Baking

Give it a nice wiggle to see if it's ready to be served.

Don't worry, it is still delicious.

Don't worry — it's easy.

Ready to get baking with apples this fall? Pick one of these five varieties for the best results.

Ready to get baking with apples this fall? Pick one of these five varieties for the best results.

This may look like your average graham cracker crust, but it's so much better.

It's way better than lemon water!

First things first: They're not always interchangeable!

The methods are super simple!

Store-bought frozen puff pastry is a lifesaver any time of year, but especially as we move into the busy holiday season. With a package or two stashed in the freezer, I know a quick baked brie for visiting guests or plate of mini-quiche appetizers for a potluck is only a few steps away — and the empty, crumb-filled plates at the end of the night speak for themselves. If you’ve never used frozen puff pastry before, let me assure you that it couldn’t be easier.

So, you’ve whipped up a batch of homemade pizza dough, and you’ve made a couple of spectacularly good homemade pizzas. But your household is small, and you don’t want to eat pizza for days. What can you do with all that leftover dough? Freeze it, of course! It’s simple as 1-2-3, and then you can have pizza on the spur of the moment next week. Here’s how to freeze pizza dough.

If you see a lot of fruit dehydrating in your future, buying a food dehydrator makes sense. Using one is more energy-efficient than slowly baking fruit in a low oven, and the results are more consistent. But if you just want to make the occasional batch of crispy apple chips or intensely-flavored dried tomatoes, keep things simple and gadget-free: use your oven to make dried fruit!

With Fall being high time for pies and Thanksgiving getting closer, we thought we’d talk about pie crust. No, not about the ingredients (butter vs. shortening) or how to roll it out but rather how to get that floppy round of dough from your countertop to your baking dish. Here are two sensible options, illustrated in some great Flickr photos we found.

There might be some actual legit science behind why adding ice water to white cake is such a brilliant move.

Halving a recipe can be a challenge for even the best bakers, and no ingredient has generated more questions on how to split in half than an egg. The problem is an egg has two distinct parts — a fat-rich yolk and a protein-rich white — and most baking recipes require a bit of both. It’s very simple; all you have to do is whisk before you can divide. Most baking recipes call for a large egg, which weighs approximately 1.75 ounces without the shell.

Vanilla beans are magical. Not only do they look like fairy wands and have an aroma that always brings me to a standstill, but these beans have the ability to transform scoops of ice cream into childhood memories and dishes of crème brûlée into marriage proposals. Using them is easy; wait to scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod until you’re ready to use them. They are definitely not to be squandered or taken for granted.

There's a daunting number of cardboard pints and quarts of different cream varieties at the grocery store. Which is which?

Forgot to plan ahead? No problem.

So, you don’t own a cookie moldWell, unless you consider vintage glassware special equipment.The thing is, you can do this trick with a lot of everyday kitchenware. While vintage glasses are more likely to have pretty little patterns cut into the bottom, some new ones do, too. Country Living, where we read this tip, mentions that you can also use silverware or Jell-O molds to press a design into your cut-out dough before baking.

Don’t have a cake scraper? Use this unexpected kitchen item to help get those sides super smooth.

The secret to perfectly even graham cracker crusts? Check your kitchen cabinets.

The result? Rich and chocolatey brownies made just for you.

This is how you can fix it and prevent it in the future!

It's simple to make and you can add it to so many different things!

The flour you choose affects your ultimate outcome. Learn how bleached versus unbleached flour makes a difference in baked goods like cookies, cakes, breads, and more.

Spoiler alert: It's not on the lip of a bowl.

You'll wish you thought of this one sooner!

When you go to bake a chocolate cake, it’s pretty easy to find what you’re looking for, right? Sure, there are some that are flourless and fudgy, and others that are tender and fluffy, but they’re all labeled “chocolate.” The opposite end of the spectrum isn’t so simple. There’s a whole lot of terminology to describe what seems to be the same thing. But are white, yellow, and vanilla cake actually the same across the board? Not quite.

If there’s one dessert I cannot resist, it’s a rich and fudgy chocolate brownie recipe. It’s hard not to love these timeless sweets. And while easy to make, there are a few tips that will ensure a stand-out batch every time. So before you get ready to bake your next batch, be sure you’re not making any of these common mistakes. Brownies fall into two delicious camps: fudgy and cakey.

No, you don't have to run out to the store.

