Everybody has a different description of the best chocolate chip cookie that is their absolute favourite. That's normal. My best chocolate chip cookie won't necessarily be your favourite, and vice versa. Describing any food as "best" is highly subjective and up for interpretation. It can depend on your age, your history and what you grew up eating, where you live, your friends....

Your favourite chocolate chip cookie will evolve with time. Some days, all you may want is raw cookie dough straight from the mixer bowl, or a super gooey, under-baked cookie that is soft and melty. Other days, you might crave a thin, crispy, dry, even sandy textured chocolate chip cookie. Lately, I've fallen in love with chewy chocolate chip cookies. But actually, when they are freshly baked, they have a crispy edge and raw middle. When you store them they mature, and they develop a chewier texture that I find highly addictive.

I'm not here to tell you that this is the best chocolate chip cookie, but I would like to discuss how to take your favourite recipe and adapt it to suit your needs, or your dietary restrictions, or a national shortage of all-purpose flour. How do you swap one flour for another? What do you do if you are stuck with a gluten-free flour to work with that isn't a pre-mixed blend to replace all-purpose, cup-for-cup. What if you want a cookie that spreads thinner as it bakes, or a cookie that is more gooey?

Tools and Equipment

These are tools, equipment, and bakeware that I use when I make chocolate chip cookies. If you plan to make cookies often or bake more regularly, these are some of the essential baking tools you might want to consider investing in. These items make baking sessions easier and more successful!

• Kitchen scale: I cannot stress enough how much easier it is to measure out ingredients by weight. If you are interested in making the switch to a digital scale, I like this OXO Good Grips kitchen scale available on Amazon. I use it all the time and it takes standard AAA batteries which you probably have on hand most of the time. Make sure to do your mise-en-place, the French baking term for measuring out all your ingredients before proceeding to make the recipe.
• Electric hand mixer: most of us used to make cookies with a good old wooden spoon, but now I don't have the stamina, the arm strength, or the motivation, honestly. I have used an electric hand mixer from Braun (Multimix HM5100 available on Amazon) to make these cookies and it works well. I've also used the KitchenAid Artisan mixer. Both work!
• Large bowl with a rubber or silicone grip on the bottom: if you are going to make cookie dough with a hand mixer, invest in a GIANT 8 quart stainless bowl with a rubberized bottom so it is stable on the counter and this way, the bowl won't dance around as the mixer runs. This set from Amazon will do the trick. Or buy a stainless bowl without a rubberized grip and nest it in a damp towel to stabilize it while mixing. 
• Cookie scoop: this style of cookie scoop comes in a variety of sizes. Some call it a "disher" and it's the most reliable scoop I've found (available on Amazon). They can handle firm doughs without breaking because the release mechanism is separate from the handle! This gives you a better, firm grip on the handle, without the risk of breaking the leaver.
• Baking sheets: invest in large baking sheets, also known as half sheet pans, with the following dimensions: 13"x18". The larger the better, but make sure they fit in your oven before investing in bigger sheet pans. I like the Nordic Ware sheets (available on Amazon) and they come in a variety of sizes (quarter sheet, half sheet, big sheet). You can also find cheaper pans. Just make sure you opt for light Aluminum pans, not the pans with a darker finish because cookies on darker pans will brown/burn more quickly on the bottom!
• Parchment paper to prevent sticking: I prefer to bake cookies on Aluminum pans lined with parchment paper. I have baked with Silpat and silicone baking mats in the past, but I much prefer baking with parchment. Silicone is insulating and this will have an impact on how long it takes to properly bake the cookies and this will reduce browning as well. If you like gooey, underbaked cookies, silicone mats like the Silpat are your best bet (available on Amazon). If you prefer chewy cookies, opt for parchment paper—I use the Kirkland brand roll available on Amazon.

Basic Ingredients

Most will use the Nestlé Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie as the reference for the quintessential chocolate chip cookie, and they use the recipe on the back of that yellow bag we have all seen at the grocery store. Others now refer to Jacques Torres' chocolate chip cookie recipe published in the New York Times years ago. But all chocolate chip cookies combine the same basic ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, chemical leaveners, salt and, of course, chocolate. With these base ingredients, there are a seemingly infinite number of ratios to explore, but also ingredient variations.

Butter

Most recipes call for unsalted butter, but some may recommend salted butter, in which case the recipe may omit any other salt from the ingredients. The butter can be softened (room temperature), melted and cooled, but some may even ask you to brown the butter to bring out those toasted nut flavours by browning the milk solids in the butter. This will add a ton of flavour, but at the expense of water, which evaporates as you heat the butter.

Softened butter allows you to cream the butter with the sugar(s) in the recipe, allowing you to incorporate air at this stage, which is a method to lighten the cookie dough so that it's not so dense. The creaming method is important to achieve the right texture. 

Melted butter can't trap air the way softened butter can. So making chocolate chip cookies with melted butter will result in a denser cookie. The same goes for brown butter. If you like a denser cookie, opt to work with melted butter or brown butter. 

Regardless of the butter you use, remember that more butter will lead to more spread, and less butter will lead to thicker chocolate chip cookies.

Sugar

Classic chocolate chip cookies call for a combination of white and brown sugar (light or dark). The sugar is essential for preserving the cookies after they are baked, for locking in moisture so that they don't dry out as fast, and also the sugar is key if you are using the creaming method to incorporate some air.

Granulated sugar (regular white sugar or caster sugar) gives a more crispy texture to cookies, while brown sugar gives both flavour and more softness along with some chewiness too. Another thing to note is that sugar promotes cookie spread as they bake, especially granulated sugar: cookies made with 100 % granulated sugar and no brown sugar spread more than the same recipe made with brown sugar exclusively. That's because brown sugar is a little more acidic than plain white sugar, and so that brown sugar will react with the baking soda in most recipes, helping the cookies to rise up rather than spread out. If you like thicker cookies, use more brown sugar than white sugar. 

Another thing to note when choosing what type of sugar to bake with: brown sugar lends a ton of flavour to chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies made with only granulated sugar tend to have a more eggy flavour, which some might not like. I prefer to bake with a mixture of white and brown sugar, if not with only brown sugar. In fact, lately I've been baking with dark brown sugar to add as much molasses flavour as possible to cookies.

Eggs

The classic recipes for basic chocolate chip cookies will call for whole eggs, usually 1 large egg for every 125 to 190 grams (1 to 1.5 cups) of flour. There are some recipe writers that may recommend to add extra egg yolks to cookie dough to provide more richness, and a more chewy or gooey texture to the baked cookies. More egg whites will contribute to a more crisp texture. Personally, I don't want to separate an egg when I'm making chocolate chip cookies. I can't be bothered. 

Too much egg can cause your chocolate chip cookies to taste eggy, especially if there's not enough brown sugar, butter, flour, and vanilla to mask the eggy flavour. Too much egg will also cause the cookies to spread more, so if you want thicker cookies, use less egg (relative to the other ingredients).

Flour

The classic Tollhouse recipe is made with all-purpose flour, the bleached plain flour you find at most grocery stores. On the other hand, the Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies call for a combination of bread flour and cake flour. The bread flour brings a lot more protein to the cookie dough, which means more gluten and more chewiness in the baked cookie. Cake flour is lower in protein and higher in starch, so it's finer and will give a lighter texture. None will provide much flavour and the role of these flours is mostly structural.

The amount of flour affects the texture and shape

Too much flour will make very thick cookies that hardly spread at all as they bake. The more flour you add, the dryer and harder your cookies will be, especially if you don't compensate with more butter, sugar, and eggs. Conversely, less flour will make cookies spread more as the butter melts and the cookies heat up in the oven. If you want to bake thick chocolate chip cookies, add more flour, but not too much (as compared to the other ingredients in the recipe)!

The type of flour affects the flavour, texture, and shape

All-purpose flour has that name for a reason: it's a pretty easy flour to work with, it's readily available, you can use it to make most recipes, and it's not overly flavourful. Whole wheat all-purpose flour has more flavour than bleached white all-purpose flour, and cookies made with whole wheat spread a little more than with all-purpose, but not so much so that you have to fiddle with the quantities.

On the other hand, rye flour has a ton of flavour (grassy is how some would describe it) and it's lower in gluten and can lead to denser baked goods (rye flour is commonly used in bread making). Bake a chocolate chip cookie with rye flour and it will be thicker and more chewy.

Spelt flour is very fine and soft, with a texture similar to cake flour. For this reason, it leads to a softer cookie with a lighter texture. Oat flour is also very fine and soft, adding a sweeter flavour to cookies. Corn flour behaves much like spelt and oat flour, and it is the sweetest of them all. The flavour of corn flour is very interesting in a chocolate chip cookie. Give it a try! With spelt, oat, and corn flour, you have to add slightly more than you would all-purpose to achieve similar results.

Buckwheat is another flour with a ton of flavour that is very polarizing: some love it, others hate it. Buckwheat is described as nutty, vegetal, and earthy, and it has a very fine texture. To make chocolate chip cookies with only buckwheat flour, you have to use much more than the other flours, especially if you want a thicker cookie. 

Chemical leaveners—Baking soda vs baking powder

Baking powder, made up of baking soda plus an acid (or two) is a complete chemical leavener that requires water and heat to react and nothing more. Baking powder added to cookie doughs will open the crumb, leading to a lighter middle but also to crispier edges.

Baking soda added to cookie doughs will still react because the sugars added to cookie doughs provide a little acidity. But still, the baking soda won't all react and its presence actually contributes to the faster browning of the cookie (Maillard browning, specifically). Baking soda helps the edges of the cookie to brown in such a short baking time. Without it, your cookies may end up looking pale, and not as appealing.

Salt

In the cookie dough itself, most recipes will call for either table salt or fine kosher salt. Remember that table salt is twice as salty as fine kosher salt (like Diamond Crystal) so make sure you use the salt the recipe recommends, or adjust the amount according to the type of salt you are using.

Some recipes, those made with salted butter, may not have any other salt added to the dough and the butter provides all the salt. The problem with this is the salt content of salted butters can vary from brand to brand, so it's hard to judge if there will be enough salt in the recipe if you bake with salted butter.

Many will add flaky sea salt, Fleur de sel, or Maldon salt to garnish the balls of cookie dough before baking. The salt will stay intact as the cookies bake, and give a little salty crunch, which helps balance the sweetness.

