Desserts & Baking Tips
Read these 64 Desserts & Baking Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Gourmet tips and hundreds of other topics.
Is this bread done?
To test if bread is completely baked, lightly tap the bottom of the loaf with your index finger. If it sounds hollow the bread is ready.
Glass Baking Dishes
If you are using glass bakeware and the recipe does not
specify this, or calls for regular bakeware be sure to
reduce the cooking temperature by 25 degrees.
Bread Flour
Bread flour is made from hard wheat and contains more protein
than cake, wheat or all-purpose flour.
The high levels of proteins, glutenin, and gliadin found in bread flour, bind
together to form gluten and give bread dough that
elastic quality after kneading.
Bread flour should not be used as a substitute for other flours.
Streusel Caramel Bars
These dessert bars are very rich, and should be cut into small squares for serving. They are excellent as part of a sweet tray.
Streusel Caramel Bars
2 cups unsifted flour
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg -- beaten
3/4 cup butter -- cold
3/4 cup chopped nuts
24 caramels -- unwrapped
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar and egg; cut in 1/2 cup butter until crumbly, stir in nuts.
3. Reserving 2 cups of the crumb mixture, press remainder firmly on bottom of a greased 13 X 9 baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile in a heavy saucepan over low heat melt caramels with sweetened condensed milk and remaining 1/4 cup butter.
5. Pour over prepared crust, top with remaining crumb mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
6. Cool and cut into bars, store loosely covered at room temperature.
Variation: Melt 2 oz of unsweetened chocolate with caramels and proceed as above.
Prevent Cracked Cheesecakes
The remedy for most cheesecake problems is to keep baking temperatures low (300 degrees to 325 degrees F, with some exceptions), to check the accuracy of
your oven, and to learn to take the cake out of the oven when it is still jiggly in the center.
Remember that cheesecakes do not set until completely cool or even chilled.
Serving Ice Cream Cake
When serving ice cream cake and pies, remove from the
freezer 10-15 minutes before serving.
Dip a knife in warm water to make slicing easier.
Preparing Single Crusts
For a single-crust pie shell, trim the pastry to 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. Fold under
the extra pastry and flute the edges.
If you are going to bake the unfilled pastry shell, use a fork to prick the bottom and sides. Line the pastry-lined pie plate with a double thickness of foil before baking.
Bake in a 450° F. oven for 8 minutes. Remove the foil and bake pie shell for 5 to 6 minutes more or until golden.
Keeping bread fresh
Place bread in a paper bag instead of a plastic one, especially in
high-humidity areas.
The paper bag breathes, allowing the crust to stay crisp and the center to stay
soft and moist.
Preparing baking pans
When baking chocolate cakes or brownies, instead of using
flour which will affect the appearance of your finished
product, use unsweetened cocoa powder.
Grease the pan as usual and dust with the cocoa powder.
It blends right in and your cakes won't stick!
You can also use sugar instead of the traditional flour.
This will provide a "crisper" outer crust on your baked
goods. This technique is often used when baking sheet cakes.
Storing Brownies and Bars
Brownies and Bar style cookies are best stored at room temperature in their baking pan.
Cover with foil, place in a large plastic bag and seal.
High Altitude Baking
At high altitudes above 3,000 feet, dough rises faster requiring some adjustments to your bread recipes.
Try the following suggested guidelines, using one suggestion at a time until you achieve the desired results.
* Reduce the amount of yeast by 25%. This will inhibit the bread from over rising.
* Increase salt by 25%. The bread will rise slower and have less of a tendency to sink.
* Watch your dough as it mixes. Flour stored at High Altitudes tends to be drier. You might need to add a few tablespoons of water, until the dough forms a nice
ball.
Sandwich Rye Bread
An excellent Rye bread to use for sandwiches.
8 ounces warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
2 cups bread flour
1 cup rye flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons caraway seeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons powdered buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten (optional)
1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
Assemble all ingredients in order listed or according to your bread machines directions.
Select Basic or French bread setting or select dough setting, remove, shape, let rise one hour and then bake in oven at 350 for 35 minutes.
To test if bread is done, tap on the bottom of the bread; it should sound hollow.
Cinnamon Ice Cream
Stir 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice into 2 cups of softened vanilla
ice cream or frozen yogurt. Serve over warm fruit pies or gingerbread.
