#baking

#baking

I absolutely love baking. It's the perfect activity for a rainy day, and there truly is nothing like the smell of baked goods in the oven. I'm constantly dreaming of chocolate chip cookies, and will never turn down a slice of cake. But there are a ton of baking rules that us amateur chefs might not know about, instead following whatever the recipes state without understanding why.

Between their ooey-gooey softness and irresistible cinnamon sugar interior, there's a reason why cinnamon rolls are a perennial favorite amongst sweet-toothed breakfast lovers. Not only are they delicious, but they're also a time-tested classic with a familiar flavor profile that people know and love. That said, if you're feeling a little daring and want to give your cinnamon roll some zing, it may be time to add a little lemon curd into the mix.

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Many a beautiful culinary creation has come out of the Southern U.S., though perhaps no Southern delicacy graces tables more frequently than the humble and wonderfully versatile biscuit. Not to be confused with British biscuits (which are always sweet and perfect for dunking in a cup of tea) or scones, Southern biscuits make the ideal accompaniment for just about any meal, and can be enjoyed either sweet or savory.

These delicate espresso shortbread cookies - a simple recipe with not too many ingredients - strike the perfect balance of coffee and brown butter. The brown butter has just enough caramel-y oomph to stand up to the espresso. Fiona Zhang says she bakes them so that they're fairly soft - 12 minutes in her oven - but for a snappier, crunchier cookie, they could stay in the oven for a couple minutes longer.

These new titles? They helped us get dinner on the table in so many ways. Books for those willing to explore the wonders waiting in their pantry or those who want to wander around other countries for inspiration. Books that celebrate vegetarian cooking, baked goods, and "good things." There were deep dives into diasporic Pakistani, Ghanaian, Middle Eastern, and Latinx cuisine. With so many excellent titles, how does one go about chronicling the best? By enlisting a group of tastemakers to evaluate and select their favorites.

I'm sorry to say, but it looks like winter has officially landed. Temps are dropping, and my neck of the woods has already gotten a few flurries, which means it's time for comfort food and planning that holiday menu. I personally love winter and the opportunity to slow down and put my oven to work. Whether you're like me or are just trying to survive the cold weather and short days, you'll love these 31 cozy recipes that are sure to warm you up.

FOOL PROOF PIE CRUST 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 3/4 cups shortening 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 large egg 1/2 cup ice water Add all ingredients except egg and water to a large bowl. Mix with a pastry cutter or fork until it looks like gravel. In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, beat together the egg and water. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork.

Professional baker here: believing the baking times on the recipe. Every oven is different, every time you use that oven is different, etc. Timers are useful for reminding you that you have something in the oven, but beyond that, you have to know what done looks/feels like. Probe thermometers are your friend.

Our taste tester found that the tart crust baked up perfectly flaky and golden, without that frustrating sogginess that can plague pie doughs, especially frozen versions. Infused with cream cheese and cinnamon, the apple filling is rich in taste and texture, and a sliced almond topping adds crunch and an extra dash of visual appeal. The overall flavor profile is buttery and fruity with just the right amount of sweetness.

"Start from the short end, roll forward with your fingertips, and press lightly as you go to remove air pockets," she instructs. "If you tug or pull the dough, you risk overstretching the gluten; instead, let the dough naturally roll onto itself." In the in-person classes held at Wilton Sweet Studio, students are shown how to place rolling pins behind the rolled part of the dough to help shape it.

[It] makes an incredibly flavorful, tender, and flaky crust,

While these cookies invert the classic ratio of crust to custardy filling (these are for you, crust lovers), they're an affectionate homage to the dessert I associate most with the holiday season, and my lovingly stubborn grandpa. Blitzed graham crackers and all-purpose flour come together in a buttery, brown-sugar-sweetened dough that stays soft and chewy after baking. In the center of each thumbprint, a dollop of silky, tart lime filling sets during the cookies' brief stint in the oven, just like their full-size namesake.

2 pounds whole sweet potatoes, washed and patted dry 1 9-inch pie crust 1 cup evaporated milk 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled 3 large free-range eggs, yolks and whites separated 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 pinches ground Himalayan pink salt 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest whipped cream, for serving

Humans may have invented telescopes that can glimpse outer space, but squirrels gather nuts when they sense winter coming on, and more nuts indicate a harsher season ahead. Such is the ancient wisdom packed into the pages of The Old Farmer's Almanac, which has been in print since 1792 - when George Washington was still President and almost 100 years before Edison patented the light bulb - and today remains the best-selling and longest continuously published periodical in America.

If you're ready to bake a batch of cookies but notice you only have salted butter in the fridge, don't fret. Go ahead and use salted butter to bake. The salt content in salted butter will not drastically change the texture and crumb structure of your cookies. After all, salt is merely a mineral that enhances flavor. It does not contain moisture, like sugar does, or protein like flour.

There's no wrong way to make a chocolate chip cookie. Let's get that part out of the way so that we don't get into a whole big fight about whose cuisine reigns supreme. You put a chocolate chip cookie in front of me, I'll eat it and be happy. That's a lock. That said, I have been monkeying around with chocolate chip cookie recipes for as long as I've been a homemaker (nearly 20 years!).

From cool concerts and shows to delightful animation and apple tart deliciousness, there is a lot to do and eat this weekend. So let's get to it, shall we? (As always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines or other details.) Meanwhile, if you'd like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or w.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters .

Home bakers (and particularly Americans) are so terrified of over-baking things that they wildly, tragically underbake them. Some things (brownies, snicker doodles) are best if you just barely bake them, but a lot of things (particularly breads, viennoiserie, some cookies, etc) need to get properly, richly browned. Colour is flavour! Raw flour doesn't taste good! Gelatinise your starches, caramelise some sugars, and crisp up that crust, people!

Brandt Ranj is a commerce reporter for The Verge, which means, he says, "I spend my time trying to find good deals and the best gear to recommend to our readers." He also keeps The Verge 's wearables buyer's guides up to date, but, he adds, "my role requires me to cover a little bit of everything," including deals on subscriptions. "Products are constantly coming out, so every day it is a little different."

Posts from Australian and British readers showed no alarming results and I quickly realised something had gone awry in the American translation. As it turned out, the recipes had been converted in-house by the publisher, using a straightforward formula to change celsius to fahrenheit. What no one had noticed was that the conversion also needed to take into account the oven setting: fan-forced versus conventional heat. Many American ovens, it seems, still don't have a fan function.

What's Bonfire Night without some toasty, gooey marshmallows? And it's only right to have them in a s'more, the American classic that's also now part of the festivities over on this side of the pond. Digestive biscuits are typically the go-to, but I like to add extra flavour, depth and texture by using ginger oaty biscuits instead. These are quick to put together and don't require any chilling.

For the pie/filling: - Your favorite pie crust recipe (or store-bought pie crust) - 4 cups Concord, Thomcord, Kyoho, or other seeded grape variety (you can use seedless grapes if necessary, with one small adjustment to the recipe outlined below) - 1 cup sugar - ⅓ cup all-purpose flour - ¼ teaspoon salt - 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 2 tablespoons melted butter