Lesson #6: In lieu of my recent White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies... I little experiment on chilling cookie dough before baking. This is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and I agree (time permitting).
Chill cookie dough for 24 hours before baking for a crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside cookie with much more richness in flavor.
I swear, if you really pay attention, you can taste the difference. BUT, sometimes you just can't wait that long for a cookie and you just gotta take care of business...
Lesson #5: No, you cannot use a bundt pan instead of an angel food cake pan.
Lesson #4: These cupcakes. Just don't.
Lesson #3: Parchment paper. Use it.
Lesson #2: Don't double a recipe. You'll show up to a party with far too many cupcakes...and people will think you're crazy. But you know what? They will eat them anyways, have seconds, and take some home with them as they groan and say, "Agh, I don't know why you made so many..." (ahem, Curtis), but they will eat the leftovers happily regardless. So you know what? I say forget Lesson #2...
Lesson #1: Do not use your oven set at the lowest heat level as a place to make bread dough rise. It may sound like a smart idea, but it is way too warm for the dough, as yeast rises best at a temperature of 80 to 90 degrees. I did this, and my "Olive Garden" breadsticks turned out a bit like bricks. Although people still ate them, and claimed they tasted fine... I breadstick should not clink when you tap it against your plate.
Chill cookie dough for 24 hours before baking for a crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside cookie with much more richness in flavor.
I swear, if you really pay attention, you can taste the difference. BUT, sometimes you just can't wait that long for a cookie and you just gotta take care of business...
Lesson #5: No, you cannot use a bundt pan instead of an angel food cake pan.
This...
Does not equal this...
But it does result in this...
What mine looked like.
What they are supposed to look like.
Lesson #3: Parchment paper. Use it.
Lesson #2: Don't double a recipe. You'll show up to a party with far too many cupcakes...and people will think you're crazy. But you know what? They will eat them anyways, have seconds, and take some home with them as they groan and say, "Agh, I don't know why you made so many..." (ahem, Curtis), but they will eat the leftovers happily regardless. So you know what? I say forget Lesson #2...
Lesson #1: Do not use your oven set at the lowest heat level as a place to make bread dough rise. It may sound like a smart idea, but it is way too warm for the dough, as yeast rises best at a temperature of 80 to 90 degrees. I did this, and my "Olive Garden" breadsticks turned out a bit like bricks. Although people still ate them, and claimed they tasted fine... I breadstick should not clink when you tap it against your plate.
Lately, I have been placing my dough in an unheated oven covered with a damp cloth for 30 minutes. I have been warming my damp cloth in the microwave for like 30 seconds before covering to expell some extra heat. I also have been placing a pot of water brought to a boil in the oven as well to provide that extra heat and humidity. It seems to have been working well.
your cupcakes are way cute! and good tip on the boiling water in a pan to help bread rise- I've done the same thing where I warm the oven, then totally forget about it, and end up with hard little bricks. the trials of baking....
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