Vanilla extract

Most recipes call for pure vanilla extract, but you can substitute imitation vanilla for vanilla extract and your cookies will still taste like the real thing. In fact, using imitation vanilla (also known as vanilla essence) in a recipe like this is actually what might lead to a more pronounced, striking vanilla flavour. 

Chocolate chip cookies are not a place for precious, expensive vanilla beans. Save those for a vanilla bean pastry cream, vanilla bean panna cotta, or your favourite ice cream. The beans would be wasted in cookies because there's no step that involves extracting the flavour to infuse your dough. Stick with extract or essence, here. If you really want to bake with the beans, I'd suggest using vanilla bean paste, teaspoon for teaspoon, in place of the vanilla extract.

If you are out of vanilla and need a substitute: add some whiskey or bourbon instead of the vanilla!

Chocolate Type and Chips Versus Chunks

Obviously the Nestlé Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies call for Nestlé Tollhouse chocolate chips, which are a semi-sweet chocolate chip. There's nothing wrong with chocolate chips, but sometimes, especially if you add a lot of chocolate chips to your cookies, you may notice the chocolate chips are too sweet for your cookies. You might actually want to use a different chocolate type for making chocolate chip cookies.

These days, I prefer to bake my chocolate chip cookies with dark chocolate, preferably with a 70–80% cocoa content that is bittersweet, not sweet. A chocolate like Cacao Barry Ocoa, which is a 70 % dark chocolate would be perfect. Cacao Barry's Saint Domingue would also be great here. You could also opt for Lindt Excellence 70 % dark chocolate which is sold in 100 gram bars in most grocery stores these days and also isn't sweet. It's the perfect balance for the sweet-salty cookie dough.

The idea is to provide contrast in flavours and a bittersweet chocolate that is at least 70 % cocoa will provide a good amount of bitterness to balance out all the sugar in your recipe.

If you aren't working with chocolate chips, you will have to chop the chocolate to incorporate it in your cookie dough. How you chop it will have an impact on your cookies. For example, you can use a food processor to make finer shards of chocolate for your cookies, as I did when I adapted the Jacques Torres recipe in these chocolate chip cookies: you can see that the dough is darker because the finer shards of chocolate melted into the cookie dough. I loved that effect and the flavour was great!

Another thing to note when baking with dark chocolate as opposed to chocolate chips: chocolate chips are formulated to keep their shape as they bake, without melting, even in a hot oven. On the other hand, most quality dark chocolate is not formulated for this and will melt as the cookies bake, creating puddles or pools of chocolate on top and throughout the cookie. Make sure to give ample time for the cookies to cool and for the chocolate to set again before packing them, otherwise, they may stick to each other. 

To Chill or Not to Chill

Chilling dough is really important for cutout cookies and pie dough. There have been countless blog posts and newspaper articles about how chilling improves flavour and texture, but honestly, most of the time, I can't be bothered.

When I'm making chocolate chip cookies, I want them now, not in 24 to 48 hours, or worse, 72 hours! Still, you can absolutely take cookie dough and chill it overnight (or for longer). You can even freeze scoops of cookie dough and future-you will be ever so grateful! 

Gluten-free flours often take longer to hydrate and absorb surrounding oil and humidity. When you don't give them enough time to do so, the cookies will inevitably spread fast as soon as they hit the oven. For this reason, chilling is important, though still not essential. I found with oat flour especially, the flavour was much improved by chilling the balls of cookie dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking. But that being said, it's optional and you can absolutely bake the freshly made cookie dough right away. No stress! 

With many of the alternative flours (buckwheat flour, oat flour, corn flour, and spelt flour), you have to add more flour to the cookie dough in order to be able to bake the freshly made cookie dough right away without compromising the thickness and the chewiness of these cookies.

Baking Temperature

The temperature you preheat your oven to is entirely dependent on the type of baking sheets you are using, but also the type of chocolate chip cookie you want to make.

I bake with light-coloured, standard restaurant-style sheet pans from Nordic Ware. These half-sheet pans are made with aluminum and because they are lighter in colour, they don't absorb as much heat as darker sheet pans and so browning/burning doesn't happen too quickly. This is a good thing.

If you are using darker sheet pans, you will have to drop your oven temperature by 25 ºF compared to what the recipe recommends. Darker sheet pans absorb more heat and cause cookies to burn on the bottom if you don't adjust the temperature of your oven to compensate.

If you bake your cookies on a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat, your cookies will take longer to bake and they will be softer. The silicone mat is insulating, which means the cookies won't brown as much on the bottom. This leads to a softer cookie than on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Bakeware aside, if you are baking with standard sheet pans, if you want your cookies to spread more and bake thinner, and crisper, bake them at a lower temperature (try 325 ºF or oven 300 ºF) and let them bake for longer. The lower oven temperature allows the butter to melt and the sugar too, which will cause the cookies to spread, and because the oven temperature is lower, the exterior of the cookie takes longer to set, allowing the cookie to spread out more.

If you want a gooey chocolate chip cookie that is soft on the outside, try baking at a lower temperature, like 325 ºF and don't over-bake your cookies. They should still be quite raw in the middle and very delicate when you take them out. 

I like thicker cookies that are really "meaty" and to achieve this, besides adding more flour to my recipe, I also like to bake the cookies at a higher temperature, 375 ºF or even 400 ºF. This way the exterior of the cookie heats up faster, setting and creating a crust before the butter has time to melt. The cookies will end up thicker for this reason, held together by the crispy set exterior. This is the way to achieve thick cookies that have a crispy exterior and a gooey interior.

In the case of very thick cookies, the outer crust of the cookie may crack or crackle as the interior melts and expands under the crunchy exterior. For thicker chocolate chip cookies, bake them at 375 or 400 ºF.

Regardless of the temperature you bake them at, remember that your chocolate chip cookies will continue to bake on the sheet pan as they cool. Given this, you can now understand why the time the cookies spend in the oven is so brief!

Storing Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

If you decide to chill your cookie dough to let the dough "cure" and for the flavours to develop, I prefer to roll the raw cookie dough out into 50-gram balls. You can place them in a zip-top bag or even in a closed plastic container. 

Freezing raw cookie dough and how to bake them later

If you decide to freeze your portioned out cookie dough unbaked, I like to place it in an air-tight zip-top freezer bag, being careful to remove all the air before zipping the bag closed. Then you can store them in the freezer for several months. 

When you are ready to bake the frozen cookie dough, simply place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet to bake from frozen. Let the cookies defrost for 10 minutes at room temperature, while you preheat your oven. The cookies will inevitably take longer to bake, look for the tell-tale signs that they are done: the edges should begin to brown and the surface should look like it's beginning to set, without being baked through.

Storing Freshly-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

Once the baked cookies have cooled completely (emphasis on the completely!), I store my freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in a sealed container. As you store them, in the first few days, you will notice they will dry out just a little and become even chewier. I find they hit peak chewy on day 2. After that, the cookies will really start to dry out more.

Also, there isn't much hope for conserving the gooey freshly-baked texture when you store chocolate chip cookies, unfortunately. If that's the texture you look for in a chocolate chip cookie, you are better off storing the raw cookie dough than the baked cookies. This way you can bake them when the craving strikes.

To keep them moist, you can try the same tricks you would use to keep brown sugar fresh and moist:

1. put a marshmallow in the container with the cookies
2. put a slice of bread in the container with the cookies
3. put a slice of apple in the container with the cookies 
4. put a hydrated terracotta brown sugar keeper in the container with the cookies

Freezing freshly baked cookies and how to defrost them later

Most people aren't aware that chocolate chip cookies freeze beautifully. You can do so in a zip-top freezer bag, being mindful to suck all the air out of the bag before placing in the freezer. Then when you want a cookie, take one out and gently reheat it in a low oven (250 ºF) for around 10 to 15 minutes to achieve a warm chocolate cookie that's as good as freshly baked. Future you will be very thankful for that stash of frozen baked chocolate chip cookies on those late nights when you have a craving for freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies that you can't ignore! Trust me.

By the way, you can also chop up extra cookies into small pieces and freeze them to churn into a batch of homemade cookie ice cream!

Flour Substitutions

Things can get quite tricky if you want to use a different flour instead of all-purpose in your favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe. All-purpose has roughly 10 % protein, which gives cookies structure, preventing the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. The ratios used in the classic recipes were developed for all-purpose flour. For this reason, you can't just replace all-purpose flour with another and expect the same results. Even worse, if you want to work with gluten-free flours, most of which have significantly lower protein content and no gluten for structure. You will inevitably have to make adjustments to your recipe. Here's how:

The chocolate chip cookie recipe below can be adapted in the following ways with a variety of flours:

• replace the all-purpose flour with:
  • whole wheat flour: 190 grams (1.5 cups) whole wheat flour to make whole wheat chocolate chip cookies—note that at 190 grams (1.5 cups) of whole wheat flour, the cookies spread out more than they would with the same weight of all-purpose, but they are still on the thicker side so I don't think you should add more flour than this.
  • rye flour: 190 grams (1.5 cups) rye flour to make rye chocolate chip cookies (basically replace with the same amount)—any more rye flour makes the cookies too thick and way too chewy, and less rye flour results in a much thinner cookie that spreads out. Also note that chocolate chip cookies made with 100 % rye flour will be quite chewy, even freshly baked.
  • spelt flour: 220 grams–250 grams (1.75 cups to 2 cups) spelt flour to make spelt chocolate chip cookies— at 250 grams of spelt flour, the freshly baked cookies are quite thick, with a crispy light exterior and a gooey interior. Use just slightly less if you prefer you cookies a little more spread out (so 30 grams or ¼ cup less)
  • oat flour: 220 grams–250 grams (1.75 cups to 2 cups) oat flour depending on how thick a cookie you want (note you can also replace the chopped chocolate with raisins to make them gluten-free oat flour raisin cookies )
  • corn flour: 220 grams–250 grams (1.75 cups to 2 cups) corn flour, depending on how thick a cookie you want
  • buckwheat flour: 310 grams (2.5 cups) buckwheat flour to make gluten-free buckwheat chocolate chip cookies—less works, but the cookies spread quite a bit!
• add oats:
  • add 95 grams (1 cup) of rolled oats, along with peanuts and swapping milk chocolate for dark chocolate to make these thick chewy oatmeal cookies with milk chocolate and peanuts