Best Soft Rolls Recipe
Best Soft Rolls
2 3/4 cups water
1/3 cup fresh yeast -- *see note
8 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup oil
3 eggs
1. Break yeast into warm water and dissolve. This is known as a yeast slurry. Pour into bowl of mixer or large mixing bowl.
2. Pour sifted flour on top of the yeast slurry.
3. Pour in remaining ingredients and mix on second (medium) speed until a ball forms. The sides of the bowl should be fairly clean, but this is a sticky dough so it will not "clean up" perfectly.
4. Transfer dough to a floured work surface and work (knead) until dry and no longer sticky.
5. Shape into a ball and let sit covered for 30 minutes in a warm area until about 2 1/2 times in size.
6. Punch down and allow to "rest" rise again
7. Divide dough into 36 equal pieces (48 for smaller rolls). Place on floured surface and allow to rest a few minutes.
8. Roll pieces of dough into strands measuring approx 10, 12 and 15 inches long. Roll in stages if dough is not relaxed enough and begins to tear. Resting the dough will fix this.
9. Shape strands into single knots, double knots, and rosettes etc.
10. Place onto paper lined cookie sheets, egg wash, sprinkle with seeds if desired and let proof about 15 minutes.
11. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown
Notes: This recipe makes 36 rolls.
Less if you make larger braided rolls, which use 3 pieces of dough... 12 roll yield then. Water needs to be about 80 degrees. Warm, but not hot or you will kill the yeast. Should feel warm to the touch.
Use 1/2 amount of dry yeast if using.
Yeast: Using Bulk
Many recipes call for using an "envelope" of dry yeast. If you buy in bulk or jars these types of instructions can pose a problem.
Each "envelope" of yeast contains 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast.
Using Honey vs. Sugar
To substitute honey for sugar in your recipes, follow these simple guidelines.
Substitute honey for up to half the sugar called for in the recipe. *
Reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used.
Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used.
Reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees as honey will brown more quickly than sugar.
* In many recipes all of the sugar can be replaced with honey. You will need to experiment a little in order to achieve the desired results. Additional flour and reduction of liquids is key.
Freezing Bars
Bar type cookies are an excellent make ahead dessert as they store very well.
Once bars are completely cooled, place a piece of waxed paper in an airtight container.
Fill with bars, separating each layer with a piece of waxed paper.
Cover top with tin foil, then the container lid and freeze for up to 3 months.
Allow bars to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to defrost.
Self Raising Cornmeal Recipe
Many recipes call for Self Raising Cornmeal or Cornbread mix.
If you can't get these items at your local store, just make a batch of this recipe, omitting the butter/fat and store it in an airtight container for future use.
This mixture works well in Gourmet Mexican Cornbread.
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter -- or other fat
Combine all ingredients.
Use as directed in your recipe.
Whipped Cream
When preparing whipping cream, always use chilled cream, as well as a chilled bowl and whisk or beaters.
To ensure additional stability and body; add a few drops of lemon juice to the whipping cream before whipping.
Ascorbic Acid in Bread
Adding a little ascorbic acid gives your bread an extra
boost, even if there's already some in the flour.
Add some if you want an especially light loaf, it makes the bread less dense.
Measuring Molasses
To measure molasses, first spray the inside of the measuring cup with cooking spray.
This will prevent the molasses from sticking to the sides of the cup and ensure that you get the needed amount in the recipe.
Cake Flour substitution
All-purpose flour can be substituted for cake flour by
measuring the flour and then removing 2 tablespoons from
each cup used.
Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch for every 2 tablespoons flour you removed.
In other words, add 2 Tablespoons per cup of cornstarch.
Storing Bars
Bar style cookies are best frozen uncut. Remove whole from the baking pan, double wrap in plastic, and then in heavy foil. Place entire wrapped package in a freezer bag and store for up to 4 months.
Quick Chocolate Mint Frosting
To make a very quick, yet delicious chocolate mint frosting for your brownies, try this simple trick.
Cook brownies (boxed or homemade) according to directions. Remove from oven and while still hot, sprinkle with a bag of chocolate peppermint patties.
Let the patties sit a few minutes until softened. With an offset spatula, spread the chocolate over the brownies to cover.
Let stand until brownies are cooled and frosting has set. Cut into bars as desired.
