If you have thought about or you have decided to start baking, good for you! Following these baking tips will make your experience more enjoyable and easier.
- When measuring brown sugar for recipes, be sure to pack it into the measuring cup for accurate measuring.
- Butter has a narrow melting range, 82.4°F to 96.8°F, so it will melt quickly even at low temperatures. To avoid burning, melt butter on low temperature settings and watch carefully.
- Flat cookies? Unacceptable. If your recipe is okay, then possibly your butter is too soft and warm. Start with CHILLED butter right from the refrigerator, Do not soften the butter to room temperature. Also make sure the cookie sheet you use is cool, and not warm.
- When baking cookies, be sure to sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together, even if the flour says it is pre-sifted. This is the key to fat cookies.
- If a recipe calls for milk, try buttermilk instead.
When cutting butter, cut cold butter into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks, and then add dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender gently cut and press the butter into smaller and smaller pieces until the mixture looks like course crumbs. - Cold ingredients produce the flakiest crust. Be sure to use very cold fat. Once you have your pastry made be sure to refrigerate it since it handles better chilled. Chill for 45 minutes to one hour.
- Baked good tastes better when real vanilla flavoring is used. Imitation flavoring is less expensive, but it doesn’t add the same depth of taste as real vanilla flavoring.