Other Variations and Substitutions

Feel free to modify this recipe to make your version of the best chocolate cookies. Here are some ways to adapt this recipe:

• Add nuts: when you add in the chocolate, also mix in 110 grams (1 cup) chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, or even peanuts or pistachios.
• Add seeds: when you add in the chocolate, also mix in 110 grams (1 cup) sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
• Add sprinkles: if you want a funfetti chocolate chip cookie or a "birthday cake" style cookie, mix sprinkles in with the cookie dough. I like adding rainbow jimmies to cookie dough.
• Add peanut butter: when you cream the butter with the sugars, you can add 125 grams (½ cup) of all-natural peanut butter because the recipe below is VERY similar to this recipe for classic peanut butter cookies.
• Add cocoa powder: replace 60 grams (½ cup) of flour with 45 grams (½ cup) of cocoa powder to create the best chocolate chocolate chip cookies
• Change the chocolate: I love to make chocolate chip cookies with chopped dark chocolate that is preferably 70 % cocoa and not too sweet, but you can also use milk chocolate, white chocolate, or a combination of the three. Make sure you stick to the same total quantity of chocolate though. Try adding toffee bits, butterscotch chips, or even peanut butter chips for a completely different flavour.
• Replace the chocolate with chopped dried fruit: you can replace the chocolate with raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried sour cherries, chopped crystallized ginger, chopped dates, etc. Substitute cup-for-cup, or do a mixture of chocolate and dried fruit. Up to you!
• Add in something crazy: take inspiration from Christina Tosi's Milk Bar compost cookie recipe and her compost pound cake and throw in some salty potato chips, chopped pretzels, coffee grinds! I've added oats, white chocolate, and blueberries to the same cookie dough base to make these gorgeous blueberry white chocolate cookies
• Garnish: you can't go wrong with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt which will help balance out the sweetness of the cookie dough.

Troubleshooting

If you tried this recipe for the best chewy chocolate chip cookies (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Thick Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here's a recipe for classic chocolate chip cookies that are super chewy and salty-sweet, including tips for adapting this recipe with different flours (whole wheat, rye, spelt, and even gluten-free flours like oat, corn, and buckwheat).

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Servings 14

Calories 258kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO balloon whisk
• Sheet pan
• GIR spatula
• 1-⅓oz scoop

Ingredients

• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt or 2.5 mL (½ tsp) table salt
• 2.5 mL baking soda
• 115 grams unsalted butter
• 150 grams dark brown sugar
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 1 large egg(s)
• 10 mL pure vanilla extract
• 175 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content) chopped (approximately 250 mL or 1 cup), or 250 mL (1 cup) dark chocolate chips

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 ºF (200 °C). Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter, the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar until it's very light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and the vanilla, and mix well until the mixture is light and fluffy again. Make sure to clean down the sides of the bowl as needed with a big spatula.
• Dump in the whisked dry ingredients, and incorporate them either with the hand mixer on low, or by hand with a big wooden spoon.
• Mix in the chocolate. The dough should be quite thick.
• Scoop approximately 50 gram portions of the dough, rolling them into balls.
• Place 7 cookies per cookie sheet, being sure to space them apart and stagger them.
• Bake the cookies one sheet pan at a time until the edges just begin to brown (this takes about 12 to 14 minutes). You might want to rotate the pan partway through the baking to make sure the cookies brown evenly.
• Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pan while you bake the second pan.
• Store in an airtight container.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• replace the all-purpose flour with:
  • whole wheat flour: 190 grams (1.5 cups) whole wheat flour to make whole wheat chocolate chip cookies—note that at 190 grams (1.5 cups) of whole wheat flour, the cookies spread out more than they would with the same weight of all-purpose, but they are still on the thicker side so I don't think you should add more flour than this.
  • rye flour: 190 grams (1.5 cups) rye flour to make rye chocolate chip cookies (basically replace with the same amount)—any more rye flour makes the cookies too thick and way too chewy, and less rye flour results in a much thinner cookie that spreads out. Also note that chocolate chip cookies made with 100 % rye flour will be quite chewy, even freshly baked.
  • spelt flour: 220 grams–250 grams (1.75 cups to 2 cups) spelt flour to make spelt chocolate chip cookies— at 250 grams of spelt flour, the freshly baked cookies are quite thick, with a crispy light exterior and a gooey interior. Use just slightly less if you prefer you cookies a little more spread out (so 30 grams or ¼ cup less)
  • oat flour: 220 grams–250 grams (1.75 cups to 2 cups) oat flour depending on how thick a cookie you want (note you can also replace the chopped chocolate with raisins to make them gluten-free oat flour raisin cookies )
  • corn flour: 220 grams–250 grams (1.75 cups to 2 cups) corn flour, depending on how thick a cookie you want
  • buckwheat flour: 310 grams (2.5 cups) buckwheat flour to make gluten-free buckwheat chocolate chip cookies—less works, but the cookies spread quite a bit!
• add oats:
  • add 95 grams (1 cup) of rolled oats, along with peanuts and swapping milk chocolate for dark chocolate to make these thick chewy oatmeal cookies with milk chocolate and peanuts
• If you want to add nuts: when you add in the chocolate, also mix in 110 grams (1 cup) chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, or even peanuts or pistachios.
• If you want to add seeds: when you add in the chocolate, also mix in 110 grams (1 cup) sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
• If you want to add sprinkles: if you want a funfetti chocolate chip cookie or a "birthday cake" style cookie, mix sprinkles in with the cookie dough. I like adding rainbow jimmies to cookie dough.
• If you want to add peanut butter: when you cream the butter with the sugars, you can add 125 grams (½ cup) of all-natural peanut butter because the recipe below is VERY similar to this recipe for classic peanut butter cookies.
• If you want to change the chocolate: I love to make chocolate chip cookies with chopped dark chocolate that is preferably 70 % cocoa and not too sweet, but you can also use milk chocolate, white chocolate, or a combination of the three. Make sure you stick to the same total quantity of chocolate though. Try adding toffee bits, butterscotch chips, or even peanut butter chips for a completely different flavour.
• If you want to replace the chocolate with chopped dried fruit: you can replace the chocolate with raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried sour cherries, chopped crystallized ginger, chopped dates, etc. Substitute cup-for-cup, or do a mixture of chocolate and dried fruit. Up to you!
• If you want to add in something crazy: take inspiration from Christina Tosi's Milk Bar compost cookie recipe and her compost pound cake and throw in some salty potato chips, chopped pretzels, coffee grinds!
• If you want to garnish: you can't go wrong with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt which will help balance out the sweetness of the cookie dough.
• Please note that I bake with uncoated aluminum sheet pans that are light in colour. If you are baking this recipe with darker bakeware, you may have to drop the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C) to prevent your baked goods from browning too quickly.

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 227IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 2mg

The post The Science of Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on The Bake School.

I am convinced that many people order specific desserts at restaurants because of the graham cracker crust. Everybody loves it!

This is the base crust I use to make my delicious baked vanilla cheesecake recipe.

Ingredients

You only need three to four ingredients to make a graham cracker crust from scratch. Here's what you need:

• graham cracker crumbs—you can process homemade graham crackers or store-bought into crumbs in a food processor or buy already made crumbs at the grocery store
• sugar—I prefer to use granulated sugar, but brown sugar would also work. I find the sugar brings more flavour to the crust
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using table salt, add half the amount or the crust may be too salty. The salt makes the crust flavour pop, making it less bland, but it is optional and many skip it
• butter—I use unsalted butter that is melted (for ease of mixing), rather than salted because I choose to add salt. If you want to use salted butter, skip the salt!

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Instructions

A graham cracker crust is one of the simplest crusts to make from scratch at home

Step 1—Stir together the dry ingredients (graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt) in a small bowl (image 1), then pour the melted butter over top (image 2) and stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened and beginning to clump (image 3).

Step 2—Transfer the graham cracker crumb mixture to your prepared pan (image 4), in this case I am using a parchment paper-lined springform pan. Use a flat bottomed glass to smooth out and press the crumbs in place from edge-to-edge (image 5).

Note: For some press-in crust recipes, you may stop here, without baking the crust. It all depends on the recipe and application.

Step 3—Once the crust is perfectly smooth and even (image 6), bake it until the edges begin to colour ever so slightly (image 7).

Hint: Use this method to make the crust for these easy s'more bars. For this recipe, the crust is pressed out in a square pan.

Recipes With Graham Cracker Crust

If you love graham crackers, here are a few recipes that incorporate graham cracker crumbs and crust in them:

• s'more bars with a graham cracker crumb crust, a milk chocolate filling, and toasted marshmallow topping
• compost cookies, kind of like kitchen sink cookies made with salty and sweet add-ins, including bits of graham cracker crumb crust
• compost pound cake which incorporates graham cracker crumbs in the cake batter for flavour
• Earl Grey chocolate tart made with a graham cracker crust, a chocolate ganache filling, and whipped cream on top
• milk chocolate pots de crème are topped with a graham cracker crust crumble
• graham cracker crumbs feature prominantly in the classic Nanaimo bar crust and this white chocolate Nanaimo bars variation (which I love even more than the original)

If you tried this recipe for baked graham cracker crumb crust (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Baked Graham Cracker Crust

Learn how to make a perfect graham cracker crumb crust base from just 4 ingredients (graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and a little salt). This easy recipe creates a baked graham cracker crust that is the perfect base for 9-inch cheesecakes baked in a springform pan, as well as pies and tarts.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 91kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Ingredients

• 150 grams graham cracker crumbs
• 26 grams granulated sugar
• 0.625 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt optional
• 58 grams unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt. Stir them together with a fork.
• Pour the melted butter over top and stir everything together for a couple of minutes until all the ingredients are evenly moistened with butter and they begin to clump together.
• Transfer the crumbs to the prepared pan and spread them out in an even layer from edge to edge. Use a flat-bottomed glass to press them firmly into place and smooth the surface of the crust.
• Bake until the edges begin to turn light-golden brown and just start to pull about from the sides of the pan (this takes about 10–15 minutes).

