s true – it’s a pretty short step from a guy’s stomach to his heart.
That said, I’m the baker in the family. And I can’t tell you how many times my wife’s friends and co-workers are shocked that her husband made the snacks she brought in! Apparently that bumps up my market value and makes me a keeper… ;D
steph (whisk/spoon)
very well said! and i agree–boys who say they don’t have a sweet tooth are weird, and certainly not to be trusted!
colleen @ sweetswallows
First of all, great post!
When my boyfriend and I first met, he didn’t have a sweet tooth. This made me very suspicious, and confused. Now, he gets really sad if I don’t bake anything for a day or two, and goes around looking for something sweet. It was my blueberry pie that pulled him in, and my pistachio and cardamom cupcakes with rosewater buttercream that make him stay. Of course, he loves to cook and makes me things like nut-encrusted fish on beds of roasted vegetables and israeli couscous with homemade sauces. I guess I’ll keep him.
Phoo-D
I love this post! Brownies, cakes, and pancakes are a way to endear a man to you in no time flat.
Mr. B enjoyed a big pan of my ‘Mom’s Apple Cake’ before we ever met. I like to think it was a great way to start things off. He proposed with pudding, and our life has been a joy filled feast ever since.
Lindsey
Joy, I’ve been reading a while and never commented because I have babies and piles of laundry that never relent. But this, well, this is just so darn freaking cutie pie I can’t keep myself from telling you so.
Plus, I love the recipies. I have a boy that I’ve had for
10 plus years, but I don’t think he’d mind if I tried to impress him all over again. Thanks for the nudge. :)
Dana
I love this post! I’ll have to ask my fiance if my baking won his heart. Funny thing is he proposed (and I accepted) after he made the most delicious spaghetti/bolognese sauce – so I guess good food is also the way to mine.
Also, were you really up this early to post? Was it because there was a boy in your bed?
Sweets By Vicky
I had so much fun reading this post I passed it onto my boy and asked him to have a quick read. Then I asked him “so what kinda boy are you?” and know what he said? “I think I would fit into most of the descriptions, cept maybe for a couple”
Know what I think? He’s being greedy. :)
amanda
love this, will keep in mind if i ever meet a boy woth baking for! keep up the good work!
Kacey
Love This!!!
Claire
Fantastic post! Sharing it with my husband because I think he’ll find your wisdom true too!
Jess
Every day the boy who wakes up in my bed tells me how lucky he got because I not only can bake but I like to. I don’t think he’s going anywhere any time soon. And he helps do the dishes. Keeper.
Patty
Reading Joy the Baker = Love, love, love!
leila
love love love the post today, joy… and also, the picture of the brownie almost made me jettison my lunch for a little something sweet and cakey instead ;)
Casey
This was just about the cutest post ever ;)
joanne
you are too funny! i LOVE your blog!!! joanne
Mary
I’ve found that ladies ARE interested in yummy baked goods just as much as the gents…perhaps more so!
Thanks for this post Joy…and for not forgetting the girls who like girls! :)
Memoria
THANK YOU!! Finally another woman who realizes women would like treats in return as well and that it isn’t all about boys loving girls.
Rachael
The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach…and his pants…but you go for the stomach first cause that’s what classy women do! ;)
Love the post…too bad if you bake for a boy they don’t stay around forever sometimes, but it’s still fun to bake for boys…my last bf would invent cookies then tell me “create it please”, and I now have some great cookie recipe’s that he doesn’t, you don’t want to date me you don’t get my cookies! ;)
Shawna
You can be my daughter-in-law!!! What a sweet, funny, adorable girl you are. And you can bake! Love your blog!
Heather @ chiknpastry
too freakin’ funny! but you’re definitely right. it seems like everything is better when there’s something scratch-baked involved. and yes, boys’ moms really do like when girls can cook – i think my MIL was thinking i was a tattooed hippie at first but then when i started baking/cooking she decided she didn’t care :)
bekah
this is my favorite thing you have ever written! i’m off to make my boyfriend some brownies immediately if not sooner. :)
joythebaker
best idea. ever.
Sushi Girl
My brain hole is happily contemplating which recipe of yours to create for my wonderful husband today. I hope one day (soon) you find the love of your life Joy. I can only imagine how your blog will change. I know we will all love him as much as we love you. It will be nice to have MAN CANDY pictured on your blog eating your sweet gifts of love. I can SO picture him sitting in your kitchen in his pjs eating your pancakes and laughing… Maybe you should contact me, we need to talk Feng Shui….
*love*
joythebaker
Aw! Such a sweet comment. One day soon. Man candy all up in this piece.
Thank you.
also… Feng Shui?
