Tag: Baking

Tips and Tricks

SadieLeave a comment

We are on the verge of some big baking months.  As the weather gets crisper, so do the apples, and apple pies are in high demand.  Then we transition to pumpkin season with Thanksgiving (I’ve obviously gotten a head start on that), and finally: dreams of peppermint and gingerbread dance in our heads in December.  Ladies and Gentelmen, start your ovens.

Though I’m not professionally trained, here are some tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way:

1. Read it over.  Make sure you read the entire ingredients list and recipe a couple days before you plan to make it.  I’ve learned this one the hard way, having been caught without a specific piece of equipment, or debating how long the dough really has to rest if I need the cookies to be ready sooner.  Things like extra prep activities, or unfamiliar techniques can catch you off guard espcially if you’re in a time crunch.

2. Less is more.  Though dough is fun to play with, resist the urge to over mix or over work the dough.  Usually you need to mix to combine, but once it looks fairly combined you need to stop because you will over-work it and develope too much gluton.  This will likely make the final product tougher then intended.  And when it comes to rolling out the dough to make cut out cookies or forming drop cookies, as my mom always says: you don’t want the dough to taste like your hands.  Stop touching it and playing with it so much!

3.  Leave it be.  Be stingy about opening the oven.  When the oven has reached the appropriate temperature, open it sparingly.  I will crack it once or twice to sneak a glance, but you need to be careful not to let the temperature drop too much, because it can definitely affect your final product.

4.  Chill out.  Allow baked goods to cool completely on cooling racks after they come out of the oven.  If you pack them up or put them away prematurely, you risk trapping moisture in the container.  This will make baked goods soggy or introduce mold.  So be patient, and think about placing cooling racks in strategic places where you and/or guests won’t be tempted to eat the final product earlier than intended.  Brothers and fathers are particularly good at sneaking tastes.

5.  Test it out.  This is one of Martha’s golden rules.  Don’t make a recipe for the first time when you’re cooking for a crowd.  If you’re trying out new desserts for the holidays, give them a test run a few weeks earlier just to practice and make sure it’s all that you dreamt of.  Answer questions like: how big is the batch?  how difficult is it?  is it really the fudgiest brownie ever, or is my old recipe better?  if I substitute an ingredient will it still work?  In the mean time, find some test subjects.  Co-workers on a Monday always seem to be a willing test audience for me.

Like I said, I’m not professionally trained, so these are tips from my own experience, my mother (who is professionally trained), Martha, and everyone on the Food Network.

Do you have any mishaps from holiday baking extravaganzas?

I have done everything from forgetting to add the sugar, to under baking, to burning, to spilling batter all over the oven, the list goes on…

She said a triscuit a BISCUIT

CarrieLeave a comment

Sorry about the title, I had to pay homage to one of the Tom Hanks’ classics, BIG. I promised you the recipe to the apple cheddar biscuits that I made with the meal from Wednesday’s post. Here it is as promised. I’ll give you a tip. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, use one cup of regular milk with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in it. Let it sit for ten minutes before use. You can actually use any type of vinegar or lemon juice to make the milk “sour” to a buttermilk like consistency. I did this for the first time because I did not have buttermilk on hand. In the future, I will continue to do this because I can never make use of the remaining buttermilk not used in the recipe. Let’s get right down to it…

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small bits
1 ¼ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (5 ounces)
1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1 cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together with a fork.

2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of peas.

3. Mix in cheese, apple, and buttermilk until it is mixed. Do not overmix because it will make the biscuits tough. You want your biscuits to be light and delectable.

4. Scoop the biscuits onto a Silpat or greased parchment paper with an ice cream scoop or spoon. Be sure to make the biscuits the same size in order for the biscuits to bake equally.

5. Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes.

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The Black and White Cookie

CarrieLeave a comment

Do you remember the Seinfeld episode that centered around a Black and White Cookie?  At the bakery, you can get a cookie just like the one seen in the show.  This simple cookie is a delicious treat for anyone at any age.  A cake-like cookie smothered in chocolate and vanilla icing can satisfy anyone’s craving.  I can’t give away our secret recipe but here’s a good one I found on Epicurious.com

Ingredients for Cookies

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg

Ingredients for Icings

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

To Make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.

Make icings while cookies chill:
Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as white icing.

Ice cookies:
Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half.