Notes

• you can use store-bought graham cracker crumbs or process graham crackers to fine crumbs in a food processor.
• you can replace the graham cracker crumbs with finely ground social tea biscuits or chocolate wafer crumbs. You can also use Teddy Grahams (the bear-shaped kids cookies) in place of graham crackers if you don't have any!
• I bake with Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. If using table salt, add half the amount. 
• This makes a flat, 9-inch crust, perfect for a 9-inch cheesecake baked in a springform pan. If you want the crumbs to come up the sides of the pan, you will need to double the recipe to have enough to cover the sides too (if not more!). If you have extra unbaked graham cracker crust crumbs, just freeze them for later.

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.5mg

The post How To Make A Baked Graham Cracker Crust appeared first on The Bake School.

What It Is

Brown butter (also called browned butter) is a higher-fat version of butter, made by browning the milk solids in butter in a process that lends it a nutty flavour.

Brown butter is prized for its complex flavour. French pastry chefs use it to make financiers and madeleines, among other things. You can even make these chocolate chip cookies with pecans with brown butter instead of regular butter.

The Science of Brown Butter

Butter is roughly 80% fat, so there's still 20% to account for. The rest is made up of water and milk solids (proteins and sugars). While we know that oils and water don't mix, butter is actually an emulsion of animal fat and water. They are mixed together to form a very smooth texture and an even mixture.

If you melt butter in a pan on the stove, the emulsion will break. The milk solids will separate from the fat. They tend to settle on the bottom of the pan (though they also form a foam on the surface too). As you continue to heat the mixture, the butter will sizzle as you approach the boiling point of water.

As you heat the melted butter, the water will boil off. The temperature will rise above the boiling point of water, high enough that the milk solids (proteins and sugars) will brown. The browning process, known as Maillard browning, creates flavour compounds that have a complex, nutty flavour. This is why the French call it "beurre noisette." The word noisette means hazelnut, referring to both the aroma and the colour that forms when you brown butter.

Brown butter has a higher fat content per gram than regular butter. Brown butter solidifies just like regular butter when cooled, though the texture is more granular and less supple, probably due to the lack of water.

How To Make It

Step 1—Place the butter you want to brown in a small saucepan (image 1) and heat it up on medium–high heat until it melts (image 2).

Step 2—Continue heating the melted butter until it boils and sizzles (image 3). This is the stage when the water is boiling off. Continue cooking the butter until the sizzling subsides and the milk solids begin to brown (image 4). Make sure to swirl/stir the pan to ensure even cooking and so that the milk solids don't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

Note: Some bakers prefer to strain off the browned milk solids, leaving behind the clear, golden butter without any brown or black specks.

Enhancing The Nutty Flavour

Pastry chefs add a secret ingredient to the pan when they brown butter to enhance the flavour: fat-free milk powder (also called powdered milk or dehydrated milk). Adding milk powder to melted butter before browning it increases the concentration of milk solids, thereby increasing the amount of flavourful compounds that develop as the sugars caramelize.

If you are baking a recipe that calls for brown butter, consider adding milk powder to your butter before browning it to give it a stronger flavour that can stand up to the other ingredients in baked goods.

Here's how to do enhance brown butter with milk powder:

Step 1—Start by placing butter in a small saucepan (image 1) and cooking it on the stove until the milk solids begin to brown (image 2).

Step 2—Add powdered milk (image 3) and continue cooking, stirring continuously, until the additional milk powder begins to brown (image 4).

Rule of thumb: I like to add 25 grams of milk powder for every 115 grams (½ cup) of butter.

Don't Burn It

There's a fine line between brown butter and burn butter. If you continue to heat butter after the milk solids have browned, they will burn. This will completely change the flavour. If you are unsure of how far to take brown butter, pull the pan off the stove and, using a spoon, push away any foam on the surface of the melted fat. This way, you can see what's happening on the bottom of the pan. The flecks should be brown, like mahogany, not black. If they are black, you have cooked it too long. The nutty flavour is gone in burnt butter. You will have to start over because it may have bitter notes.

Brown butter still has milk solids and, therefore, is not appropriate for high-temperature cooking because it can burn.

Difference Between Clarified And Brown Butter

Clarified butter is not the same as brown butter. To clarify butter, you heat it to remove water and strain it to remove milk solids. It isn't browned and so doesn't have the same nutty flavour. Clarified butter has a more prominent milk flavour.

Vocabulary: Don't confuse beurre noisette (brown butter) with beurre de noisette (hazelnut butter)! Beurre de noisette is made just like peanut butter, from ground hazelnuts that are processed into a creamy, spreadable paste. Beurre noisette is made from melted butter that has cooked until the milk solids brown.

The Difference Between Ghee And Brown Butter

Ghee is a strained version of brown butter. After boiling off the water and browning the milk solids, you strain the mixture. Line a strainer with layers of cheesecloth to obtain a clear, golden butter free of milk solids. This increases the shelf-life of ghee. Ghee is more stable than brown butter and you can store it at room temperature without it spoiling.

Because brown butter still has milk solids, it's not appropriate for high-temperature cooking because it can burn easily. For high-temperature cooking, use ghee.

What To Make With Brown Butter

Brown butter has a unique flavour, akin to toasted nuts, but even better. It's really a great way of adding a nutty flavour to cookies and cakes without adding any nuts. You can use brown butter to make a quick caramel sauce like this whiskey caramel sauce served over baked apples.

The nutty flavour of brown butter also makes it great for recipes made with nuts. It complements and accentuates their flavour. You can use brown butter to make your bars and cookies. These white chocolate and raspberry blondies and these toffee blondies are both made with brown butter.

Once cooled to room temperature, you can use brown butter to make frosting, like this brown butter cream cheese frosting. It's the perfect complement to a pumpkin loaf cake or eggless carrot cake.

How To Replace Butter With Brown Butter

If you want to replace butter with brown butter in any recipe, ensure you use brown butter at the same temperature as the butter in your recipe (room temperature/softened, melted, or cold). If a recipe calls for melted butter, you can replace it with melted brown butter. If a recipe calls for cold butter, replace it with cold brown butter.

In some cases, it may be pertinent to add back a little water along with the brown butter to replace the water lost during the browning process. Use your judgment and remember there's only a small amount of water in regular butter (less than 20 %) so add back a quantity of water similar to what you think was lost.

Brown Butter FAQs

If you tried this recipe for brown butter (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Brown Butter

Learn how to brown butter with this recipe starting from regular unsalted butter to create a nutty "beurre noisette" to bake with.

Course pantry staple

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 23 minutes minutes

Servings 15

Calories 110kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Ingredients

• 230 grams unsalted butter

Optional enhancement

• 50 grams nonfat dry milk powder

Metric - US

Instructions

• Place the butter in a small saucepan. Heat the butter on medium or medium–high until it is melted.
• Once it's melted, continue heating the butter, swirling the pan occasionally. The butter may begin to sizzle/boil. This is because the fat has reached the boiling point of water and so the water will begin to evaporate. That's what we want!
• Continue cooking the butter until the milk solids settled at the bottom of the pan turn a deep golden brown. Keep an eye on it so they don't burn!

Optional enhancement

• Once your butter has browned, you can further enhance the flavour by stirring in nonfat dry milk powder and continue cooking the butter, stirring constantly, until the powdered milk browns. Do this on medium–low or even low heat to avoid burning it and stir continuously.
• Store brown butter in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

• 230 grams of butter should leave you with about 200 grams of brown butter, which is less than 1 cup (closer to ¾ cup).
• You can store brown butter in the fridge since it still has the milk solids. Otherwise, it may spoil!
• If you want to replace butter with brown butter in any recipe, ensure you use brown butter at the same temperature as the butter in your recipe (room temperature/softened, melted, or cold). If a recipe calls for melted butter, you can replace it with melted brown butter. If a recipe calls for cold butter, replace it with cold brown butter.
• You may have to add water along with brown butter. If a recipe calls for 115 grams (½ cup) of unsalted butter, that's actually about 92 grams of fat and the rest is water, proteins, and sugars. Brown butter contains no water. You may need to adjust your recipe to compensate for the lack of water in brown butter.

Nutrition

Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 4mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 383IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

The post How To Make Brown Butter appeared first on The Bake School.

This is the technique I use to make sweet potato purée for baking. I used this purée to make this gorgeous maple bourbon sweet potato pie.

Types of Sweet Potato for Purée

Sweet potatoes range in colour and shape, though in North America, we think most commonly of the orange-fleshed tuber. If you want to make a filling for pies or use sweet potato purée in muffins and cakes, opt for the Jewel or Garnet sweet potato varieties, which have orange-brown or reddish-brown skin and orange flesh. These create a flavourful purée that isn't too wet nor too dry.

Some of the Japanese varieties of sweet potato that are white inside tend to be drier and firmer. They are delicious but more suitable for chopping up for stews or soups, not great for baking or making pies.

• Raw sweet potatoes—opt for unblemished sweet potatoes that are firm and aren't wrinkling excessively (from age). Pick either Jewel or Garnet varieties which are best for baking with. Don't use Japanese varieties that are less sweet and more firm. These are not the best for making purées.

See the recipe card for exact quantities and ingredients.

Substitutions and Variations

I prefer the flavour of homemade sweet potato purée to the purée in a can. But if you are short on time, you can purchase canned sweet potato purée for baking.

And if you can't find canned sweet potato, the best substitute is canned pumpkin, but obviously you will be making pumpkin muffins and pies if you go that route!

Ways to Cook Sweet Potatoes for Purée

There are many ways to cook sweet potato and you should pick the method that works best for you.

• Microwave—Pierce the flesh through the skin to make air holes in the tubers, then place them in the microwave. Microwave them on high for five minutes, pausing to check on them every so often. Microwave until soft, testing with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife to make sure the sweet potatoes are cooked through.
• Roast—Roast them whole. You want to roast until soft.
• Boil (least preferred method)—Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds, and cut it into big pieces, then boil until tender. Drain well and pat until perfectly dry before blending in a food processor until smooth

Making Sweet Potato Purée in the Microwave

Start with unblemished sweet potatoes that you've washed and scrubbed to remove any dirt. This is how I like to make sweet potato purée using the microwave:

Step 1—Pierce the flesh through the skin to make air holes in the tubers (image 1). Place the sweet potatoes in the centre of the microwave oven. Microwave them on high for about ten minutes, pausing to check on them every so often. Microwave until soft, testing with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife to make sure the sweet potatoes are cooked through.

