Hey *|FNAME|*,
Hope you have recovered from the holiday weekend. Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday baking season for me. And I am sure it does for you too. Today I want to share a few tips with you to help make your treats extra tasty.
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When baking cakes or cookies using eggs that are at room temperature makes a big difference in the texture. They will be lighter and fluffier. If you are in a hurry, soak eggs in warm water for 10-15 minutes to bring them to room temperature. Then bake according to your recipe.
Butter versus margarine: unless the recipe specifically calls for butter, you should be okay using margarine in your recipe. Butter is a must for pastry, candies, sugar cookies and shortbreads.
Whichever you choose the temperature of your butter or margarine is more important. Too soft, cookies will spread out too much, too cool and the mixture won't cream together well. It will take 30-45 minutes for the butter to reach room temperature. The finger poke test is the best indicator for the correct temperature. Poke your finger into the stick of butter, if your finger makes an indention in the butter, it is ideal temperature and will make the best cookie. This is a great article!
When making rolled or cut off cookies, separate the dough. Keep 1/2 in the refrigerator and roll out the other. Keeps it from getting too soft.
I keep evaporated milk on hand for baking too. I substitute it for water in recipes for a richer flavor. You can also use Almond milk or heavy cream to improve your recipe flavors ~ low fat is never a option! It 's a dessert, just embrace it.
Keep a few boxed brownie mixes on hand for when you need a quick dessert, but don't have a lot of time. Adding an extra egg, using whole milk and a teaspoon of vanilla will really bring a homemade taste to your dessert. You can also add 1/2 cup of chocolate, toffee or butterscotch chips, nuts, chocolate syrup or caramel... whatever flavors you like.
One last tip~ parchment paper. It is life changing when baking. (Now, don't confuse it with wax paper.. wax paper does not go in the oven)
What do think? Were you already familiar with these tips? We love to share and plan to have more over the next few weeks. I will be baking several of my traditional Christmas treats and will be sharing my recipes with you. We would love you to share some of your family favorites with us. You can never have too many good recipes.
Let's kick off the season of baking!!
Xoxo,
Amy
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