#baking tips

I love citrus, and these lemon crinkle cookies might be one of my new favorite recipes! They have the perfect blend of sweet and tart, and absolutely melt in your mouth. They’ll be a hit no matter the occasion! Recipe below 🤍

if you're making a recipe that's american/west european/anything that someone from the usa or west europe would think of as "normal," double the spices other than vanilla and salt. it doesn't matter what the recipe is for. cooking baking sweet savory whatever. double them.

get out all the ingredients before you start

keep the ingredients you haven't used yet in one spot, and move them to a different spot or put them away once they've been used

if you're making a lot of things at once or in sequence (eg making a bunch of different kinds of cookies) pay attention to the required oven temp. my preference is to order them from highest temp to lowest; that way the oven heats alllllll the way up while i'm mixing the first batch, and after that i only have to turn the heat down, so there's almost no wait time.

cleaning up as you go really does save time

if you're using stick butter and the recipe says "softened" and you have a microwave, then put the stick of butter in the microwave open-side-down for five seconds, flip it open-side-up, and heat for five more seconds.

if you're making something american/west european other than vanilla and salt double the spices

if you're making something liquid or semi-liquid that can burn easily and needs to be kept at a steady temperature, use a skillet, not a pot. it will heat MUCH more evenly (not such a big difference between top and bottom) and it's a lot easier to see more of it at once.

salt is what lets you taste other things. lifechanging when i found that out. this is why even recipes for things that don't taste salty at all still generally call for salt. salt makes other flavors taste more. something's bland? not enough salt. you're making up a recipe? include a pinch of salt.

speaking of salt: often, if you want something to taste more buttery, you don't need more butter; what you need is more salt.

a "rolling boil" is when there's no time lag between one bubble and the next (i'm not making this up. i just learned this. look it up.)

1) go to the store

2) buy any box mix (I used white because I already had it at home)

3) make the mix like normal BUT

3.5) before putting in your eggs, separate them

4) put the whites in the mixer until soft peaks form

5) fold 'em in with the rest of the mix (it might be weird and lumpyish but that's ok)

6) bake it (it will not take the same time as the box says, so chuck it) until lightly golden brown on the top

7) Take any frosting you want (i used fudge frosting because, again, I already had it, and it goes well with white)

8) Get some softened SALTED butter (if it isn't soft, you can put it in the microwave for 5 sec intervals until soft)

9) Throw both the butter and the frosting in the mixer until smooth (don't overmix but don't under mix. You don't want it to fall off the mixer whisk. Instead, you want more like soft peaks)

10) Take yer cakes out and let them cool completely

11) slap that buttercream frosting onto your fluffy cakes and BOOM

That being said, this is a recipe for a rather experienced baker, so don't be discouraged if it takes a few tries to get the hang of it. Feel free to leave me any comments or questions you may have.

As for the crust, any shortcrust recipe will work just fine. Pie crust or tart crust are acceptable alternatives as well.

Licht's Favorite Darioles

Ingredients:

1/4 cup blanched almonds

175 ml cold water

150 ml heavy cream

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp rosewater

1 cup minced strawberries

1 recipe of shortcrust pastry

Method:

Press pastry into mini tart tins. Prick the dough and divide the strawberries among the tins (these will act as pie weights during the blind bake)

Bake the crusts in a hot oven at 425°F/220°C for about 10 minutes until just starting to brown.

Pound the almonds until finely ground. Stir in the water and let sit for 10 minutes. Strain through a cheesecloth.

Measure out 150 ml of the mixture and mix with the heavy cream.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a saucepan until homogeneous. (Take care not to whisk so much it turns frothy.)

Set over low heat and slowly stir in the cream mixture. Continue cooking while stirring constantly until thickened.

The custard is ready when it reaches nappe, meaning the consistency where it can coat the back of a spoon evenly, like so:

At this stage, stir in the rosewater and remove from the heat. Pour into the cooled tart shells and shake a bit so the custard can properly coat the strawberries.

Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F/175°C for about 20 minutes until set. The center should still be a bit wobbly.

Cool completely and chill before serving.

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