Reheating Muffins
To reheat thawed or leftover muffins, preheat oven to 325
degrees, wrap muffins loosely in heavy duty foil and bake for 10 minutes.
For savory muffins, try slicing them in half and toasting under the broiler; spread with
flavored cream cheese ~ delicious.
Freezing Muffins
Always freeze muffins in a single layer. Use heavy duty foil to
wrap and then place in an airtight freezer container.
They should be good for up to 3 months.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
This recipe comes from the Peach Tree Tea Room and was printed in Gourmet Magazine in 1998.
It serves 14-16 so is perfect for holiday gatherings.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
1&1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pat mixture firmly into bottom only of
a buttered 9 or 10" springform pan. Bake 15 minutes in a preheated 325 oven.
Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven to 300.
Filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1&1/3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons evaporated milk or whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix 3/4 cup sugar, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a
bowl. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and 6
tablespoons sugar until smooth. Add cornstarch, evaporated milk and vanilla,
beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin mixture to cream cheese
mixture. Mix until no traces of white remain. Pour filling mixture into
prepared springform pan, and bake 1 hour at 300 until sides have risen. The
center will be soft. Turn off oven and let cake cool with door closed for
several hours or overnight. Refrigerate cheesecake.
Serve with whipped cream, a dusting of cinnamon, sugar, and a few small pieces of toffee candy, if desired. Also would be good
topped with praline sauce.
Bubbling Over Filling
If you're baking a pie that is likely to bubble over the sides, just put a piece of aluminum foil between
the cookie sheet and the pie.
You won't have to clean the cookie sheet or the oven!
Honey Pumpkin Pie
This is our traditional family pie for the holidays. It freezes well
16 ounces pumpkin puree
1 cup evaporated skim milk
3/4 cup honey
3 eggs,slightly beaten
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 Pastry for single (9-in.) pie crust
Honey Whipped Cream
1. Combine all ingredients except pastry and whipped cream in large bowl and beat until well blended.
2. Pour into pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 400 degrees F 45 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
3. Top with Honey Whipped Cream, if desired.
Honey Whipped Cream:
Beat 1 cup whipping cream until thickened; gradually add 3 tablespoons honey and beat until soft peaks form.
Fold in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Makes about 2 cups.
Little Gifts
Regalito's also known as "Little Gifts" are a tasty way to end a holiday meal.
Prepare the bundles early in the day, and keep covered to ensure they don't dry out.
If you prefer, flash freeze and defrost about 1 hour before you want to bake them.
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 firm bananas, chopped
2 sheets phyllo dough
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Defrost phyllo dough according to package directions.
3. Add raisins, sugar and water to a medium-sized sauce pan.
4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Use 2 tablespoons water to make cornstarch a smooth paste and slowly add to raisins and water.
5. Stir until thickened. Add cinnamon and bananas. Stir until well blended. Keep warm.
6. Brush each phyllo layer with butter and cut into quarters. Add fruit mixture to the center of each of the four quarters.
7. Bring up corners and bunch together around fruit mixture to form bundles.
8. Bake in 350F oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Pretty Pie Crust
To get a professional looking finish on your homemade
pie crust, simply brush it with beaten egg to get a perfect glossy sheen.
Double Crust Pie Shells
For a double-crust pie, after adding the filling to the
pastry-lined pie plate, trim the bottom pastry even with the rim of the pie plate.
Cut slits in top crust for steam to escape and place on filling. Trim top pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold top crust under bottom pastry.
Seal and flute edge before baking.
Shipping Cookies
To ship cookies without them breaking into tiny pieces try this simple tip.
Use a cleaned out Pringles potato chip can, stacking the cookies one on top of each other.
Fill any extra airspace with fresh popcorn (un-buttererd). Replace lid and ship!
For a more festive look decorate the outside of the can with wrapping or contact paper.
Lemon Curd
This lemon curd is extremely versatile. Use it as a filling
for cakes, in phyllo cups or puff pastry cups or spoon it
over sponge cake or Angel Food cake and top with raspberries.
Lemon Curd
4 egg yolks
1 egg white
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Grated peel and juice of 1 large lemon
Fresh fruit
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the egg yolks and egg white and whisk together well. In the top of a double boiler, melt the butter over simmering water. Stir in the sugar and lemon zest and juice. Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture and blend together well. Cook slowly, stirring constantly, on low heat for 15 minutes or until thick.