Anu
adorable post. I loved it :)
katy
Ok, I have to add a little something here. You wrote, “boys like pink things if they taste good.”
I think it’s actually more than that. My husband is *obsessed* with the “Pink Cake” at a bakery near us, and constantly makes me order it because he doesn’t want to look like a girl. Then I bought the bakery’s cookbook for the recipe, just out of curiousity, and their write-up of the pink cake began: Men love pink cake.
They talked about construction workers coming in to order it, every single guy you could imagine. So I strongly suspect that men actually like pink things even more than we girls do.
Anyway, that’s enough of that. Lovely post!
Jesse
My husband’s favourite “from a box” cake is cherry chip – for every birthday, he requests the “pink cake”!
joythebaker
that’s too funny! i had no idea that love of pink cake ran so deep!
Lizzie
not to sound like a broken record, but LOVED THIS POST! spot on. and a good way to start my day!
Catherine
It’s so true- my husband LOVES crumb toppings and any meal with meat ending with chocolate chip cookies…my mama always said, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!
Ruth
I met an amazing guy in 2004 when he bought a hot grilled cheese sandwich I was whipping up for a fundraiser in the lobby of my dorm at college. He went to college 7 hours away from my school, but the sandwich did the trick- and I’ve been baking for him ever since. We were married in 2008!
joythebaker
Ruth! that’s too sweet. Seriously.
Sarah Helen
i love that post!! and i am about to go on a first date with a guy tomorrow night, and i’ve already started thinking about what i will bake once it gets time to start baking for him haha
Kennnnny
Joy! Help! What would you suggest I bring for dessert to an Easter dinner that my girlfriend, her sister, her grandmother, her aunt, and her mother will be attending? I’m lost.
joythebaker
Glazed Lime Cake would be nice for Easter!
https://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/12/glazed-lime-cake/
Lemon Pound Cake with blueberry sauce is also rad!
https://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/01/blueberry/
christina
i love this post!! so entertaining, and true!
Nina T.
Absolutely awesome post!!! LOVE it!!!
Abby
hands down. favorite post. EVER.
you’re the best joy!
Mary Margeson
You are SO hilarious and SO talented! Reading your posts in the morning gives me a smile, and your recipes bring me calories and happiness…some people have a morning paper reading routine…I have a morning Joy The Baker reading routine. Thank you.
Missie
Super cute! I think this is my favorite entry!
jaclyn@todayslady
Such a cute post!! This is why I love you!! All of this is so true. I love the part when you suggest an apple crisp will mend the fact that the bf’s mom possibly has seen one of your tattoos and now thinks your a hippie!!
Megsie
Loved this post. It is ALL TRUE. Such good advice :)
Silvia
So absolutely true, my husband and I used to bake together when we were engaged. Now I have to play on my own because he’s working way too much, but he’s always very happy to come home and find something good waiting for him.
All my friends love my baking, and I’m always preparing something to give away… I love to be loved.
You got it Joy!
Theresa
I thoroughly enjoyed this post, Joy! Great writing and fantastic recipes, as always :)
Meghan
This is the greatest post!! Oddly enough, just yesterday, I baked for the construction men I work with! Here in NY we had torrential rain on Tuesday and the majority of the guys work outside and were drenched. I decided to bake them some of your Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies and Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies as a way of saying “I’m sorry you got soaked and I want you all to know I appreciate what you do”…they were a total hit!!! Most of the cookies were consumed before 8 AM – nothing wrong with that right?
Thanks for everything you do!!!
Christine
This post is completely adorable! Thanks for the brownie tip.
domestiKatie
joy. this is my absolute favorite blog post of yours yet.
we have matching hearts.
my first date with my husband? we baked cookies.
my first visit with his family? i made lemon blackberry cake.
the way i won over all of his friends? bourbon cupcakes.
he proposed over fruit torte.
i brought cranberry orange muffins to my dream job interview. landed the gig.
and for his birthday, when i brought a massive chocolate guinness cake to the bar? i was proposed to three more times by complete strangers. on bended knee and everything.
so- write on, sister. you know what’s up.
thedelishdish
this is the best post ever!! so funny yet so wise. i guess boys aren’t as weird and complicated after all!
shush-mi
How much do I love this post? This is such a cute and funny post. and as I (and Im sure most other girls reading your blog) like boys and baking it really made me giggle. …esp the bit abt if you wake up with a boy in your bed…lol.
Yep brownies do make a big impression dont they? I love your smores brownies! and it definitely impresses their mums too right?
U are great!! x
Joy
Oh, Joy, it cracks me up that I could have totally written this post and that we share the same first name. Thanks for making my morning!
