Whether you're inviting people over, whipping up an after-school treat for your children, or just craving something sweet, knowing how to bake can make all the difference. But there's a lot that can go wrong when you're baking goods. It's very easy to add too much egg to the cookie recipe and add too much filling underneath the pie dough, and let's not get started on putting too much flour in the cake mix! But who says baking needs to be so difficult? These quick and easy baking hacks will make baking a breeze - and they won't cost you a fortune, either.
Use a Syringe to Precisely Decorate Cookies
Baking the cookie mix is one thing, but then you have to go ahead and decorate the cookies - and that can be hard. Of course, some people go for the go-with-the-flow method and don't really care what the end result looks like, but if you're someone who likes a precisely decorated cookie, you might want to head to your medicine cabinet. Then, you'll want to take out a clean syringe.
If you fill the syringe with icing or frosting, you can then use it like a piping bag and perfectly decorate your cookies with ease. Trust us, it really does work!
Speed up Banana Ripening in the Oven
Everyone knows that banana bread always tastes better with extra-ripe bananas, right? This well-known fact has led many people to use their old bananas to make banana bread rather than waste them. But if you have a craving for banana bread and your bananas aren't quite ripe enough, you can speed up the process by popping them in the oven. In fact, just a few minutes in the oven should do the trick.
You don't want to leave them in there too long, though. You need them to be ripe enough to mix into your banana bread cake mix, but not ripe enough that they've gone bad!
Grate Cold Butter to Bake Flakier Biscuits
If you've ever tried to make your own biscuits, you'll know that they're pretty easy to bake. But if your homemade biscuits always seem to be lacking something, it might be a good idea to re-assess the recipe - especially if it calls for room-temperature butter. Although there's nothing wrong with room-temperature butter, cold butter will work wonders and make for a much flakier biscuit mixture. And you'll really notice the difference.
This baking hack is super easy to do, too. All you have to do is pop your butter in the fridge (or even in the freezer for a few minutes) and then grate using a cheese grater.
Fix a Dry Cake With Simple Syrup
Is there anything worse than a dry cake? No, we thought not. But no matter whether you use a store-bought cake mix or you make one from scratch, the possibility of having a dry cake is still there. And while there's not much you can do to stop it going dry in the first place, you'll be happy to know that there is a baking hack to help you fix a dry cake.
No, you don't have to throw your dry cake in the trash. All you have to do is make or buy some simple syrup and brush it over your cake. This will rehydrate it in no time.
Use Foil to Make a Cookie Sheet Smaller
Cookie sheets aren't just for baking cookie dough, you know. These sheets are all-rounders that can help you bake everything from gingerbread men to pies. And while things can get pretty messy if you use a cookie sheet that's not quite the right size for what you're baking, you don't have to buckle up and deal with it. After all, there's a baking hack for that - and all you need is a small piece of tin foil!
By folding up a piece of tin foil and creating a makeshift divider, you can make the cookie sheet smaller without compromising on its integrity. So, they'll be no more leaky pies for you.
Add Mayonnaise to Bake a Moist Cake
Nobody likes a dry cake, but would you ever consider putting mayo in your cake? Although it sounds like a one-way ticket to the town of stomach trouble, this hack is one that so many people swear by. In fact, it's been noted that adding mayo to your cake mix will make for a super moist cake like nothing you've ever tasted before. But how much do you need? Well, the jury is out.
While some people swear by one tablespoon of this condiment, there are others who claim that you need more. So, it's best to play around with your own recipe and find what works for you.
Prepare Frozen Cookie Dough in an Ice Cube Tray
Do you ever have a craving for cookies but don't have the energy to whip up some cookie dough? Well, there's a hack for that. It's incredibly easy to prepare frozen cookie dough ahead of time, meaning all you have to do is get it out of the freezer and pop the cookies in the oven. To make your life even easier, you could also pre-portion the cookies and put each one into a cube of your ice cube tray.
This hack actually has two benefits. On the one hand, it's incredibly convenient and time-saving. On the other hand, frozen cookie dough always tastes better than cookie dough that hasn't been frozen.