Step 2—When the sweet potatoes have cooled down enough that you can handle them, slice them in half, lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving behind the peel (image 2).

Step 3—Transfer the flesh of the cooked sweet potatoes to a food processor and process them until smooth (image 3), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Alternatively, you can use a masher or even a food mill if you have one. I find the food processor makes a very smooth purée and breaks down the fibres really well so that's what I prefer to use.

Tip: Unlike homemade pumpkin purée for pies that requires straining through a cheesecloth to remove excess moisture (or cooking down on the stove), sweet potato purée doesn't have so much moisture. You can bake with homemade sweet potato purée right away without any extra steps!

Storage

Sweet potatoes are low acidity, with a pH above 4.6. For this reason, it is not acidic enough for home canning processes as is. When you make a batch of homemade sweet potato purée, you have to store it in the fridge for short periods, or in the freezer for longer periods. Store in an airtight container with a layer of plastic wrap directly applied to the surface of the purée, or in a freezer bag, pressed flat, with the air removed.

If you tried this recipe for homemade sweet potato purée (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Sweet Potato Purée

Learn how to make smooth sweet potato purée for pies and baking with this easy recipe using in the microwave and a food processor. This sweet potato purée is perfect for making sweet potato pie.

Course pantry staple

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1.5 cups

Calories 26kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Food processor

Ingredients

• 760 grams sweet potato

Metric - US

Instructions

• Wash and scrub your sweet potatoes to remove any dirt or debris. Pat dry.
• Using a fork, prick the sweet potatoes several times on all sides.
• Place the sweet potatoes in the microwave and microwave on high power for 10 minutes. Stop the microwave halfway through to check on them and flip the potatoes if you feel like they are heating more on one side than the other.
• When the sweet potatoes are very soft (test them with a fork or a pairing knife), remove them from the microwave and set them on a cutting board to cool completely.
• Once cool enough to handle, slice the sweet potatoes in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh, leaving behind the peels.
• Process the sweet potato into a purée in a food processor (or using a food mill or with a masher). The food processor will yield a very smooth purée.

Notes

• Use Jewel or Garnet sweet potato varieties with a brownish-orange or brownish red-skin and orange flesh.
• I usually get about 470 grams of sweet potato purée from 770 grams of raw sweet potatoes, but the yield will vary. I like to buy extra sweet potatoes to ensure I have enough purée to bake with.
• The microwave time will vary according to your microwave brand and model. Microwave the sweet potatoes for long enough that they are cooked through, testing for doneness by poking them with a fork or a pairing knife. The flesh will be very soft when they are cooked.

Nutrition

Calories: 26kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.02g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.004g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 4313IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The post How to Make Sweet Potato Purée for Pies appeared first on The Bake School.

This is my go-to pie crust recipe that I like to make by hand. I used this recipe to make this gorgeous apple galette and this maple bourbon sweet potato pie. The basic principles and techniques are the same as for making pie crust in the food processor or pie crust in a stand mixer.

Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients to make pie dough and you likely have them all in your pantry and fridge! Here's what you need:

• Cold water or even ice water ensures that the butter stays cold, making it easier to handle and creating a flaky crust that isn't overly greasy.
• Flour—bleached all-purpose works great in doughs like this
• Salt—I use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but if you'd like to use regular table salt, use half the amount, otherwise, the crust may be too salty
• Butter, specifically unsalted butter, though salted will work too (adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly)

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Instructions

Making an all-butter pie crust by hand isn't hard. It's all about technique and practice. Remember to keep the ingredients cold. If you find the butter is getting too soft or warming up, chill the bowl of ingredients in the fridge at any stage of the process to firm up the butter.

Step 1—Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (image 1). Drop the cold cubed butter on top of the flour (image 2) and toss the cubes in the flour to coat them all (image 3).

Step 2—Smush each flour-coated butter cube between your fingertips to flatten them all out (image 4) and work the butter into the flour by rubbing it between your palms quickly and briefly. The goal is to create an uneven mixture of butter and flour with lots of different textures (flat pieces and granular pieces like in image 5). Drizzle the cold water over the pie crust mixture (image 6).

Hint: you want your pie crust to have lots of thin flat-pieces of butter coated in flour, which will lead to a flaky texture. You don't want large chunks of butter on the surface of the dough because that will lead to butter melting and leaking out of the pie crust. The butter has to be worked into the dough sufficiently to create layering without escaping.

Step 3—Use a fork or a Danish dough whisk to work the water into the pie crust mixture (image 7). Eventually, switch to mixing by hand, to gather all the bits together and mix the moistened and dry bits together into a shaggy dough (image 8). Press the dough into a disk (or two) and wrap it in plastic wrap to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out and using it (image 9).

Storage

You can store plastic-wrapped disks of pie crust in the refrigerator for up to a week (maximum 7 days). Refrigerated pie dough will take on a grey-ish tint if stored for too long.

For longer storage, freeze the dough. To free disks of pie dough, wrap them twice in plastic wrap and then store them in a freezer bag with the air removed. I store several disks in a large bag and pull out one or two as needed.

To defrost pie dough, leave it in the refrigerator overnight to slowly thaw before using. Do not defrost on the counter as it may sweat, and the outside may soften and warm up too much before the inside has a chance to defrost, leading to trouble when you have to roll it out.

Pie Crust FAQs

Related

Now that you know how to make perfect pie crust by hand, try this technique with these pie recipes:

If you tried this recipe for pie crust by hand (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Perfect Pie Crust by Hand

Learn how to make the perfect pie crust by hand with this easy recipe. This is an all-butter pie crust without lard or vinegar. Just simple ingredients mixed by hand to achieve the best pie crust. This recipe makes one 9-inch pie crust with enough scraps to make pie crust cookies for decorating your pie.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Chill time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 9-inch pie crust+scraps

Calories 213kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Danish dough whisk
• Rolling pin
• Pastry brush

Ingredients

• 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 170 grams unsalted butter cold, cut into little cubes
• 60 mL cold water

Metric - US

Instructions

• Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl before adding in the cold cubed butter. You can use a Danish dough whisk or a fork for this.
• Toss the butter into the bowl of the flour and stir to coat all the pieces. Smash each piece of butter in the flour to flatten out the pieces between your fingertips. You can also use a fast rubbing motion to work the butter into the flour between your palms to achieve different textures.
• Pour the cold water on top and use your fork or your Danish dough whisk to start to incorporate the water. You will need to finish working the dough by hand, pressing the pieces together.
• Press all the bits together into a somewhat cohesive mass, flatten it into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using it.

Notes

• This recipe makes a single pie crust with scraps that you can reroll to make pie crust cookies. This is enough dough for one large galette (12–14 inch finished size) or one regular 9-inch pie decorated with pie crust cookie cutouts.
• Substitutions and Variations
  • Sugar—it's optional but just a little sugar helps to bring out the flavours and also helps with browning. A tablespoon is all you need for this amount of dough.
  • Butter—you can replace the butter with leaf lard or shortening (like Crisco), but the texture and flavour will be different. You can also replace unsalted butter with salted butter, but to do so, you will have to reduce the salt in the recipe to compensate, or else the crust may be too salty.
  • Flour—you can use a mix of flours, like use part all-purpose and part whole wheat or rye, just don't replace 100 % of the flour with an alternative because the dough may be more difficult to work with and behave different, especially if the gluten is lower (or if there is none).
  • Water—some people will use cold vodka instead of cold water or cold water with a splash of vinegar. Either way, the goal is to reduce gluten formation in the dough, but in my experience, gluten development isn't much of an issue with the food processor method.
  • Salt—This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
  •  

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Perfect Pie Crust by Hand appeared first on The Bake School.

The holiday season is hectic, and you need a reliable pie crust recipe to get you through all the pie-making. This all-butter pie crust made in the food processor is exactly what you need!

This is the pie crust I use to make this double-crust maple apple pie and this blueberry pie, among others. It's my go-to recipe!

Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients to make pie dough and you likely have them all in your pantry and fridge! Here's what you need:

• Flour—bleached all-purpose works great in doughs like this
• Sugar—just a little sugar helps to bring out the flavours and also helps with browning
• Salt—I use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but if you'd like to use regular table salt, use half the amount, otherwise, the crust may be too salty
• Butter, specifically unsalted butter, though salted will work too (adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly)
• Cold water or even ice water ensures that the butter stays cold, making it easier to handle and creating a flaky crust that isn't overly greasy.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions And Variations

Using A Food Processor To Make Dough

The beauty of using a food processor to make pie crust is that the machine can cut the fat (in this case, butter) into the flour without the butter warming up (like it would if you did this step with your hands).

You don't need many tools to make pie. For this recipe, you will use the regular food processor blade (sometimes called an "s-blade" because of its shape). This recipe fits a standard 11-cup (or larger) food processor. I use a Cuisinart food processor, but I've also successfully used a KitchenAid food processor.

Note: This recipe will not fit a smaller or mini food processor (also called a mini food chopper). These smaller appliances only have a 3.5-cup capacity, which is too small for the ingredient quantities in this recipe.

Step 1: Cut the cold butter into small cubes and set it in the fridge to keep it cold.

Step 2: Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor. You can use the pulse setting to evenly mix them together.

Step 3: Add the cold cubed butter to the food processor bowl with the dry ingredients.

Step 4: Pulse the butter into the dry ingredients to form an uneven, coarse crumble. You will notice some slightly bigger pieces of butter (like a chickpea or large bean size) and smaller pieces.

Step 5: Add the cold water to the food processor.

Hint: Use the pulse setting to incorporate the water into the dough. The dough should clump together and the flour should look moistened, with very few dry bits left.

Step 6: Mix the ingredients to form a shaggy dough. When you incorporate the butter, the goal is to cut it into the flour so that the butter is coated in flour but also so that much of the flour is coated in fat. This reduces gluten formation in the next steps.

Step 7: Use your hands to shape the dough into a flat disk. Shape the dough into a round flat disk if you are making a round pie in a pie plate or galette on a half sheet pan. Shape it into a square or rectangular shape if you are making a square or rectangular pie or galette (like if you are making pie on a quarter sheet pan)

If making pie crust from scratch scares you, be sure to check out my pie crust masterclass, which includes video tutorials for making pie crust in the stand mixer, food processor, and by hand!

Roll out pie dough on a floured surface to prevent it from sticking, using a rolling pin, like a French rolling pin with tapered edges.

