Ingredients
- I always bring all ingredients to room temperature.
- I always use unsalted butter; I like to use Land O’Lakes.
- I like Trader Joe’s semisweet chocolate chips (with Ghirardelli in second place).
- I like King Arthur flour, especially their unbleached all-purpose flour.
- I always use large grade A eggs unless the recipe calls for a different size.

Measuring
- Use an ice cream scoop to place cookie dough on baking sheets, muffin mix into pans, cupcake batter into liners - it’s so easy.
- I like to measure spices, baking soda, baking powder, etc. over a small sheet of wax paper. After I level the measurement, it’s super easy to get the excess ingredient back in its container - just fold the wax paper and pour it back in.
- When measuring solid ingredients, always level off the top. I like to use the end of a measuring cup or measuring spoon.
- When combining dry ingredients such as flour, baking soda, baking powder, etc. that will be added into a mixer in several additions, I like to use a large glass Pyrex measuring cup like this one.

Mixing
- When creaming butter and sugar, cream for longer then you think - you’ll be amazed! OK so I’ve done a 180 on this. I recently read that when making cookies, mixing for too long and too fast may cause cookies to spread too much so I’ve started lowering the speed and mixing just until ingredients are incorporated and must say that I’m quite pleased with the results.

Baking
- I usually let whatever I’m baking bake for 15 minutes without disturbing and then rotate the pan from front to back and if there is more than one pan in the oven at a time I switch the position of the pans and cook for the remaining time.
- I prefer to grease pans with butter than cooking spray (sometimes the extra cooking spray pools up and then burns while baking).

Saving Time
- Cookie dough freezes really well.
- Make whipped cream a few hours in advance; re-whip just before serving.
- I like to use silicon baking mats instead of greasing baking sheets or using parchment paper (better for the environment). I’ve heard some people gripe about cleaning and drying these baking mats. I always clean the mats with warm soapy water and then set them on top of a wire rack to dry.
- If you don’t have time to bring butter to room temperature, microwave each stick for about 7 seconds.
- If you don’t have time to bring eggs to room temperature, put them in a bowl of lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Line your measuring cup with plastic wrap before measuring out sticky ingredients like peanut butter.

Essential Equipment
- I love my kitchen scale and use it all the time - the “add & weigh” feature is fantastic.
- I love my mixer and also use it all the time - mine is black.
- A food processor comes in handy for baking from time to time as well. This is the one that I use (in white) and I have been very happy with it.
- I don’t like non-stick baking pans. I prefer to grease the pans with butter or cooking spray.
- I also don’t like air-insulated baking pans. I prefer the good old fashioned pans that our mothers used.

Frosting
- I just came across a couple of really great tips for frosting a cake:
– In order to keep your cake plate clean, put 4 long narrow strips of wax paper (about 3 inches by 8 inches each) on your cake plate under the cake before you begin frosting - they should cover the cake plate. When you are finished frosting the cake, carefully remove the wax paper strips.
– Dip your spatula in warm water before you begin frosting and periodically while you are frosting the cake. It helps smooth out the frosting quite nicely.
- We’ve tried out pastry guns for frosting cupcakes and have a big preference for pastry bags. Tip # 4B is a good standby for regular sized cupcakes and # 31 works well for mini cupcakes.

Pies
- I’m starting to learn about pies and they are still new to me. My baking hero Karen Barker offers the following tips about making pie dough:
– Cut your fat into pieces and freeze it briefly (I usually freeze it for 20 minutes) before mixing with other ingredients;
– Use a food processor to cut the fat in to the dry ingredients using short quick pulses
– Transfer fat/dry ingredient mixture into a chilled stainless bowl and stir in cold water by hand using a squeeze bottle (I put ice cubes in the squeeze bottle to keep the water cold and put the squeeze bottle in the freezer for about 5 minutes to get it all very cold)
– The dough should be the consistency of play dough - not too crumbly and not too sticky
– Form the dough into a disc shape and wrap it in plastic - then chill for several hours or overnight; remove it 5-10 minutes before rolling out
– Don’t work the dough too much - pound it with a rolling pin to flatten it; lift and flour under the dough frequently, turning it a quarter turn (I use the bottom of a metal removeable-bottom tart pan to lift the dough); finish out by rolling from the center to the edges
– Save dough scraps to patch any cracks that develop during blind baking
- To blind bake pie dough:
– After rolling out dough and fitting it in the pan, freeze dough until it is firm (about 5-10 minutes)
– Place a large sheet of parchment paper over the dough (make sure there is overhang), fill the parchment paper with pie weights and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the edges just start to get color and bottom no longer looks raw
– Remove the liner and weights and bake for an additional 8 minutes, pricking with a fork if air bubbles form; bake until the bottom is set and dry to the touch
– Seal the dough with egg white as soon as it comes out of the oven (I recommend whisking the egg white slightly so that all of the egg white doesn’t end up on the dough) and repair any cracks or tears with reserved dough scraps; add filling immediately and finish baking according to the recipe