Baking


Articles

How to Soften Butter Quickly

Have you ever headed to the kitchen to get started baking and realize the recipe calls for softened butter? But your butter is still in the fridge and you don’t want to wait 1-2 hours for it to sit out to reach room temperature. Is it really that important? Is there a way to quickly soften the butter?

The Journey to Pavlova

Want to know what goes into recipe testing? Sometimes, it's 17 tries to get something just right! Here's the journey to pavlova – plus key tips and tricks to making the perfect pavlova every time.

Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder: What’s The Difference?

Have you ever had a baking disaster like an overflowing quick bread, or a cratered cake? It’s happened to experienced and amateur bakers alike, and the most likely culprit: mixing up the baking soda and baking powder. It’s easy to do, they’re both types of chemical leaveners They also look similar and have similar names. But that’s where the similarity ends. So, what is the difference between them?

All About Meringue: French vs. Swiss vs. Italian Meringue

While all meringues are featherweight and ethereal, they’re not all created equally. Originating from different European traditions, we’re exploring the similarities and differences of all three types — French, Swiss, and Italian meringues. Plus, we have tips and tricks to making perfect meringues every time.

How to Make Better Biscuits

Here in the Test Kitchen, I’m known as the go-to girl for biscuits. It’s because biscuits have always been one of my favorite comfort foods. Warm from the oven simply slathered with butter, or covered with sausage gravy, there’s no wrong way to eat a biscuit. Growing up, my Mom made Bisquick biscuits, and I’ve eaten my share of canned biscuits too, but once I learned how easy biscuits are to make, there was no going back. So welcome to Biscuits 101.

Baking With Kids: Rainbow Sprinkle Cookie Edition

If you’re like me and trying to find new ways to keep the kids busy, I have the perfect baking project for you - Rainbow Sprinkle Cookies. Even if you don’t have kids and just need a little pick me up while being cooped up at home, baking with sprinkles has a way to bring a smile to anyone’s face.

The Secrets to the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Want to know the secrets to making the best chocolate chip cookies? We're spilling everything, from if you should use butter or shortening to which kind of chocolate chips to use. Plus, grab our recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies.

Step Up Your Baking Game by Weighing Your Ingredients

I hate to tell you, but you're probably adding too much flour to your recipe.


Tips

How to Freeze Bananas—For Smoothies & Baking

Don't toss those overripe bananas! Throw them in the freezer instead so you always have ripe bananas on hand for baking or smoothies. Use this simple tip for a less-mess, faster way to freeze and thaw bananas.

How to Make a Piping Bag Out of Parchment Paper

No piping bag? No problem! Use this simple how-to to create a piping/pastry bag out of a standard kitchen staple, parchment paper.

DIY Pie Crust Shield

Do your pie crust edges brown too fast? You can certainly buy a pie crust shield, but they can be hard to arrange on top of the pie and sometimes don't fit. You can make a DIY version that's sure to fit any pie! See this simple tip to make a DIY pie crust shield.

Mess-Free Pouring for Bundt Pans

Cleaning a Bundt pan can be a pain! Use this quick tip for pouring batters to avoid the center tube to keep it mess-free from the start.

How to Sift Powdered Sugar In a Food Processor

With this simple trick, and a bit of thinking ahead, you can save time, and mess, when baking.

An Easy Way to Chop Chocolate

Keep your chocolate from scattering about when chopping with this simple knife swap.

How to Keep Pancakes Warm

Keep your pancakes hot while you cook multiple batches with this unique tip that doesn't require the oven!

A Quicker Way to Make Biscotti

Baking this classic treat is usually a time consuming task, but not anymore with this simple trick!

How to Make Perfectly Round Pancakes

Make perfect pancakes every time with this no-mess, easy-to-do tip that uses one simple gadget.

How to Easily Measure Shortening

Stop fighting with your measuring cup and get baking with this simple and helpful trick that makes measuring shortening easier.

How to Keep Waffles Warm

Find yourself eating breakfast alone once everyone else has eaten? Use this simple trick so everyone can eat together!

How to Soften Brown Sugar Quickly

If you've ever found yourself in the midst of baking and realize your brown sugar is hard, use this tip to keep the baking alive.


How-To's

How To Assemble a Layer Cake with Frosting

Follow these simple steps for a cake that’s both impressive and stable.

How To Make Perfect Flaky Pie Crust

Making Perfect Flaky Pie Crust really is as easy as pie. Armed with just a few tips in this simple, step-by-step guide, you’ll be an expert in how to make flaky, tender, and crisp pie crust in no time — you'll wonder why you ever bothered with purchased pie dough in the first place.


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Recipes

German Chocolate Cake

If you’ve got an overactive sweet tooth or a nearly insatiable craving for the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of chocolate, grab a cold glass of milk. This German Chocolate Cake is sure to satisfy.

It isn’t an exaggeration to say most of our staffers are chocoholics, which means it’s also safe to say it’s never in short supply in the Test Kitchen — especially when you discover the two drawers we’ve devoted entirely to stashing it. If chocolate is your weakness, too, we have the recipe f…

Double-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Get your chocolate fix on with these simple drop cookies. With cocoa powder for a rich chocolate cookie dough and sweet white chocolate chunks, there’s plenty of chocolate flavor to go around. Not to mention macadamia nuts add a little crunch, too.

New York Crumb Cake

Tender cake with buttery crumb topping is all it takes to make breakfast a hit — except maybe the cup of joe to go with it.

Perfect Flaky Pie Crust

Follow this recipe for Perfect Flaky Pie Crust and these simple, easy-to-follow steps to yield the most flaky and tender pie crust you'll ever eat. This will be your new go-to crust for all your pie-baking needs. And be sure to check out our in-depth tutorial How to Make Perfect Flaky Pie Crust for a little more info before you start.

Lemony Popovers

Our Lemony Popovers make the perfect side dish to soups and stews. These flavorful popovers are savory and satisfying.

German Chocolate Macaroons

Some cookies impress you with their good looks. Sweet, dense, and chewy, coconut macaroons impress you with their taste. This one, loaded with flavors from German chocolate cake, is sure to become a year-round favorite. More than anything, this cookie was inspired by the signature coconut-pecan frosting the cake is famous for. Sweetened condensed milk helps bind the cookie together, sweeten it, and, once reduced, decorate the outer layer as well.

Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread

What is quick bread, anyway? Some familiar quick breads are biscuits, corn bread, muffins, and these loaf breads. What they all have in common is that they use baking soda or powder to rise instead of yeast.

Banana-Spice Muffins with Streusel Topping

Muffins aren’t new to the low-fat scene—every coffee shop has them. These muffins taste great and they're the healthier option when you're craving a sweet pastry. The best part is you can make them all yourself.

Granola mini-cakes with cottage icing

Granola is big in these little cakes, adding a variety of whole grains and nuts for a hearty texture.