Serve warm with the fruit, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
YIELD: 4 CUPS
Freezing Cookies
1. Cool cookies before wrapping and freezing them. This
prevents moisture from forming when a warm cookie is exposed
to the cold air in the freezer.
2. Store cookies in a cold freezer, as close to 0 degrees as
possible.
3. Wrap cookies well before freezing them. Wrap one or a pair
of cookies in plastic wrap, then seal them in a plastic
freezer bag, rigid plastic container or gift tin. Then label the
containers with the date and contents.
4. Store cookies inside the freezer rather than the door
shelves, which are warmer.
5. Leave cookies in the freezer no longer than three months.
6. Defrost cookies with their wrapping in place. The moisture
that forms during defrosting forms on the wrapper, not the
cookies.
7. After you bake and cool cookies, wrap them individually in
plastic wrap and freeze them in gift tins. Wrapping them in
plastic wrap looks attractive and keeps them fresh tasting.
When it's time to distribute them, simply remove tins from the
freezer as you need them.
Margarine in Baking
Many recipes give the choice of using butter or margarine and the choice is yours for most recipes.
It is however important to remember to never use diet, whipped or liquid margarine for baking.
These spreads contain water and won't provide enough fat for your cookie to bake properly.
Cooking and Cooling Cheesecake
Cool a cheesecake slowly on the counter with a large bowl or pot inverted over it to keep the environment warm and moist.
Also take care to grease the sides of the pan before filling it so that the cake lets go of the pan as it cools and shrinks instead of cracking in the center.
Baking the cheesecake in a water bath is also a powerful weapon against preventing cheesecakes from cracking.
Soft Brown Sugar
To keep your brown sugar soft, store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or
freezer.
Cake Flour
Cake flour is made from soft wheat and contains more starch and
less protein than the harder all-purpose wheat flours.
It has a soft, powdery texture and yields a very tender cake
because gluten development is minimal when the batter
is beaten.
Cake flour is moister than all-purpose flour and should never be used
to "flour" a baking pan of any sort.
All-purpose flour can be substituted if absolutely necessary.
Make sure not to overbeat and expect the resulting cake
to be a bit "tougher" than if you'd used cake flour.
Freezing: Unfrosted & Frosted Cookies
Unfrosted cookies can be frozen in an air tight container between layers of waxed paper up to 6 months.
Frosted cookies should be frozen in the same manner but only for 2 months.
Pear Crisp with Lemon Sauce
Cardamom and Lemon add an exotic touch to this comforting Pear Crisp.
5 Cups sliced peeled baking pears (such as Bosc)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 Teaspoon grated lemon peel
TOPPING
2/3 Cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 Cup all pupose flour
1/3 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 Teaspoon cardamom
1/4 Teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 Cup butter, softened
1/3 Cup sliced almonds
LEMON SAUCE
1/4 Cup sugar
2 Teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 Cup water
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 Teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Heat oven to 375F. In 8-inch square (2-quart) baking dish, combine pears, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon lemon peel; toss to mix.
In small bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cardamom and 1/4 teaspoon lemon peel; mix well. Cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in almonds Sprinkle topping over fruit.
Bake at 375F for 30 to 35 minutes or until pears are tender and topping begins to brown.
Meanwhile, to make sauce, in small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch; mix well. Stir in water; cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly and thickened. Cook an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove saucepan from heat; stir a small amount of hot mixture into beaten egg yolk.
Return mixture to saucepan; cook and stir over low heat until bubbly. Cook and stir an additional minute. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon lemon peel and lemon juice.
Serve pear crisp warm with warm lemon sauce.
Simple Foccacia
To prevent the toppings from falling off of the Foccacia as it cooks add them before the second rising.
8 ounces warm water (70-80 degrees)
3 Tablespoons olive oil, (for dough)
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, (up to 2) minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
3 cups bread flour
***Topping***
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil, (for topping)
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Measure all ingredients into the bread pan except the Topping ingredients.
Select Dough/Pasta setting on your bread machine.
When cycle is complete, remove from pan and pat into a greased 9X13 pan or a round pizza pan.
With the handle of a wooden spoon make indentations in dough about 1 inch apart. Brush dough with olive oil, sprinkle with tomatoes.
Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Once second rising is complete sprinkle with cheese.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool and serve.
Simple Spiced Applesauce
Stir 1 teaspoon of homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice into store bought applesauce for homemade taste in a hurry.
Crisp Crusted Corn Breads
It's easy to get a crisp exterior on your corn muffins and breads.
Use oil (corn is a good choice) and coat the muffin or loaf pan. Place the greased
pan in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 ensuring that the oil has become hot.
Remove the hot pans from the oven, quickly pour in the batter and return to the oven.
Follow baking instructions from your recipe.
The heating of the oil causes the batter to form a crust immediately when the cool batter makes contact.
Gourmet Mexican Cornbread
This is one of the BEST Cornbread recipes I've prepared. Adjust the heat to your tastes by increasing or decreasing the amount of Jalapeno Peppers you use.
Gourmet Mexican Cornbread
1 cup self rising cornmeal
1/3 cup melted shortening, or corn oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cream corn
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped
1 onion, grated or finely minced
Combine cornmeal, shortening and eggs. Mix well.
Stir in corn, onion and buttermilk, mix well.
Spoon one half the mixture in a greased 12 inch skillet, sprinkle cheese and chopped peppers over mixture and cover with other half of cormneal mixture.
Bake at 275 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.
Measuring Batter
To get equal amounts of batter in each pan for layer cakes, use a kitchen scale to weigh each filled pan.
Adjust as required until both pans weigh the same amount.
Storing Cookies: Crisp
Crisp cookies should be stored at room temperature in a container with a loose fitting lid such as a cookie jar.
Too airtight a fit will make the cookies become soggy.
Creating a tight seal
To help prevent juices from boiling out of a double-crust pie, seal the top and bottom crusts.
After trimming the top crust to about 1/2 inch beyond edge of the pie plate, lift the edge of the bottom crust away from the plate, and fold the excess top crust under it to form a seal. Flute as desired.
Butterbrickle Bars
These easy to prepare, rich and decadent bars will become a household favorite.
Butterbrickle Bars
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces butterscotch chips
1/2 cup white corn syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped walnuts
Combine first 4 ingredients; mix until crumbly. Press into a 9x13-inch pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350 F.
Meanwhile, combine butterscotch chips, corn syrup, vegetable shortening, water and salt in a double boiler over hot water, stirring until smooth. Blend in walnuts.
Spoon over baked layer; then bake 8 minutes more at 375 F. Cut while warm into squares.
Yield: 24 bars
Big Batch Baking
When making large batches of cookies, save time
by getting batches ready on large pieces of parchment paper.
When one batch comes out of the oven, simply slip paper off the baking sheet with the cooked cookies and replace it with a new batch of unbaked cookies on a prepared sheet.
Baking Soda Freshness
Baking soda can become inactive and negatively affect your baking.
To test your baking soda, combine 1/4 teaspoon with 2
teaspoons vinegar. If the mixture bubbles, your baking soda is active.
Creme de Menthe Brownies
These Creme de Menthe brownies are very rich; and very delicious.
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can Hershey's chocolate syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix and spread in 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons Creme de Menthe (plus more if needed)
few drops green food coloring
Mix and spread over slightly warm cake. Let set.
6 ounces chocolate chips
6 Tablespoons butter
Melt together. Spread on top. Cool and cut into tiny squares.
Fallen Loaves!
If your bread rises and then falls (also called a cratered loaf), try any of the following adjustments next time you make the recipe.
* Decrease water or milk by 2 Tablespoon
* Increase salt by 1/4 teaspoon
* Decrease yeast by 1/2 teaspoon
-Flour, too fine or
-Ingredients not measured properly.
Clean Cut Bars
For perfectly cut bars: Line your baking pan with
with a sheet of parchment paper first.
When the bars are baked, cool completely then lift up
edges of the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan.
Place on a cutting board and cut into desired sized bars.
Line a pie plate
An easy way to transfer the rolled-out pastry from the
board to the pie plate is to loosely wrap the pastry
around the rolling pin.
Carefully lift the rolling pin, then unroll the pastry in the center of the pie plate.
Butter for baking
Butter provides more flavor and a higher fat content for your baking than margarine, making it a better, but higher calorie choice.