Catch Splatter With a Paper Plate
Let's be honest; baking goods can be a messy business. This is especially true if you use an electric mixer. As soon as you add flour to that bad boy, you're going to be covered in flour and your kitchen will be covered in cake mix. And while this can lead to a long and painful clean-up process, you might be interested to know that there's a very cheap and easy way to fix this problem.
All you need to do is cut a hole in the middle of a paper plate and use it to catch all of the splatters before they make their way out of the bowl. Trust us; it works.
Repurpose Over-Baked Cookies as Pie Crust
Although we'd love to say that we've never had a baking disaster, that's just not true. Even the best bakers in the business can sometimes take their eye off the ball, and those few minutes can be the difference between perfectly-cooked cookies and over-baked cookies. But if you over-bake a batch, don't just throw them in the trash! You can repurpose them and use them to make a pie, instead.
Over-baked cookies make the best pie crust, and all you have to do is crush them up and pop them in a pie dish. You can then top it with whatever pie filling you'd like.
Use Dental Floss to Cut Dough
You probably don't need us to tell you that cookie dough is one of the most delicious things in the world. In fact, we could quite happily eat raw cookie dough all day - but there's no denying that cooked cookie dough is even better than that. But anyone who has ever tried to cut a perfectly cylindrical roll of cookie dough will know that it's basically impossible to cut it without squishing it in the process.
If you don't want to mess with the shape, you could use dental floss instead! This baking hack only works if you use unflavored floss, though. Unless you want to give your cookies a minty taste.
Bake a Cake With Melted Ice Cream and Flour
Hands up if you've ever left ice cream on the counter for too long? You're not alone. Although you can try and re-freeze the melted mess, re-frozen ice cream just doesn't taste the same. So, why not bake a cake with it instead? Although it sounds rogue, using melted ice cream and flour is one of the best ways to make a cake. It's already flavored, too, so you shouldn't need to add anything else.
Then, all you need to do is bake it in the oven and wait for it to cook. The end result will be moist and delicious, and a great way to make use of melted ice cream.
Use a Corkscrew to Decorate Pie Crust
What's the difference between a homemade pie and a store-bought pie? Well, the store-bought pie always has beautiful decoration on the dough, and this results in an Instagram-worthy pie that looks (almost) too good to eat. But what if we told you that you could do the same at home? In fact, all you need to do to bring this baking hack to life is a corkscrew - and we're sure you have one somewhere.
To jazz up your pie crust, all you need to do is press the bottom of the corkscrew into the pie crust. This should immediately give it the Instagram-worthy look you were going for.
Add Vanilla Pudding to Cookie Dough Mix
Put your hands in the air if you love vanilla pudding? And keep your hands in the air if you love cookie dough? Well, we're going to assume that everyone is still waving their hands in the air like they just don't care, because both of these sweet treats are absolutely delicious. But what you might not realize is that you can actually mix these two things together to create the ultimate sweet treat.
By adding a vanilla pudding mix to your batch of cookie dough, you can give your cookies an edge like never before. They'll be yummy, moist, and super chewy - just how we like them.
Perfectly Mix Your Colored Frosting
No cake would be complete without frosting, right? And while there's nothing wrong with standard white frosting, this color can sometimes hold you back if you're looking to decorate a cake in a very specific way. Of course, you can buy food coloring from the store - but why buy 20 different colors when you could just buy a select few and mix up your old colored frosting from scratch?
Using a color chart specifically made for frosting, you'll learn which colors to mix to get the perfect color for your cake. And the best bit? You'll also feel like a wizard while you're baking goods.
Replace Buttermilk With Milk and Vinegar
Although buttermilk is becoming more and more popular, most people still don't have it ready to go in their kitchen. And if you don't want to buy any, we have the perfect solution for you. If your baking recipe ever calls for buttermilk, just use a mixture of milk and vinegar instead! It's the perfect replacement, and you won't even be able to tell the difference between the two of them.
Plus, a major bonus is that you probably already have both of these ingredients in your cupboard. So, you don't have to stop your baking process and head to the grocery store.
