Tips and Tricks for a Perfect Holiday Baking
Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you in perfect holiday baking:
1. Keep butter and eggs at room temperature to avoid any problem while baking. People often focus on bringing butter to their room temperature, but it is necessary for eggs also. Cold eggs can make it difficult for your mixture to emulsify properly. If you have a short time, you can use microwave butter on low for 5 seconds. For eggs, take a bowl filled with warm water and put eggs in this bowl for almost 15 minutes.
2.Make sure to use exact ingredients and measurements as written in your recipe. You can’t add extra baking powder to rise your cake more or don’t replace it with self-raising flour. Use accurate measuring spoons and avoid mixing metric and imperial measurements. Spoon your flour in one measuring cup (dry) and sweep off extra flour with a knife. There is no need to scoop directly from your bag using your measuring cup because powder turn compacted and you may get extra flour than your requirements as per your recipe.
3. If you want to avoid an over or underdone cake, you should get one oven thermometer. It will help you to check the calibrated performance of your oven. Bake your cake in the middle because bottom or top rack may cause over browning. Slowly close the door of your oven because hard slam may release air bubbles, and these can be trapped in your batter. If you want to check the doneness of your cake, slowly press the middle of your cake. If the central portion springs back, your cake is made. You can also use one wooden pick or tester. Just insert your wooden pick in the middle, and if it comes out clean, your cake is ready.
And here are few recipes to make your baking easy and prepare sweet treats at home:
Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup pistachio powder
1 egg white
¾ cup ground sugar
Directions:
Set an oven at 340F in advance to let it preheat. Mix all the ingredients and let it chill for almost two hours. Take a baking tray and line it with baking paper to set small balls of the mixture on it. Now bake it for 7 to 8 minutes to make it golden. Let them cool on a wire rack and secure in the airtight container for almost one week.
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup Sweetener
6 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon extract of vanilla flavor
2 percent milk (2 tablespoons)
1 1/4 cups flour (all-purpose)
1/4 teaspoon powder for baking
1/4 teaspoon salt
¾ fruit jam
Directions:
Take a small bowl to beat egg, butter, milk, sweetener, vanilla and milk. Now add flour, salt, baking powder, and soda. Make the dough and divide it to make small little balls. Spread these balls on an already greased baking sheet. Use your thumb to press the dough from the middle to make notches and bake for 12 minutes at 350 F. After baking, spread fruit jam on the notch and serve.
Ginger Crunch Bars
Ingredients:
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter
2 scoops protein powder in vanilla flavor
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup crushed coconut
1 cup oats
1/2 cup chopped ginger
1 cup Corn
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup seeds of sunflower
Directions:
Melt butter on a medium heat and whisk it well. Now add protein powder and milk to make a smooth mixture. Now mix seeds, corn flakes, oats, ginger pieces and almond in a bowl. Add melted butter on the ingredients. Line a baking sheet on the baking pan and transfer the mixture on it. Now sprinkle ginger and coconut pieces before baking it at 325 F for 20 minutes. Let it cool before cutting the bars.
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup pistachio powder
1 egg white
¾ cup ground sugar
Directions:
Set an oven at 340F in advance to let it preheat. Mix all the ingredients and let it chill for almost two hours. Take a baking tray and line it with baking paper to set small balls of the mixture on it. Now bake it for 7 to 8 minutes to make it golden. Let them cool on a wire rack and secure in the airtight container for almost one week.
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup Sweetener
6 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon extract of vanilla flavor
2 percent milk (2 tablespoons)
1 1/4 cups flour (all-purpose)
1/4 teaspoon powder for baking
1/4 teaspoon salt
¾ fruit jam
Directions:
Take a small bowl to beat egg, butter, milk, sweetener, vanilla and milk. Now add flour, salt, baking powder, and soda. Make the dough and divide it to make small little balls. Spread these balls on an already greased baking sheet. Use your thumb to press the dough from the middle to make notches and bake for 12 minutes at 350 F. After baking, spread fruit jam on the notch and serve.
Ginger Crunch Bars
Ingredients:
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter
2 scoops protein powder in vanilla flavor
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup crushed coconut
1 cup oats
1/2 cup chopped ginger
1 cup Corn
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup seeds of sunflower
Directions:
Melt butter on a medium heat and whisk it well. Now add protein powder and milk to make a smooth mixture. Now mix seeds, corn flakes, oats, ginger pieces and almond in a bowl. Add melted butter on the ingredients. Line a baking sheet on the baking pan and transfer the mixture on it. Now sprinkle ginger and coconut pieces before baking it at 325 F for 20 minutes. Let it cool before cutting the bars.