My Best Baking Secrets

Since it's been such a long time since my last post, I felt I had to bring you something super awesome to make up for lost time.

Fall and winter have always been big baking seasons for me and I'm already into it this year. After doing a lot of my own research and testing (ie, bringing goodies to work for opinions), I have a few tips that have improved my baked goods dramatically. Instead of you having to scramble to Google for these kernels of wisdom, I've done all the work on this one. Take what you like and leave the rest, as they say!

1. Substituting olive oil wherever a recipe calls for butter, veggie oil, etc. It's been working like a charm and it's much healthier for you. My old secret was apple sauce which, while it made recipes lower in fat, seemed to make everything a little too light and fluffy. Olive oil is dense and tends to give my cake and breads a lot more weight which increases the enjoyment factor. I've been using extra virgin grade but not necessarily expensive brands.

2. Using confectioners sugar to keep baked goods from "sticking." This one is a God send! I spray my pan with Pam® (the olive oil version; keeping up with my new trend), spread it evenly with a paper towel, and use the sugar as I would if I were using flour. When it's time to cut the cake -- viola! -- no more fighting. It comes out of the pan effortlessly.

3. The best way to make crumbs. Sounds simple but I never gave it a thought until I had to make a cheesecake crust. Put your cookies or graham crackers in a Ziploc® baggie, squeeze the air out really well, seal the bag, and use a rolling pin to crush it all up. Of course, you have to be completely sure the bag is sealed or else you have a giant mess on your hands.

I hope these tips add joy and some homemade goodness to your holidays!