My Best Baking TipsThe following tips are my best baking tips, they are tips and tricks that have come to me through trial and error, common sense, reading cookbooks, researching on the net, talking to friends, and of course learning from Mom. I would love for you to share your tips as well. Please visit the Share Ideas Page to e-mail me your favorite tips, or to ask to be notified when a new tip or recipe is posted.
My Number 1 Best Baking Tip
Freeze your pre-shaped cookie dough: this is by far my best baking tip. I’ve been doing this for about 12 years and it really has saved me time and sanity during my hectic holiday baking. Virtually any drop cookie can be easily frozen in its dough state to bake at a later time. Simply line a jelly roll pan
with plastic wrap (make sure that the pan fits flat in your freezer), scoop out your dough into balls with a cookie scoop
and place each ball side by side on the jelly roll pan
. Fit as many as you can tightly together. When the pan is full cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it flat in your freezer. When the cookie dough balls are completely frozen, lift up on the bottom layer of plastic wrap to release the balls individually and place them in a zippered plastic freezer bag. With a permanent marker write the name of the cookie and any additional baking instructions that are needed. It could be as simple as “Sugar Cookies; bake 350º for 8-10 min.”; or as complex as “Hazelnut-Walnut Heaven; bake 350º for 10-12 min., allow to cool completely, spread tops with Nutella and dip in chopped walnuts”. The reason I started doing this freezing technique is I realized that if I made a whole batch of cookies, I would most likely not stop eating them until they were gone. This habit was detrimental to my waistline, but I didn’t want to give up cookies all together. So now when I want a special treat, I just thaw and bake a few cookies at a time. That technique has warped into my trick for baking up huge quantities of cookies for the holidays in a short period of time. I start in November and make and freeze a batch of cookie dough almost every day until the weekend before Christmas. I then have my baking weekend; my husband keeps the kids away from mommy and the kitchen and I thaw, bake, cool and package all weekend long.
Baking Tip #2: Use a cookie scoop
for all drop cookies: to ensure that my cookies are all the same size and shape, I scoop them out with a cookie scoop
. Cookie dough balls need to be uniform is size and shape in order to bake evenly. They come in all sizes and I have seen them made up of both plastic and metal. Don’t waste your money on the plastic ones; they won’t hold up. I was given one as a gift several years ago, and it didn’t even last one holiday season. On the other hand, my metal ones have been with me for years. They are shaped like the gear driven ice cream scoops of the 70’s; this kitchen utensil has been my favorite kitchen gadget for years.
Baking Tip #3: Read the complete recipe before beginning: this is so vital, you need to be certain that you understand everything clearly before you begin. Nothing is more frustrating than thinking you can whip up a batch of cookies quickly for tomorrows bake sale only to learn half way through that the dough needs to chill for several hours before shaping.
Baking Tip #4: Gather all the ingredients and tools before beginning: Get everything ready in front of you on the counter. You will find that following the recipe will be easier if everything is at your fingertips. You can even go so far as to measure all your ingredients ahead of time and place them is small dishes or individual ramekins
. You will have less opportunity to accidentally skip a step or forget to include an ingredient this way. You will also know ahead of time if you have all the tools and ingredients you will need.
Baking Tip #5: Use only the best quality ingredients: Why would you put all the time and effort into baking something only to be disappointed by the results. Quality really does make a difference. Use the best ingredients that you can afford.
Baking Tip #6: Use only “pure” never “imitation” extracts: the little extra you spend to get the real stuff is definitely worth it. Speaking of extracts; pure vanilla extract
is my favorite. The absolute best vanilla in the world (in my humble opinion) comes from Madagascar, though it is relatively expensive. I rarely splurge on pure vanilla extract
from Madagascar, but I do use a good quality Mexican vanilla. I have a flight attendant friend who flies to Mexico occasionally and brings me back a stash. You must however be very careful in buying Mexican vanilla. You need to make sure that the one you are getting is the real stuff, and that it is not made from the Tonka bean. Tonka beans have been banned by the FDA for human consumption because they contain coumarin which is a powerful blood thinner. If you are vacationing in Mexico, you will be able to get pure vanilla at a better price than here in the states; but be warned, if the price sound too good to be true, it probably is. $3-$5 for a large bottle of vanilla is probably the fake stuff. Expect to pay $10-$20 per 16 or so ounce bottle.
Baking Tip #7: Use the right kind of shortening: only use the kind of shortening that the recipe calls for. If a recipe gives you a choice between butter and margarine; I always say use butter. However, if you are determined to use margarine, only use the stick kind. You should never use spreads or anything that comes in a tub; these spreads have different water and fat content than stick butter and that will alter your end result. I believe that you should always choose unsalted over salted butter (Mom disagrees). I have heard that salt is added to butter to hide inferior quality. I can’t quote the source, but even knowing the possibility that I could be using an inferior ingredient is enough for me to avoid it. One last note on shortening; shortening means solid shortening, oil means liquid oil.
Baking Tip #8: Be precise in your measuring : Baking is not a time for “a pinch of this and a dab of that”. Measurements really do need to be precise, with a couple of exceptions: sometimes a recipe will give you a range of measurements of typically flour or a liquid to be added. This is done because environmental factors (i.e. humidity) will determine how much of those ingredients a dough will absorb to be the correct consistency, or when making a recipe that calls for a spice that you like or dislike. You may want to increase or decrease the amount of that spice. I would caution you when tweaking a recipe, don’t go overboard in either direction. Stick to the rule of 50%; meaning if the recipe calls for 1 tsp. you can try to go as much as 1-1/2 tsp. or as little as ½ tsp. If the results are still not what you expect, you can always try again.
There are many more where these came from. Check back with us often to see some new ones; who knows my next baking tip may be the one that saves that angel food cake from ruin! Please visit the Share Ideas Page to e-mail me your favorite tips, we all would love to learn from you as well. You may also register to be notified when a new tip or recipe is posted.
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Photo credits: Picture of balls of raw cookie dough by liewy @ istockphoto.com Picture of old fashioned ice cream scoop by Philary @ istockphoto.com Picture of small dishes of baking ingredients by creativestock @ istockphoto.com Picture of a spilled canister of sugar by webking @ istockphoto.com Picture of vanilla beans by iwka @ istockphoto.com Picture of measuring spoons and bowl by tacojim @ istockphoto.com Picture of cookie dough hearts by PIKSEL @ istockphoto.com
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