Use Room Temperature Eggs for Fluffier Bakes
You probably don't need us to tell you that most baked goods need eggs. But what you might not realize is that you're actually doing your baked goods a disservice by using the wrong type of eggs. No, we're not talking about lizard eggs (although that would be an intriguing baking experiment); we're talking about using refrigerated eggs instead of using room-temperature eggs. After all, room temperature eggs are far superior.
Although there's nothing technically wrong with using cold eggs from the refrigerator, room-temperature eggs have more trapped air inside of them, which leads to a much fluffier cake mix. And who doesn't love an extra fluffy cake?
Top Cookie Dough With Flaky Sea Salt
We used to think that cookie dough couldn't get any more delicious. After all, it's perfect on its own, right? But if you want to take your cookie dough up a notch and take advantage of both sweet and savory notes, this is your sign to top your cookie dough with flaky sea salt before cooking. This is especially important if you're cooking chocolate chip cookies, and you'll soon understand why.
The salt actually makes the chocolate taste even richer, while the savory aspect of the salt then matches it perfectly. In fact, we guarantee that once you start salting you'll never go back.
Use Ziploc Bags as Piping Bags
If you're trying to up your cake game with intricate decoration, you may have thought about buying piping bags. And while there's nothing wrong with buying these straight from the store, these baking accessories can set you back at least $10 - and that might be $10 you don't want to spend. So, why do it? You probably already have a perfectly good alternative sitting in your kitchen cupboard, and this is completely free.
Yes, a Ziploc bag is just as efficient as a piping bag. All you need to do is fill it up with the piping ingredient of your choice, snip off the corner, and decorate!
Cook Brownies Twice, for Half the Time
There are two kinds of people in this world: people who love gooey and chewy brownies and complete monsters. And while you may try to make your brownies as gooey as possible, it's often hard to gauge when to take them out of the oven. That's why you should always bake your cookies twice but for half the time. So, in essence, you split the cooking time across two different bakes.
By letting them rest in between baking, you can make sure that your brownies remain moist and chewy. And you can bet your bottom dollar that there won't be a single dry brownie in the house.
Use Unsalted Butter for Cakes
Have you ever read a recipe that called for either unsalted butter or salted butter? There's a high chance that you paid no attention to this and simply used the butter that you already had in the kitchen. But if you're making cakes, it's important to take these directions seriously. In most cases, you should always use unsalted butter when making a cake mix, as salted butter can affect the overall taste.
To be more specific, the saltiness in the salted butter can actually change the taste of your fillings and other ingredients. So, it's best not to risk it at all.
Use a Wine Bottle as a Rolling Pin
Whether you want to roll out some pie dough or flatten your fondant icing, a rolling pin can definitely come in handy. But if you're trying to save a few bucks and don't want to buy anything new, you might be interested to know that you probably already have the perfect alternative in your kitchen. Yes, you can use a wine bottle as a rolling pin instead! It's basically the same shape, after all.
This baking hack works best when your wine bottle is empty, so why don't you plan yourself a little date night before starting your baking adventures? That'll be a bonus.
Freeze Cookie Dough Before Baking It
There's always someone in your family who claims to bake the best cookies, but if you're looking to knock them off their delicious throne, you might want to start freezing your cookie dough before baking it. This little-known hack can help you bake the perfect cookies you've ever seen - and that's all thanks to the cold temperatures in the freezer. Without the cold temperatures, the butter can melt and warp before going into the oven.
This can ultimately affect the shape and the bake of the cookie, which is why freezing the cookie dough for around an hour before baking can be the lifesaver you never knew you needed.
Caramelize Your Apple Pie Filling Beforehand
There's nothing quite like a warm apple pie and ice cream on a cold winter's day, and it's hard to go wrong when making an apple pie. All you need to do is fill the pastry dough with apples and bake it in the oven! But there is a way that you can make your apple pie taste even nicer, and that's by caramelizing the apple filling before filling up the dough.
To do this, simply place the apples in a pan and cover with sugar and some water. This will make the apples extra sticky and delicious, and add more depth to the dish as a whole.