Make sure to roll the dough to a thin, even layer, rolling out the dough from the middle of the disk to the edges. Continuously slide the dough around to make it even and also to verify it's not sticking. Use more flour as needed.

Storage

I always divide double-crust recipes into two disks of dough to store wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to a week (7 days).

For longer storage, you must freeze the dough. To freeze disks of pie dough, wrap them twice in plastic wrap and then store them in a freezer bag with the air removed. I store several disks in a large bag and pull out one or two as needed.

To defrost pie dough, leave it in the refrigerator overnight to slowly thaw before using. Do not defrost on the counter as it may sweat, and the outside may soften and warm up too much before the inside has a chance to defrost, leading to trouble when you have to roll it out.

If you tried this recipe for the food processor pie crust (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Easy All-Butter Pie Crust Made In A Food Processor

Learn how to make pie crust in a food processor with this easy recipe. This makes enough dough for a double crust pie. It rolls out beautifully, without cracking, and holds its shape in the oven.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, British

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Chill time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 202kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO kitchen scale
• Food processor
• Metal pie plate
• Pastry cutter

Ingredients

• 312 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 15 mL granulated sugar
• 5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 173 grams unsalted butter cut into cubes, very cold
• 100 mL water cold

Metric - US

Instructions

• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter and pulse to form a coarse crumble.

  Add the water and pulse it in, then let the food processor run just until the dough comes together. I bought my Cuisinart Food Processor on Amazon.
• Divide the dough in two and transfer both pieces to your work surface. Shape each piece into a disk. Wrap both in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour before rolling out on a floured surface with a rolling pin.

Video

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• This recipe makes a double-crust pie. You can halve this recipe to make a single-crust pie, or use half now and freeze the other half for later, wrapped tightly in 2 layers of plastic wrap and stored in a freezer bag with the air removed.
• If the dough gets too warm at any point, put it in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 196mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Pie Crust In A Food Processor appeared first on The Bake School.

Let the mixer do the work should be your motto whenever possible, especially when it comes to longer pie recipes that may have a lot of steps. And while you can't use a mixer to make an entire pie, you can make pie crust with a stand mixer very easily, and the results will be a flakier than a pie crust made in a food processor. I used this pie crust to make this deep dish quiche with Swiss chard, which is baked in a springform pan.

Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients to make pie dough and you likely have them all in your pantry and fridge! Here's what you need:

• Flour—bleached all-purpose works great in doughs like this
• Sugar—it isn't enough to make the crust sweet, but just a little sugar helps to bring out the flavours and also help with browning (sugar is optional and you can skip it if you want)
• Salt—I use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but if you'd like to use regular table salt, use half the amount, otherwise the crust may be too salty
• Butter, specifically unsalted butter, though salted will work too (adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly)
• Cold water or even ice water to ensure that the butter stays cold, making it easier to handle and to create a flaky crust that isn't overly greasy.

See recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions And Variations

With only a handful of ingredients, your pie crust substitutions are limited:

• Butter—you can replace the butter with leaf lard or shortening (like Crisco), but the texture and flavour will be different. You can also replace unsalted butter with salted butter, but to do so, you will have to reduce the salt in the recipe to compensate, or else the crust may be too salty.
• Flour—you can use a mix of flours, like use part all-purpose and part whole wheat or rye, just don't replace 100 % of the flour with an alternative because the dough may be more difficult to work with and behave different, especially if the gluten is lower (or if there is none).
• Water—some people will use cold vodka instead of the cold water or cold water with a splash of vinegar. Either way, the goal is to reduce gluten formation in the dough, but in my experience, gluten development isn't much of an issue with the food processor method.

Once you know how to make pie dough, you can start to get creative:

• Warm spices—add a little cinnamon and ginger to the flour before adding the butter (try 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 1½ teaspoons ground ginger)
• Cheese—some people like to add shredded cheddar cheese to the dough to make a cheese-flavoured pie crust, especially for apple pie.

As always, if you decide to try a substitution, take note of what you did, your experience, and the results so that you can learn and make modifications next time. I cannot guarantee that changes or substitutions will lead to the same results.

Instructions

You don't need many tools to make pie. In order to make pie crust in a stand mixer, obviously you need an electric mixer. This recipe fits a standard 5-cup (or larger) stand mixer. I use a KitchenAid Artisan mixer (5-quart bowl size) or a Pro mixer (6-quart bowl size). A 4.5-quart bowl size would also work, but the smaller mini 3.5-quart mixers may be too small for this volume of flour and butter.

The beauty of using a stand mixer to make pie crust is that the machine can flatten the fat (in this case, butter) into thin sheets into the flour without the butter warming up much (like it would if you did this step with your hands). This creates a more flaky pie crust.

For this recipe, you will use a regular stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Make sure your butter and water are cold. Keep them in the fridge until you are ready to make your pie crust.

Step 1: mix the dry ingredients in your mixer bowl, then add the cubes of cold butter.

Step 2: Mix the butter into the dry ingredients to form an uneven, coarse crumble. You will notice some slightly larger pieces of butter that are flattened into thin sheets and smaller pieces.

Step 3: Add the cold water to the mixer bowl.

Step 4: Mix the water into the dough until it becomes to clump. The dough will look very shaggy with a few dry spots at the bottom of the bowl.

Hint: Use the lower mixer speed settings to incorporate the water into the dough. The dough should clump together and the flour should look moistened, with very few dry bits left.

Dump the shaggy dough onto a big sheet of plastic wrap to shape it into a disk (or two disks if you are making a double crust).

You must chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to solidify the butter before rolling. Otherwise your dough will be too soft to handle when it's rolled.

If making pie crust from scratch scares you, be sure to check out my pie crust masterclass, which includes video tutorials for making pie crust in the stand mixer, food processor, and by hand!

Roll out pie dough on a floured surface to prevent it from sticking, using a rolling pin, like a French rolling pin with tapered edges.

Make sure to roll the dough to a thin, even layer, rolling out the dough from the middle of the disk to the edges. Continuously slide the dough around to make it even and also to verify it's not sticking. Use more flour as needed.

Hint: If your dough becomes too soft to handle, put it back in the fridge. Some people like to roll out pie dough on a piece of parchment for this reason: it makes it easier to slide the parchment paper with the dough onto a sheet pan to chill in the fridge at any moment!

And here are a few double-crust pies to try:

• Rhubarb pie
• Blueberry pie
• Maple apple pie
• Peach mango pie

See more pie recipes.

Don't forget to save your pie scraps to make pie crust cookies sprinkled with cinnamon sugar!

If you tried this recipe for the best stand mixer pie crust (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Easy All-Butter Pie Crust Made In A Stand Mixer

Learn how to make a flaky pie crust in a stand mixer with this easy recipe. This makes enough dough for a double crust pie. It rolls out beautifully, without cracking, and holds its shape in the oven.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, British

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Chill time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 202kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO kitchen scale
• Metal pie plate
• Pastry cutter
• 6-quart KitchenAid Pro mixer or a 5 quart mixer

Ingredients

• 312 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 15 mL granulated sugar
• 5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 215 grams unsalted butter cut into cubes, very cold
• 100 mL water cold

Metric - US

Instructions

• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
• Add the cold butter and mix it in to form a coarse crumble with thin sheets of butter.
• Add the water and stir it in on low until a shaggy dough forms.
• Divide the dough in two and transfer both pieces to your work surface. Shape each piece into a disk. Wrap both in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour before rolling out on a floured surface with a rolling pin.

Video

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• You can halve this recipe to make a single-crust pie. Or freeze half for later, wrapped tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, then stored in an airtight freezer bag.
• If the dough gets too warm at any point, put it in the fridge. Otherwise the crust will be greasy and less flaky. Keep the butter and the dough cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 196mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Pie Crust in a Stand Mixer appeared first on The Bake School.

What is a bundt pan?

A bundt pan is a metal cake pan with a tubular or doughnut shape, meaning that cakes baked in this type of pan have a hole in the middle. This type of cake pan usually has intricate designs and swirling patterns embossed directly in the mould, creating a more decorative cake. The patterns of some bundt pans can serve as cutting guides for portioning out even slices, and for others, the patterns are well suited for glazes and icings that can drip and pool in places.

The bundt pan is similar to the German and Eastern European Kugelhopf pan (or Gugelhupf pan) for baking sweet yeasted breads and cakes (called Kugelhopf, Gugelhupf, or Bundkuchen).

Interestingly, the word "bundt" is trademarked by Nordic Ware, a Minnesota company. You may see bundt cake pans in stores labelled as "fluted tube pan" or "fluted cake pans" if they are produced by brands other than Nordic Ware.

How to use bundt pans

The elaborate designs and shapes of bundt cake pans make them a little tricky to use. It's important to take the time to prepare the cake pan for baking.

Greasing bundt pans

You have to grease a bundt pan, even if it's non-stick. You would be surprised how easily a cake will get stuck in a pan with intricate patterns as you see in this type of bakeware.

For greasing this type of bakeware, you have options:

• liquid fats, like canola oil, vegetable oil, or another neutral oil work fine, but because this type of fat is liquid at room temperature, the oil may slide down the sides of the pan and pool on the bottom, leading to pools of oil where the cake batter will not be able to spread. This can lead to empty patches and holes on the surface of the bundt cake. You can easily brush liquid fats with a pastry brush and do so just before transferring the batter to the pan, to minimize pooling.
• solid fats, like shortening or softened butter work best because when you spread the solid fat on the inside of the pan, in all the nooks and crannies, the fat stays in place and doesn't move at room temperature until the pan is in the oven. To apply solid fats to a bundt pan, use your fingertips, a piece of parchment, a paper towel, or even a butter wrapper. You can even use a soft pastry brush to do this task. Just make sure you apply it as evenly as possible, in a thin layer, and make sure to smooth it into all the edges and corners of the pan to make sure the surface is completely coated.

I do not recommend using aerosol oil sprays (like Pam) to prepare a bundt pan because the spray can create a sticky residue that gets baked onto the exposed edges. The pan will become very sticky and this can cause problems down the road.

Flouring bundt pans

As an extra precaution, you can also flour a bundt pan after greasing it. Do not take a risk: always prepare a bundt pan by greasing it (and even flouring it) before using.

