By Marci Lutsky
There is nothing worse than baking close to one hundred cookies only to find them ruined. Over the years I have found out the hard way about baking mistakes. The good news is that I have learned from them. If you have cookie swap baking in your future, make sure to read this carefully so you don’t find yourself making a last minute run to ShopRite and trying to pass off their cookies as your own (I swear, I have never done this).
We have moved many times over the years and after my coffee pot, the next thing I always unpack is my oven thermometer. Do not rely on your oven to tell you when it’s preheated. A difference of fifty degrees can make or break baked goods like bread, cake and cookies. You can buy a reliable oven thermometer for less than $10, well worth the investment. If your baked goods cook unevenly, I recommend rotating the pans halfway through the baking process. Ovens can have hotter spots than others so this is highly recommended.
If there is one thing that kids leave my cooking classes knowing, it’s how to level a cup of flour. If you aren’t sure what this means, read on! You do not want to pack down the flour. I suggest using a scoop to gently fill the measuring cup with flour and then use the back of a knife to remove the excess flour. Two cups means two cups and if you pack down the flour, you will not be adding the accurate amount. While we are on the subject of flour, making sure you are using the right flour. There are big differences between whole wheat, all-purpose and bread flour.
If you are planning to make a recipe, check to see that you have all the ingredients and equally important, that the ingredients are not expired. If you don’t plan to use the big bag of baking soda in a relatively short amount of time, buy a smaller bag! If you are doubling a recipe, make sure that you have the correct amount of eggs and butter. It’s no fun getting halfway through mixing ingredients only to find out that you are short two eggs.
Butter is one of the trickiest ingredients to work with in my opinion and getting it softened to perfection comes with experience. If a recipe calls for softened butter, make sure to leave it at room temperature for about an hour. If you are making pie crust or cookies that calls for chilling the dough, do not try to skip this step. If you have ever tried to roll out dough for gingerbread cookies that hasn’t been chilled, you know it will be impossible to hold together.
Here are some other tips that are equally important as those already mentioned. Don’t overcrowd your pan. Allow space for your cookies to spread during baking. Use the right baking pan or dish. For pies, I prefer glass to ceramic baking dishes. I find it cooks more evenly. Invest in some cooling racks. When you first remove cookies, brownies or cupcakes from the oven, let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. Always let the baked goods cool completely before placing them in an enclosed container.
Baking is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. Eliminate stress by planning ahead to make sure you have the right ingredients, they are fresh and you have all the necessary kitchen tools. Cookies bring a smile to everyone’s face at holiday season so brighten up someone’s day with a batch!
CRANBERRY OATMEAL BARS
This recipe for Cranberry Oatmeal Bars is one that you will want to keep in your recipe arsenal. It’s a quick and perfect treat to make for brunch, an afternoon snack, Thanksgiving dessert or just anytime. The nice thing about this recipe is that you don’t need to cook the crust first, it all just gets cooked one time in the oven. It’s very seasonal for this time of year with dried cranberries but we actually make these bars all year round.
You start by mixing together the dry ingredients of flour, oats and spices. To that you add melted butter and fresh squeezed orange juice. My mini chefs love squeezing juice out of citrus fruits. My kids received these adorable mini chef jackets as gifts from their grandparents and when I told my told daughter it was time for Mini Chef Mondays, she ran to get hers. Looking for a cute gift for the holidays? My kids love their chef coats.
For the filling you mix together cranberries, sour cream, vanilla extract, orange rind, and an egg white. You add that on top of the crust and then top it with some reserved oat topping. Cook that for about 40 minutes and then cut it into bars. My kids love this as dessert but I love one of these bars in the afternoon with tea. Either way, these bars are the perfect amount of sweetness and are so easy to whip up.
Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
Filling
- 1 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325. To prepare crust combine flour through cinnamon in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add melted butter and orange juice. Stir until moistened. Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture. Pour the rest into a greased 8X8 baking pan coated in cooking spray.
To prepare filling combine cranberries through egg white in a medium bowl. Spread in pan on top of oat mixture. Using hands, crumble reserved oat mixture on top. Bake for 40 minutes until edges are golden. When completely cool, cut into bars.
Marci Lutsky is a food blogger at Vegging at the Shore, www.veggingattheshore.com and can be reached at veggingattheshore@gmail.com.