Jessica
This was the absolute perfect post to start my day with. You are wise and the keeper of all knowledge. But what is the best baked good for a loving, wonderful husband who has been taking care of his very knocked up wife?
Kristen
Best. Post. Ever. Thank you, Joy. :)
peachkins
you are absolutely right on that!
natalie
hahaha, loving this post, and still chuckling! yup…boys do love their baked goods!
Suzanne
I just love this post! Plus I’m totally overwhelmed by all the delicious looking desserts I want to make now… and I make my boyfriend eat broccoli! I love your blog :)
falnfenix
while baking didn’t hook my boy, it’s certainly keeping him happy. :) i started keeping bags of chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer – the dough is already portioned into balls, so they just need to be popped in the oven. it makes for an easy baking job on a random weeknight when we’re both exhausted.
Nicole @ Sprinkle with Salt
great post! thanks for making my morning!
Wendi
Amen to all that. My husband will definitely tell you that boys do love the baked treats.
shelly (cookies and cups)
yes, the chocolate chip cookie is a true boy getter :)
Estela @ Weekly Bite
I’m loving this post! I truly do think you can bake your way into a boys heart ;)
Ovenista
Joy –
Great post! Extremely entertaining for the soul and my taste buds.
michelle
this is great!! brought a smile to my face. Sending the link to all my gal pals
thank you!
shalini
What a great collection of recipes! And I love the commentary :-)
Katrina
I brought white chocolate chunk cookies on my first “hang out”, and it scored me BIG points. Then I brought brownies when I me my boyfriends parents for the first time. It’s been 2 lovely years, and I’m still baking :)
Bethany
Your blog has topped my list of favorites over the last few weeks…. LOVE this post! I’m 34 and single and have been trying for years to bake and cook my way into a man’s heart. It hasn’t worked yet, but I’m convince that it will one day…The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
Keep up the good work. Your posts and recipes are an inspiration!
Cor
I heart you Joy. This made my morning! Possibly my day.
ilove2ski
Thank You!!! I just love your site and your photos are amazing. This was a great blog and I really enjoyed reading it.
carolyn
such a fun read, joy! thanks!
Russian Doll
Ha ha I absolutely LOVED this post!!
So true!
My man loves my baking and cooking. The way to a man’s heart is through is stomach. It sure is. :)
Michelle @ H.E.R.
This is great. Mine does a lot of dishes, so yes indeed I will marry him! :)
Elisabeth
What a cute post! It’s great advice coated with sugar!! (: I bake cookies, pastries and cakes. Yes, it DOES impress him. Baking shows love, in which will be reciprocated.
The MuffinTin Post
It’s too early for me to open up your site and see that brownie picture!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
I have made that strawberry cake, Joy, and it HAS impressed my boy! :)
PAWriter
This is so funny. You’re right on all counts. Baking can do so many things. Do not underestimate the power! :)
Ju'eta
Joy, Joy, Joy! How much I loved that post! I laughed, I blushed and I cried – ok, maybe not cried. You are so right about boys and us!
Rebecca
Joy, you are a girl who speaks the truth.
Hooked boy with my baking, tick…impressed boys mother with my talk about baking, and little baked presents in the holiday, tick. Have managed to convince boy that we need a bigger kitchen….we’ll okay, I’m still working on that one, but I’m thinking brownies and some good coffee/wine and it’s in the bag!
Küchenpsychologin
Aww, cute!
At the moment I’d be more than happy to bury the whole male, interested-in-me or interesting-for-me population under a few concrete slabs… but one day, when I feel like dating again, I’ll remember the brownies ;)
Sara M
Absolutely, 100 percent LOVE THIS POST! Cracked me up :)
and those brownies look delicious! Although I think I may be a little old fashioned…wouldn’t bring them on a first date, but probably on a second! And I’ve never gotten flowers on a first date! I must be dating crummy guys…
claire
What a brilliant post, and totally right. I once made my boy (now fiance) cry when after a meal of delicious steak and beer I told him I had made apple crumble. :D
ulrich
What about guy bringing u muffins for first date (making research!!) :)
This apart, ur lemon poppy seed muffins are great….
Ulrich
Lindy
Oooh another brownie recipe! I’m in search of the perfect brownie recipe. I had the perfect brownie recipe once but lost it. I’m beginning to think I’ll be forever searching for it. I’m hoping this is the one!
maria
xx
love this post!. x
the pancake bit and boys mum’s.. so true! xx
Aeshna
What a lovely post! I feel motivated to bake :)
Stephanie
Love, love, love this post! But: Are you really sure about the bringing brownies to the first date thing? Because I’m not.