This is a game-changing tip!

Here's what you need to know as we head into cookie season.

The answers to all your burning bread-baking questions.

A versatile ingredient, its unique flavors and consistency is great in soups, salads, and more.

Food coloring comes out in full force around the holidays when it’s time to make colorful icings, candies, and other sweet confections. While liquid food coloring used to be the only option available for tinting foods, there are now many other choices, from gels to pastes to even powdered food coloring. Here’s a guide to the different types, how they can be used, and the pros and cons of each one! What it’s made out of: Synthetic colorings with a water base.

Butter brings the flavor, but here's how it can bring crunch, chew, and more.

Remember these four easy rules.

My favorite part of a pie or tart, hands-down, is the crust. In fact, if there’s a double crust, I’m even happier. And while graham cracker pie crust is one of the easiest crusts to make, don’t forget that there is a whole world of other fun possibilities out there that are equally delicious. Pretty much any crunchy thing that’s cookie or cracker-like can work in as a pie crust. You just have to grind it up, mix it with some butter to hold it together, and press and bake.

While I certainly enjoy the cake portion of a slice of cake or a cupcake, I’m really in it for the buttercream frosting. That thick, sugary frosting brings the sweetest finishing touch to these desserts. There are a few different styles of buttercream, but no matter which one you make, be sure to avoid these mistakes.

Q: I want to make a birthday cake for a friend. Problem is, her birthday is not for two weeks, but I’m seeing her tomorrow.Is there a way to freeze a fully-decorated birthday cake so that it will thaw into something beautiful? Are there certain cake or icing recipes that work best (my friend loves carrot cake).Sent by CarolynEditor: Carolyn, the short answer is yes! Many cakes freeze very well even after being decorated.

They each bring something a little different to the table. Here's what sets them apart.

Don't cry over broken cake.

Its not all sweet!

Not to be dramatic, but the results were kind of mind-blowing.

On Cupcake Project, I’ve converted every imaginable kind of cake to cupcakes. I’ve made angel food cupcakes, pound cake cupcakes, upside-down cake cupcakes, cheesecake cupcakes, and more! It’s not hard to take your favorite cake recipe and translate it into cupcakes. Here’s the process that I’ve developed over the years. Here are eight steps to get from favorite cake to perfect cupcake recipe.

Our Pie Bakeoff is in full swing (have you entered your best pie yet?) For the next few weeks we are running posts each day with different types of pie recipes, tips and inspiration, and soon we will begin posting entries from the contest.The question has been posed, May I enter the bakeoff with a tart? The answer is yes. While pies and tarts are two distinct things, they are close enough cousins that we will accept them both. A galette is another cousin who is invited to party.

Just like the professionals!

Espresso powder and instant espresso provide nuanced flavors in rich, chocolatey baked goods. Learn the best swaps here.

Avoid these mistakes and you'll have holiday cookies to reach for all season long.

Q: My mom and I are driving from Minneapolis, MN to Madison, WI next weekend to visit my grandpa for Father’s Day. A few other relatives are coming too. I am in charge of the celebratory dessert and was hoping to make cupcakes as they are festive and enable portion control (my grandpa is on a diet).The problem is, I need to be able to make the cupcakes two days ahead of time, then drive them 5 hours to my grandparent’s house.

I love this for me.

No awkwardly cut foil strips required.

These are the best ways to keep your brown sugar soft so it's always ready.

Oils, applesauce, and yogurt will all work in a pinch.

They're not always interchangeable.

This is the one baking rule you should break!

Simple and effective!

Here's why it's such a smart tip.

With the exception of perhaps oil, few pantry staples come in as many varieties as vinegar. I regularly keep on hand no fewer than seven different vinegars: red wine, white wine, champagne, sherry, rice, apple cidar and balsamic. Later on, I discovered white balsamic vinegar, a blend of white grape must and white wine vinegar. Recently, while scanning through the ingredients list of a recipe I was making, I came across a vinegar I was unfamiliar with – White balsamic vinegar.

We have been grilling tons of fruit this summer – plums, peaches, pluots, figs – and it has been the perfect opportunity to break out our precious bottle of saba.We first encountered saba at a gourmet market and just had to bring a bottle home. Although it was a bit pricey and we had never tasted it before, we were intrigued by the description of an ancient, syrupy condiment similar to Balsamic vinegar. The splurge was worth it.