I do recommend trying a baking spray specifically formulated for cakes. Bakers Joy is a great example. These usual contain both a fat and flour, and they work especially well for bundts, without leaving behind a sticky or gummy residue. Just make sure to hold the can of baking spray at a distance from the pan and to spray the inside evenly. Consult the manufacturers instructions for more information about the optimal distance for spraying the aerosol.

Like with all pans, it's important to take the time to prepare the pan to make sure that every part of the pan has an even coating of grease and flour. I may spend as much as 5 minutes to prep a bundt pan, but this guarantees that I will be successful when it's time to unmould the cake.

Filling it with batter

Filling a bundt pan is tricky because of all the indentations, bumps, and corners. You have to take the time to make sure that the batter reaches and fills every corner, from edge to edge, otherwise, you may end up with empty patches, pockets or holes.

Use a spoon or a small ladle, or even a piping bag with a big opening to ensure that every inch of the pan is properly filled with batter on the bottom before adding more to fill the pan. This is especially important with thick batters.

Some bakers recommend banging the filled pan on the counter to help the cake batter settle into the corners of the pan, but this might not work for thick batters. You may have to use the back of a spoon to push the batter into the corners and edges.

Make sure to only fill the pan until it's two-thirds to three-quarters full with batter. Otherwise the cake will take too long to bake and the edges may brown too much. Extra batter can be baked in muffin tins.

Baking the bundt cake

Bundt cakes tend to be very tall, thick cakes, and they can take as much as 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to bake properly and completely, usually at either 325 ºF or 350 ºF. Be patient. Make sure to use a cake tester and/or a digital thermometer to check that your cake is done baking.

How to get the cake out of the bundt pan

Once you have checked that the cake is done baking and you are abolutely sure the bundt cake is baked through, place the cake pan on a cooling rack and wait 10 minutes. This gives the crumb time to harden and firms up the whole cake.

After 10 minutes, invert the cake onto the cooling rack and remove the pan. To do so, place the cooling rack on top of the opening of the bundt pan, and flip it over swiftly and without hesitating. Make sure to grip both the cooling rack and the pan firmly with both hands. If the pan is still hot, you will need to use a towel or oven mitts to avoid burning your hands.

The cake should slide right out of the pan and onto the rack, cleanly, without sticking, if it's baked properly and cooled just enough but not too much. If the cake cools too much in the pan, it will stick and break apart if you aren't careful.

What to do if the bundt cake sticks to the pan

If your cake sticks to the bundt pan, flip it back so that the opening is on top (as if to bake the cake in the oven). You will need to evaluate what is happening and why it's sticking. Ask yourself these questions:

• did you prepare the pan properly by greasing it and even flouring it?
  • If your answer is no, you may be out of luck and it might not unmould cleanly without breaking.
  • If your answer is yes, then there's hope!
• is the pan and/or the cake cool to the touch?
  • If your answer is no, it's likely you didn't grease and flour the pan properly.
  • If your answer is yes, it's likely that the pan and the cake cooled down too much, fusing it to the pan. Preheat the oven to 300 ºF and place the cake pan back in the oven to warm the outside. You want to warm the pan enough so that the fat on the edges melts. It could take about 10 minutes. The pan should feel warm, but not burning hot. Once the pan and the edges of the cake are warmed up, you should be able to unmould the bundt cleanly, assuming the pan was properly prepared before baking in it.

I have had a lot of luck rewarming bundt cakes that are stuck to the pan so you should definitely try this trick. If all else fails, make trifle.

Cakes to make using a bundt pan

Bundt cakes are designed to serve a crowd, so if you are hosting a gathering with many people, bundt cakes are ideal because they are simple to make and always impressive to serve. Here are a few bundt cake recipes to try:

• Chocolate chip bundt cake topped with an easy ganache glaze
• Orange cranberry bundt cake topped with a simple orange icing
• Eggnog pound cake with a crystallized sugar and rum glaze
• Apple bundt cake served with salted caramel sauce

You'll notice that most bundt cake recipes are actually 1-2-3-4 cake recipes, made from 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs. Knowing the baking ratio makes the recipe easy to remember and once you've mastered it, you can use the ratio as a jumping off point to get creative!

Bundt cake recipes usually call for the creaming mixing method in order to incorporate more air into the batter, along with the chemical leaveners, baking powder and baking soda, to avoid a dense, heavy cake.

Can you make a bundt cake without a bundt pan?

You could technically bake most bundt cake recipes in any pan, but because most full-sized bundt pans have a volume of 10 to 15 cups (2.5 L to 3.75 L), this means you will have to split the batter into multiple pans and baking them could be tricky.

The beauty of the shape of the bundt is that it has a tubular or donut shape with a hole in the middle. The central metal tube helps conduct heat so that tall, dense cakes have a better chance of baking properly.

A tube pan could work for some batters, but you may want to wrap the outside with foil to avoid any dripping or leaking as the cake bakes since many tube pans are made of two pieces.

Remember the name bundt cake refers to the shape more than the type of recipe, so if you bake a bundt cake recipe in a regular cake pan, you are just baking a regular cake!

Other uses for bundt pans

Surprisingly, you don't have to use these pans exclusively for cakes! You can also use bundt pans for moulded gelatin-based recipes, and also for yeasted sweet breads, including monkey bread!

In my family, bundt pans are also used to make Middle Eastern moulded rice dishes with layers of basmati rice, ground meat, and toasted pine nuts. The trick is to press firmly each layer in the pan to create a dense texture that can survive flipping onto a plate, while holding the shape of the pan.

Bundt pan recommendations

I have baked a lot of bundts and I've found results vary depending on the pan. I've found with some older, vintage bundt pans, cakes are prone to sticking to the pan, no matter how careful you are about preparing the pan by greasing and flouring.

I bake exclusively with Nordic Ware bundt pans, which have a light non-stick coating on them for easy and clean unmoulding. These pans are very heavy duty so there's no risk of bending or damaging the shape of the pan, and they conduct heat well for even baking.

Measuring the size of a bundt pan can be tricky. Read this post about how to measure cake the size of a cake pan to find some tips and tricks (including using water to measure the size!).

I only recommend the following bundt pans:

• 10-15 cup bundt pans:
  • the Platinum Collection Anniversary Pan, which has a classic bundt cake shape and is the easiest pan to use. More intricate pans are more difficult to use because it can be hard to get the batter to fill every nook and cranny of the elaborate designs. This pan also features handles on either side to make it easier to get cakes in and out of the oven and also helps with unmoulding.
  • the Elegant party bundt pan (also on Amazon), which has a more intricate pattern than the Anniversary pan, but it's a little finer and different than the classic design.
• 6-cup bundt pans:
  • the smaller 6-cup Platinum Collection Anniversary Pan is the one I use and recommend. It's very sturdy and also has handles, which is helpful with smaller hands which can be harder to work with
• Mini bundt pans (also called bundtlette pans):
  • the easiest to use will again come from the Platinum Anniversary collection, with their mini bundt pans, which make 6 individual bundt cakes. Beginners should avoid pans with intricate, finer designs which are very difficult to use.

I highly recommend that both beginner and experienced bakers invest in at least one classic bundt pan to add to their arsenal of baking pans. Cake recipes baked in this type of pan are easy, feed a lot of people, and impressive!

Need more help with bundt pans?

Most of us aren't born with a natural ability to guess the exact size of any cake pan. If you would like to learn more about converting recipes from one pan type to another, you need the Baking Pan conversions chart.

Pan conversions chart

Use this baking pan size conversion chart to help you swap cake pans in a recipe. Learn how to find out which pans are equivalent and how to convert from one cake pan size to another.

Get the chart

The post How to use a bundt pan appeared first on The Bake School.

Get familiar with the units of measure and their abbreviations

Some recipe writers will spell out the units of measure in their recipe, as inches and centimetres, for example, while others may abbreviate them to in and cm. Here's a rundown of the commonly used abbreviations for the units of measure used for baking pans.

Units of lengths

Europeans follow the metric system, where lengths and distances are expressed according to the metre, whereas North Americans tend to measure distances according to inches and feet:

• inches are abbreviated as in or as "
• centimetres are abbreviated as cm
• millimetres are abbreviated as mm

Conversions from centimetres to inches

You may need to convert from inches to centimetres, or centimetres to inches when you are choosing the appropriate bakeware for a recipe. Europeans use the metric system and measure bakeware in centimetres, while North Americans use inches.

The conversion from centimetres to inches is easy: there are 2.54 centimetres per inch. If you have a measurement in inches, multiply it by 2.54 to get the measurement in centimetres. Or to convert centimetres to inches, divide the centimetres by 2.54 to get the measurement in inches.

You can also use this list of common (rounded) conversions, which will be especially useful for bakeware dimensions:

• 4 in = 10 cm
• 5 in = 13 cm
• 6 in = 15 cm
• 7 in = 18 cm
• 8 in = 20 cm
• 9 in = 23 cm
• 10 in = 25 cm
• 11 in = 28 cm
• 12 in = 31 cm
• 13 in = 33 cm

How to measure the pan size

Method to measure dimensions of cake pans and bakeware

As bakers, you should always have some kind of clear plastic or metal ruler, and even a measuring tape in your toolkit (or kitchen drawers). Both of these should show measurements in centimetres and inches to make converting between metric and imperial pan sizes easier.

In most cases, you should measure the dimensions of a cake pan at the top of the pan (at the opening), from the inner edge to the inner edge, straight across. But some manufacturers may opt to give the dimensions of the bottom of the pan.

Use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the dimensions of your pans.

• For square and rectangular cake pans, the vertical and horizontal lengths are measured from corner to corner, as opposed to a television or computer screen, where the dimensions represent the diagonal across the screen from corner to corner
• For loaf pans, the length, width, and height of the pan are measured from inner edge to inner edge (though some brands measure the outside dimensions of the pan so this is brand dependent).
• For round cake pans, the diameter is measured straight across the top of the pan—note that round pan sizes are expressed as the diameter, and not the radius)
• For bundt pans and tube pans usually, the size is expressed as a volume, but if you want to measure the dimensions, measure the diameter straight across the top opening of the pan. Most bundt pans have 10- to 14-inch diameters

Easy way to calculate the volume of your baking pans

There can be a lot of math involved when you want to calculate the volume of your baking pans. To make matters worse, some of the math is not so obvious when you realize that, for some types of cake pans, the sides of pans aren't vertical, but rather angled, meaning your round cake pan is actually a truncated cone, which comes with a different formula for calculating volume than the volume of a cylinder.

