Helpful Hints

Use unsweetened applesauce to cut the fat in baked goods. Start with half the fat and replace the other half with unsweetened applesauce. (1/2 c. applesauce + 1/2 c. oil = 1 c. oil or ¾ c. applesauce + ¼ c. oil = 1 c. oil).

10 Secrets To Baking The PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookie!

Every chocolate chip cookie batter starts with the same basic ingredients, but did you know there’s actually a science behind making the perfect cookie?

  1. Ooey-gooey: Add 2 cups more flour.
  2. A nice tan: Set the oven higher than 350 degrees. Caramelization, which gives cookies their nice brown tops, occurs above 356 degrees.
  3. Chrispy with a soft center: Use 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
  4. Chewy: Substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour.
  5. Just like store-bought: Trade the butter for shortening. This ups the texture but reduces some flavor - try using half butter and half shortening.
  6. Thick (and less crispy): Freeze the batter for 30 to 60 minutes before baking. This solidifies the butter, which will spread less while baking.
  7. Cakey: Use more baking soda because it releases carbon dioxide when heated, which makes cookies puff up.
  8. Butterscotch Flavored: Use 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (instead of the same amount of combined granulated sugar and light brown sugar).
  9. Uniformity: If looks count, add one ounce corn syrup and one ounce granulated sugar.
  10. More. Just, more: Chilling the dough for at least 24 hours before baking deepens all the flavors.

Coat berries, raisins and nuts with flour, before adding to batter to prevent them from sinking to the bottom and clumping up.

To make meringue, let egg white stand at room temperature for maximum volume before beating.

To prevent apple pies from getting juicy or soggy on the bottom, crush a few cornflakes and sprinkle over the bottom crust before adding apples.

When making rice krispie treats, coat saucepan with a vegetable spray or oil before melting marshmallows. This prevents sticking and makes clean up easy. Before pressing the mixture into the pan run your hands under cold water. The marshmallow won’t stick to your fingers.

To make whipping cream from scratch, chill beaters and bowl in the freezer ahead of time. Beat 1 cup heavy whipping cream (regular whipping cream is fine) until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in 1 t. vanilla or 2 Tbls. of powdered sugar. Powdered sugar helps so that it won’t lose its consistency and break down. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

In cookies: Add 1/3 to ½ cup old-fashioned oats and subtract ¼ c. all-purpose flour; eliminate a quarter of the sugar and increase vanilla extract by ¼ t.

In cakes: Replace half of the fat (butter, margarine or oil) with unsweetened applesauce, and then reduce sugar by about a spoonful.

10 Guaranteed Tips for Thicker Cookies
  1. Chill the cookie dough. Not all cookie dough requires the chilling step– and I normally determine that by how the cookie dough looks and feels. If the cookie dough is particularly sticky, wet, or greasy, chilling is in its best interest. Chilling cookie dough helps prevent spreading. The colder the dough, the less the cookies will over-spread into greasy puddles. You’ll have thicker, sturdier, and more solid cookies. Plan ahead and chill the cookie dough overnight. After chilling, let your cookie dough sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes (or more, depending on how long the dough has chilled) before rolling into balls and baking. Your cookie dough may be a solid rock, so letting it slightly loosen up helps.
  2. Line your baking sheet. Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Coating your baking sheet with nonstick spray or butter creates an overly greasy foundation, causing the cookies to spread. I always recommend a silicone baking mat because they grip onto the bottom of your cookie dough, preventing the cookies from spreading too much. These mats also promote even browning. Mats can get greasy!
  3. My tall cookie trick. Roll your cookie dough into tall balls instead of perfectly round spheres. Taller balls of cookie dough ensure thicker cookies.
  4. Cool your baking sheets. Never place cookie dough balls onto a hot baking sheet. Always room temperature baking sheets.
  5. Quality baking sheets are a MUST. Did you know the color and material of your baking sheets greatly impacts the way your cookies turn out? Dark metal sheets typically over-bake cookies and thin flimsy cookie sheets = burnt bottoms
  6. Cool butter. When butter is too warm, it is too soft. When butter is too soft, your cookies will spread all over the baking sheets. Room temperature butter is actually cool to touch, not warm. When you press it, your finger will make an indent. Your finger won’t sink down into the butter, nor will your finger slide all around.
  7. Correctly measure the flour. Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn’t enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.
  8. Don’t overmix the cookie dough ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar for only as long as you need to, usually about 1-2 minutes. Don’t begin beating then leave the room with the mixer running. Whipping too much air into the dough will cause those cookies to collapse when they bake.
  9. One batch at a time, on the middle rack. You get the best possible results when the oven only concentrates on that 1 batch. If you absolutely need to bake more than one batch at a time, rotate the baking sheets from the top rack to bottom rack a couple times through the baking process to encourage even baking. And turn the sheets around as well. Ovens have hot spots.
  10. Freeze for 10 minutes. We’re coming full circle back to tip #1! After you roll the cookie dough into tall balls, freeze them for 10 minutes. After rolling the cookie dough into balls to bake them, place the balls on a platter or container and put in the freezer. Then preheat the oven. This time in the freezer firms up the balls which may have gotten a little soft while handling with our warm hands.
    Remember: the colder the dough, the thicker the cookie.

In cookies, brownies and muffins: Replace up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat pastry flour.