When using butter, use the stick variety and make sure it's soft but not melted.
Ensuring the butter is at the right temperature allows it to be incorporated more easily into the flour resulting in more tender baked goods.
Storing Cookies: Soft
Soft cookies should be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container between layers of waxed paper.
If they begin to harden, place a slice of apple in with the cookies.
Freeze a cake?
To freeze a frosted cake, place it on a cookie sheet in the freezer.
Once it has frozen, wrap securely in plastic wrap and replace in the freezer.
By first freezing and then wrapping the cake, the
decorations and designs won't get ruined.
Apricot Coconut Bars
You can also use Raspberry or Strawberry jam for the filling in these bars.
If you don't have a 9X9 pan, increase the cooking time by about 5-7 minutes.
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter -- cold
1 egg
1 tbsp milk -- (1/2 oz)
1 cup apricot preserves
----- Topping -----
1 egg -- lightly beaten
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter -- melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups shredded coconut
In bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In small bowl, beat the egg and milk. Stir into flour mixture. Spread into greased 9" square pan and spread preserves
over crust.
Combine topping ingredients and carefully drop by tablespoon over apricot layer. Bake at 350F for 25-30
minutes until golden brown. Cool and cut into small bars.
Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping
This pie goes together in no time, but tastes like you've
been in the kitchen all day.
Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping
Filling:
2 Cups sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
2 eggs -- beaten
5 1/2 Cups coarsely chopped rhubarb
2 8" unbaked pie shells
Crumbs:
1 C. flour
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. shortening
1/2 Tsp. baking soda
1/2 Tsp. baking powder
To prepare filling combine sugar, flour and eggs.
Stir to form a thick paste. Fold in rhubarb pieces.
Spoon into 2 unbaked pie shells.
To prepare crumbs combine all ingredients and mix well.
Sprinkle evenly over rhubarb mixture.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce heat to
350 degrees and bake 40-50 minutes more.
Freezing yeast breads & rolls
To freeze yeast breads and rolls, bake as usual and cool.
Wrap in freezer wrap, seal and label.
To use: Thaw in package at room temperature or reheat yeast rolls in foil
in a 300 F oven for about 15 minutes for rolls or 40 minutes for the bread.
Cheese n' Onion Bread
When baking breads in a bread machine, make sure to remove them from the baking pan as soon as they are finished to maintain a crisp crust.
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk
1 cup cheddar cheese -- shredded
1/4 cup red onions -- minced
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1. Measure ingredients into baking pan.
2. Insert baking pan securely into baking unit, close lid.
3. Select appropriate bread setting:"fruit bread" or "sweet bread"
4. Push Start.
5. You know the rest...try to wait until cool before slicing.
Pumpkin Macadamia Cheesecake
My friend Merry Mary makes this cheesecake for Thanksgiving ~ it sounds DIVINE
Mary's Macadamia Pumpkin Cheesecake
CRUST
1/4 pound butter, softened
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
7/8 cup flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
FILLING
3 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream, NOT whipped
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons maple syrup, PURE, only
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
TOPPING
1 cup sour cream -- 1/2 pint
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup macadamia nuts
CRUST
Mix all ingredients in 10 inch spring ring
form pan. Place pan a notch above the middle of the oven and broil at 350
degrees. Stir often until mixture is slightly browned and
consistency of corn meal.
Remove from oven and pat mixture down with a rice
paddle (it fits comfortably inside a 10" pan) until even and firm
in bottom of the pan. Be careful not to burn the crust!
FILLING
In a large bowl, beat neufchatel cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and whipping cream.
Stir in pumpkin, maple syrup and spices. Pour into chilled crust.
Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour on the upper shelf. On
the lower shelf place a large pan with some hot water in it.
TOPPING
In a small bowl, combine sour cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, and
vanilla. Stir until blended. Spread over hot cheesecake. Sprinkle
chopped mac nuts over top. Bake 10 minutes in 350 degree oven. Crack
the door of the oven and let stand until cool. Refrigerate at least 4
hours.
Cake Stuck in Pans
When making layer cakes, you may find that when it comes time to remove them from the pan they are stuck.
Instead of forcing them, return them to the oven for 3-5 mintues, remove from the oven and turn out onto wire cooling racks immediately.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Sherril Steele-Carlin |