For this reason, I recommend letting go of your calculator and using a different method. You can also invest in this recipe scaling calculator workbook which is a set of spreadsheet that does the math for you, calculating pan volumes among other things.

Scale Recipes Lika a PRO!

The Scaling Recipes Up and Down Like a Pro ebook + workbook is the ultimate baking companion for bakers of all levels! With the step-by-step process and recipe scaling spreadsheets, you'll learn how to calculate pan volumes and modify any recipe to fit the pans you own. No more baking math headaches!

Get the bundle

Use your kitchen scale

The easiest way for you to determine the volume of your cake pans is to use your kitchen scale! Here's how:

1. Place the empty, clean pan on your kitchen scale
2. Set your kitchen scale unit to grams
3. Tare the scale to zero it
4. Fill the pan with tap water, all the way up to the rim if you can, without spilling
5. Read the weight displayed on the scale: that's the volume of your pan in millilitres!
   1. Remember the density of water is 1 gram per millilitre
   2. If you can fill your pan with 1000 grams of water, then the volume of your pan is 1000 mL or 1 L

Use a liquid measuring cup

Another easy way to determine the volume of your pans is to use a measuring cup to count the number of cups of water you can fit in the pan. The problem with this is you can quickly lose count with larger pans.

Some common baking pan sizes

If you want to convert a recipe from one pan size to another, you need to know the dimensions of the two pans and/or the volumes. To do this easily, you can use this easy-to-use baking pan conversions chart with sizes and volumes for most cake pans and bakeware, as well as conversions and equivalents.

Pan conversions chart

Use this baking pan size conversion chart to help you swap cake pans in a recipe. Learn how to find out which pans are equivalent and how to convert from one cake pan size to another.

Get the chart

Here's a list of the cake pans and bakeware you may need:

• Square pans (like brownie pans)
  • 8x8x2-in pan, also called an 8-inch square pan is 20x20x5 cm (8-cup volume)
  • 9x9x2-in pan, also called a 9-inch square pan is 23x23x5 cm (10 cup volume)
• Round cake pans
  • 6” x 2-in (15 cm x  5 cm) (4 cup volume)
  • 8” x 1.5” (20 cm x 3.8 cm) (4 cup volume) or 8” x 2” (20 cm x 5 cm) (6 cup volume)
  • 9” x 1.5” (23 cm x 3.8 cm) (6 cup volume) or 9” x 2” (23 cm x 5 cm) (8 cup volume)
  • 10” x 2" (25 cm x 5 cm) (10 cup volume)
  • Springform, usually 9” x 3” (23 cm x 7.6 cm) (12 cup volume)
• Rectangular bakeware
  • 9x13x2-in pan is 23x33x5-cm (16 cup volume)
• Sheet pans
  • Full sheet 26" x 18" x 1" (66 x 46 x 2.5 cm
  • Half sheet 13” x 18” x 1” (33 x 46 x 2.5 cm)
  • Quarter sheet 9” x 13” x 1” ( 23 x 46 x 2.5 cm)
• Loaf cake pans
  • a standard loaf cake pan is a 9x5x3-in pan is 23x13x6-cm and is sometimes referred to as a 9x5 pan for short (8 cup volume), but sometimes 8.5” x 4.5 “ x 2.75“ (21 cm x 1 cm x 6 cm) (6 cup volume) are used
• Pie plates
  • a standard pie plate has a 9-in diameter or 23 cm
• Bundt pans and tube pans
  • Typical bundt pans are 10” x 3.5” (25 cm x 9 cm) if not larger (minimum 12 cup volume)
  • Typical tube pans are either 9” x 3” (23 cm x 7.6 cm) or even 10” x 4” (25 cm x 10 cm) (12–16 cup volume usually)

For a complete list of pan sizes of most bakeware in inches, centimetres, cups, and litres, and for help on how to convert recipes from one pan size to another, buy this pan conversions chart!

Converting a recipe from one pan size to another

Once you know the volume of the pan used in your baking recipe, you can then make substitutions:

1. use an equivalent pan of equal volume and make no changes to your recipe, but remember that you will have to adjust baking times because taller, narrower cakes will take longer to bake than shorter, wider cakes.
2. use a larger volume pan and scale up your recipe: calculate the ratio of volumes (larger pan divided by recommended pan volume) and use that factor to scale up the quantities in the recipe. The factor will be greater than one because you are scaling up your recipe. All you have to do is multiply all the ingredient quantities by that factor (the ratio).
3. use a smaller volume pan and scale down your recipe: calculate the ratio of volumes (larger pan divided by recommended pan volume) and use that number to scale up the quantities in the recipe. The factor will be less than one because you are scaling down the recipe. All you have to do is multiply all the ingredient quantities by that factor.

Frequently asked questions

The post How to measure cake pan sizes appeared first on The Bake School.

What You Need To Make a Lattice Top Pie

• One unbaked fruit-filled pie crust with edges that are untrimmed
• A second portion of dough that has been rolled out on a floured surface (or on parchment paper) to roughly 10x15 inches—I like this all-butter pie crust made in the food processor
• A long ruler or a measuring tape, at least 10 inches long
• A pizza wheel, pastry wheel, lattice cutter, or a pairing knife
• Kitchen scissors

Please ensure you have a dedicated measuring tape or ruler in your kitchen that you use only for food to avoid cross-contamination.

If making pie crust from scratch scares you, be sure to check out my pie crust masterclass!

Cutting Strips Of Pie Dough

Cutting even strips of dough can be tricky. I like to use a ruler and a pizza wheel to make the job easier! These two tools combined work well together and help you cut straight, even strips.

• For a fat lattice, you need to cut 7 strips of dough that are 1.5–2 inches wide. Given that we need 7 strips to weave the lattice, I recommend rolling the sheet of dough to a rectangle of 10 inches x 15 inches, roughly. These dimensions will give you enough excess to trim the edges so they are neat. Check out this blueberry pie recipe to see a fat lattice.
• For a thin lattice, you need to cut 12 strips of dough that are 1 inch wide or less. Check out this rhubarb pie to see a finer lattice.

Finer lattices take longer to weave. Keep this in mind when you are deciding what you want to do.

Fun fact: you can vary the width of the strips of dough to weave a lattice of thick and thin strips for a fun effect. You can even braid very thin strips and use the braid as a strip in the lattice!

How To Weave a Fat Lattice Pie Crust Top

To create a fat lattice, you will need 7 wide strips of dough that are roughly 1.5–2 inches wide and at least 10 inches long.

• Steps 1–4: arrange 4 strips of pie dough horizontally and parallel to each other across the top of the filled pie.

• Step 5: Fold back the second and fourth strips (basically every second strip) toward the middle.
• Step 6: Place a strip of dough vertically crosswise over the two remaining strips.
• Steps 7–8: Unfold the two folded strips over the vertical strip to form the first lattice weave.

• Step 9: Fold back the first and third strips toward the middle this time.
• Step 10: Place a strip of dough vertically crosswise over the two remaining strips.
• Steps 11–12: Unfold the two folded strips over the vertical strip to form the second lattice weave.

• Step 13: Fold back the second and fourth strips (basically every second strip) toward the middle.
• Step 14: Place the last strip of dough vertically crosswise over the two remaining strips.
• Steps 15–16: Unfold the two folded strips over the vertical strip to form the third and last lattice weave.

How To Weave a Thin Lattice Pie Crust

You will need twelve 1-inchx10-inch strips of pie dough for this technique.

• Steps 1–4: Arrange 6 strips of pie dough vertically and parallel to each other across the top of the filled pie.

• Step 5: Fold back the second, fourth, and sixth strips (basically every second strip) toward the middle.
• Step 6: Place a strip of dough horizontally crosswise over the three remaining strips.
• Steps 7–8: Unfold the three folded strips over the horizontal strip to form the first lattice weave

• Step 9: Fold back the first, third, and fifth strips toward the middle this time.
• Step 10: Place a strip of dough horizontally crosswise over the three remaining strips.
• Steps 11–12: Unfold the three folded strips over the horizontal strip to form the second lattice weave.

• Step 13–16: Repeat this weaving pattern with the remaining 4 strips of dough. Remember that for each additional strip, you need to alternate which dough strips of the lattice are folded and unfolded as described

Once your lattice is done, you need to trim the lattice strips around the edges and then fold the bottom crust over the ends of the strips. Trimming the excess lattice strips is essential to make sure the edge isn't overly thick.

Crimp around the circumference of the pie for a finished look.

Ways of modifying the lattice pie technique

Once you've mastered the lattice pie crust technique, you can get creative:

• Diamond lattice: instead of arranging pie dough strips horizontally and vertically, perpendicular to each other, you can arrange the strips on a diagonal, at an angle, to create a slanted lattice
• Braiding: you can braid 3 skinny strips of dough (less than ½-inch wide) to create a 10-inch braid that you can weave into the lattice. Treat the braid as you would a single strip of dough.

Lattice pie crust alternatives

If you aren't in the mood to weave a lattice, you can still jazz up your next pie with these decorative pie crust techniques:

• cut out decorative shapes as in this peach mango pie where the top crust is created from layers of cutout stars
• create shaped vents using a pie crust cutter or cookie cutters to stamp out a pattern, like for this maple apple pie
• twirl twisted pie strips like the top of this bacon and egg pie
• make a crumble topping instead like for this whiskey peach pie and classic Dutch apple pies

Tips and tricks for baking fruit pies

Here are a few tricks you can use to make sure you bake the perfect fruit pie with a golden brown crust and a set filling every time:

• Bake your fruit pies on the bottom oven rack;
• Start baking pies at a higher temperature, like 425 °F to set and bake the bottom before lowering the temperature to 400 °F to continue cooking the filling;
• Bake your fruit pies on a sheet pan lined with parchment to make cleanup easier because a properly baked pie with a thick fruit filling will likely boil over;
• Bake fruit pies for over an hour and ensure the filling is bubbling in the middle to ensure the center is heated through. This is especially important for pie fillings with juicy fruit like summer berries and rhubarb.

Lattice pie crust technique FAQs

The post How To Make a Lattice Pie Crust appeared first on The Bake School.