Everyone Loves Tips…How About Some Baking Tips
FLOUR:
Your best bet for general baking is all-purpose flour. It comes bleached, which chemically whitens the flour, and unbleached, both of which you can use interchangeably. When measuring flour, spoon it into your measuring cup and use the flat side of a knife to level it off.
EGGS:
When a recipe calls for eggs, always use large-size unless otherwise specified. Crack eggs into a small bowl before adding to other ingredients so you can remove any pieces of shell that may have fallen in.
BUTTER:
For superior flavor and texture, use butter if the recipe calls for it. Margarine can contain a lot of water, which will make cookies spread too thin. To soften butter, leave out at room temperature for 1 hour or to speed up the process, cut into small pieces.
BAKING SODA AND BAKING POWDER:
Both baking soda and powder help your baking batter rise. But don’t substitute one for the other, as they can give different results. Baking soda works when mixed with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk, sour cream or vinegar, while baking powder works with a neutral liquid like water or milk to cause a loaf or quick bread to rise.
CHOCOLATE:
For everyday baking, choose semi-sweet or unsweetened chocolate-it’s best for brownies and cookies. If you prefer a bolder chocolate taste, choose bittersweet, which is great for dark rich cakes and tortes. Bittersweet and semi-sweet are interchangeable, depending on how dark=-tasting you like your chocolate. (Source: Kraft Foods 2007)
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Earthly Eating Recipe
Easy Jam-Filled Cookies
Makes: 4 Dozen
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup walnut pieces, finely chopped
3/4 cup strawberry preserves
1 tsp. powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat cream cheese, butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Separate 1 of the eggs; set egg whites aside for later use. Add yolk, second (whole) egg and vanilla to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Gradually add combines flour and baking powder, beating until well blended after each addition.
Divided dough into 4 equal pieces. Rolls each pieces into 12×1-inch logs; place, 2 inches apart, on a large baking sheet. Use handle of wooden spoon or fingers to make depression down length of each log, about 1/2-inch wide and 1/2-inch deep. Beat reserved egg white with fork; brush over dough. Sprinkle with walnuts. Fill depressions with preserves, using about 3 tbs. preserves in each log.
Bake 25 to 27 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks; cool slightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut each log into 12 diagonal slices.
Happy Eating!
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