Stop Measuring Cups From Sticking With Cooking Oil
If you're a regular baker, there's a high chance that you have a trusty set of measuring cups that help you through every recipe. But as they're used for everything from sugar to milk and flour, it's not uncommon for these measuring cups to become dirty and filled with leftover ingredients. This can not only take a lot of washing, but it can also affect your recipes. Because of this, you should aim to stop them sticking.
You can do this by simply wiping the insides of your measuring cups with oil. This will stop anything from sticking to the sides, and you'll spend less time doing the dishes, too!
Prevent Sticking Using Parchment Paper
When you've put the time and effort into baking brownies, the last thing you want is for those brownies to get stuck on the sheet pan. It can ruin the brownies, and it can leave you with weird burnt bits on the bottom of them. But, thankfully, there's a very easy way to stop that from happening. All you have to do is grab some parchment paper and line the tray with it before you bake your brownies.
The brownies won't stick to the waxy parchment paper, which means that you should be able to pull them off and eat them in no time at all. And we all know there's no time to waste when brownies are involved.
Use an Eggshell as a Scooper
When your cake mix calls for an egg, cracking it into the bowl seems easy enough. But even if you're incredibly careful, there's still a chance that small fragments of egg will make their way into the mixture and into your teeth when you bite into your cake. And while it may seem counterintuitive, the best way to combat this is to use half an eggshell as an eggshell scooper.
Instead of trying and failing to scoop it out with a spoon or your fingers, you should be able to have more success with using the shell that the egg actually came in.
Use Dried Beans to Bake Pastry
Pastry can be fiddly, which is why so many people choose to buy store-bought pastry rather than make it themselves. But if you're a purist who wants to make their own from scratch, might we suggest using pie weights? These pie weights are essential when you're blind baking your pastry as they will give you an even bake. You don't have to spend a fortune on legitimate pie weights, though.
Instead, you can fashion your own using some dried beans you might already have in your pantry! They work just as well, and they won't cost you any money in the process.
Soak Eggs in Water Before Using Them
Did you know that eggs mix better with other ingredients when they're at room temperature compared to when they're refrigerated? Because of this, it's always a good idea to use room-temperature eggs when you can. But if you forget, you don't have to put your baking task on the back burner. You can speed up the process by soaking your eggs in a bowl of warm water for five to ten minutes.
This will gradually warm the eggs up to where they need to be, but you need to be careful you don't keep them in there too long. You don't want to start cooking them, after all.
Make Kitchen Sink Cookies
People with a sweet tooth will know that cravings can hit you at any moment. And if you're not prepared for those moments, it can be pretty depressing. So, next time you get a hankering for cookies but aren't sure what to put in there, why don't you experiment with some kitchen sink cookies? These cookies are a complete free-for-all, and it's down to you what you put in them.
You can raid your cupboards and pull out everything from candy to pretzels and just see how they turn out. You can never go wrong with cookies, so go wild!
Use an Ice Cream Scoop to Portion Cookie Dough
Many families have argued over cookies. When one person gets a bigger cookie than the other, it results in a full-on war! But if you want to restore peace and harmony to your home, you'll be happy to know that there's a very easy way to ensure every cookie is the same size as the next - and all you need is a utensil you probably already have in your cutlery drawer.
By using an ice cream scoop, you can perfectly portion your cookie dough and place it on a baking sheet. It also means you don't get sticky hands in the process.
Add Vinegar to Frosting to Keep It Soft
No cake would be complete without frosting, but anyone who has ever frosted a cake before will know just how strange this ingredient can be. Although it tastes delicious, the texture can often be quite strange - and it can very quickly become hard and crusty. If you want to keep your frosting as soft as can be, all you need to do is add half a teaspoon of vinegar.
You don't want to add too much as this will ultimately affect the taste, but adding a tiny dash of this stuff will stop it from going hard and keep it nice and smooth.
Spread Cake Batter up to the Sides
When spreading your cake mix in the cake pan, there's a high chance that you just spread it out evenly. But this always results in a cake that fluffs up in the middle, right? To combat this, what you need to do is NOT spread your cake mix out evenly. Instead, you should spread the cake batter higher on the sides, so when it bakes in the oven it evens out.
It may seem strange to do this, but it totally works! By the time the cake is baked, it'll be perfectly flat and much easier to decorate however you wish.
Use Farm Fresh Eggs for Fresher Bakes
Baked goods always taste good, but there's no doubt about the fact that some baked goods taste better than others - and that's all down to the ingredients. If you want to ensure that your cookies and cake mixes taste as fresh and as fluffy as can be, experts would always suggest using farm-fresh eggs rather than eggs from the grocery store. After all, you have no idea how long they've been sitting there.
The fresher the eggs, the fresher your bakes will be, and you'll definitely be able to taste the difference. They might cost you a bit more in the long run, but they'll be worth it.
Under-Bake Your Cookies Slightly
Who wants hard, crispy cookies? Not us! Gooey and chewy cookies are the best, but many people struggle to find the balance between chewy and crispy. A good way to ensure you're getting the best cookies possible is to under-bake them slightly. Of course, you don't want to be eating raw egg, but under-cooking them by a minute or two can make a really big difference when cookies are involved.
In fact, a great way to do this is to bake your cookies at full temperature for half the time, and then lower the temperature slightly for the second half.
Coat a Cake Pan With Crushed Graham Crackers
If you're a wannabe baker, there's a high chance that you spend your days baking the same kind of things. In fact, you probably have cakes, pies, brownies, and cookies on rotation. But sometimes, it's good to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new, and we love this next baking hack - especially as it involves crushed graham crackers. Yes, this is a cake with a graham cracker crust.
By filling your cake pan with crushed graham crackers, you can add a crunch to your cake and add a layer of texture that your friends and family weren't expecting. And they'll definitely ask for the recipe.
Add an Over-Ripe Banana to Chocolate Cake
The general assumption when you have overripe bananas is that you should make banana bread, but what happens if you don't really like banana bread? Instead of throwing your bananas away, there is another way to use them - and it involves cake mix, some chocolate, and your bananas. In fact, overripe bananas work perfectly in chocolate cake and add a layer of moisture and depth that you wouldn't get without them.
The beauty of this is that the banana is an addition rather than a necessity. So, if you're not a fan of the banana taste but still want to make use of your old bananas, you can just use one.
Ditch Yeast and Let Dough Rise Naturally
If you've made bread before, there's a high chance that you've bought yeast to speed up the rising process. But back in the day, yeast wasn't used for such a thing - so why don't you take a leaf out of their books? Although yeast can certainly help with bread making, it's not as essential as you'd think, and you can let the dough rise without using this often-expensive grocery store product.
To help your yeast-less dough rise, all you have to do is place the dough in a bowl and cover it with a moist towel. Then, leave it in a warm place for a couple of hours.
Prepare All of the Ingredients Before Mixing
There's nothing more irritating than mixing most of your cake mix together before realizing that you don't have one very important ingredient. At that moment, you have to decide to either abandon your baking dreams altogether or put a pin in your task and head to the grocery store. But this could all be avoided if you just prepared all of your ingredients before mixing anything at all. Just get them all ready on the countertop.
By doing this, you can be 100% sure that you have everything you need to pull off your bake successfully. Plus, if you measure everything beforehand, it'll be way more efficient.
Weigh Your Flour Instead of Measuring It
In the U.S., it's common practice to use measuring cups to measure the ingredients for a cake mix or pie dough. But what you might not realize is that this isn't as common across the pond. In the UK, for example, keen bakers weigh their ingredients on weighing scales to ensure they're using the right amount. This is something you could also do if you want to make sure you're 100% accurate.
By weighing rather than measuring your flour, you'll be able to follow the recipe to the ounce, and this may result in even better bakes. After all, there's always room for improvement.
Add Coconut to the Top of Your Banana Bread
Everyone loves banana bread, right? And what we love so much about this baked good is the fact that banana bread is so simple. The few ingredients in this sweet treat really stand their ground, and there's very little you can add to it to make it even better. But have you ever tried sprinkling the top with coconut flakes? If you haven't, you might want to give it a go.
By adding some coconut flakes to the top, you can add that all-important crunch that banana bread is often missing. Plus, who wouldn't want the added taste of coconut on their banana bread?