I’ve been baking for a long time. I grew up watching my nana make her famous pumpkin rolls and easy cheesecake and loved helping my mom in the kitchen.

But I know that not everyone learned to cook and bake as a kid. So a lot of us are trying to learn as much as we can as adults. 

If that’s you, there’s zero shame in not knowing how to make a quick buttermilk substitute or needing someone to teach you how to measure flour or how to cream butter and sugar correctly. 

Cocoa powder is one of those baking ingredients that sounds really basic, but then you get to the grocery store baking aisle and see multiple types. How do you know which kind to buy? What is natural cocoa powder and how is it different from dutched cocoa?

Before you panic, keep reading. I’m going to teach you about the types of cocoa powder, how to know which one to use, and a few tips on how to store them and know if and when they go bad.

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If you’ve been around for a while, you know how much I love being able to make things at home.

Whether it’s having a buttermilk substitute recipe up my sleeve or knowing how to make an amazing pumpkin pie spice, I like knowing how to make some key baking basics in my own kitchen.

You might think that making butter is just for your ancestors, but I can promise you that it’s not. Homemade butter has an incredible flavor and it’s unbelievably easy!

Whether you’re making it to impress dinner guests, turning it into a delicious compound butter, or simply looking for a way to use up excess heavy cream, knowing how to make butter is a trick that’s worth keeping in mind.

There are 3 easy ways to make your own butter using tools you likely already have on hand, so let’s talk through them.

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Fancy-sounding dishes that are secretly super easy to make are totally my jam.

Whipped cherry butter looks so beautiful on your table but comes together in just minutes. Cranberry brie bites always impress guests but are made with just 3 ingredients. And this apple compote sounds fancy but takes almost no effort to make.

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There’s a local restaurant here in Ohio that serves whipped cherry butter with their bread and my brother absolutely loves it!

This Thanksgiving, I had extra maraschino cherries from making my ambrosia salad and decided to whip up some cherry butter as a surprise for him.

It turned out perfect and he said it was his favorite thing about Thanksgiving dinner, which only pissed me off a little because it took a whopping 5 minutes to make and I had prepped and cooked everything else for daaaaaays. But I guess that’s a brother for ya!

If you’re looking for a quick and easy addition to your holiday dinner rolls or breakfast spread, this whipped cherry butter is definitely it.

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When you’re planning a big holiday dinner, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in the ham or turkey and all of the sides – like garlic mashed potatoes and Jiffy corn casserole – that you forget to add a fresh veggie to the menu.

A beautiful salad is a great way to add some freshness to a heavy meal, and I’m here to tell you that it does not have to be boring. 

One of the easiest ways to make a salad both delicious and impressive is with some homemade croutons. Everyone loves croutons and they’re so easy to customize with any seasonings you like!

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As much as I love cruising through the Starbucks drive-thru, I’ll admit that going there on a regular basis gets kind of expensive.

The other day I discovered that a single slice of pumpkin loaf costs almost $4 at Starbucks. But I can an entire batch of my pumpkin bread – which makes 2 whole loaves – for less than $7.50.

You get where I’m going? Those green cups are a great treat, but not a daily habit for me. 

So instead, I like finding ways to make some of my coffee-shop favorites at home. And if you like iced coffees as much as I do, this vanilla sweet cream cold brew is a must-try.

The post Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

I love a morning coffee shop coffee or tea. Whether it’s hitting up my local coffee shop or swinging through the Starbucks drive thru, it’s a great way to start my morning. Or get my second wind in the afternoon.

But doing that daily is not the best habit. It does add up after a while.

That’s why I like making homemade vanilla coffee syrup and keeping it on hand for dressing up my coffee at home. And once I became hooked on the Starbucks brown sugar syrup, I knew I had to come up with a homemade version of that, too.

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I’m a big believer in taking my recipes and making them your own. 

This is especially true with my cakes and cupcakes. I often give you cake and frosting pairings, but you should just consider those to be suggestions or starting points. 

It’s the reason why I have so many different frosting recipes for you, from buttercream and cream cheese frosting to strawberry frosting and whipped cream frosting. 

And today I’m sharing my newest favorite: brown butter frosting. I’ll give you some suggested ways to use it later in this post, but I really hope you’ll get creative. Feel free to use it however you like and make something brand new with it – that’s really the whole point of baking, after all!

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When you’re a veteran baker, sometimes you take for granted the tips and tricks you have learned over the years. 

Things like how to measure flour correctly or how to make a simple buttermilk substitute eventually become second nature, but there was a time when we all had to learn these things.

One of the most important techniques in baking is learning how to cream butter and sugar properly. But it’s also one of the things that we sometimes forget to teach new bakers!

If you’re new to baking and have been confused about why creaming butter and sugar together is important or how to know when it’s ready for the next step in the recipe, this is the post for you. We’re going to talk through the basics of this important technique and learn how it can change the outcome of your baked goods.

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Without a doubt my most popular recipe this time of year is my slow cooker apple butter. And there’s really no question why! It’s incredibly easy and absolutely delicious.

One of the most common questions I get about the recipe is: Can I can this apple butter?

I didn’t grow up with a grandmother who canned food, so I never messed around much with it. It always seemed really intimidating to me. But I called up my friend Megan and asked her to teach me what I needed to know to can my apple butter.

I don’t think I’ll become a master canner, but it’s nice to know how to preserve one of my favorite fall foods without taking up a bunch of space in my freezer. 

So let’s talk through the basics on how to can apple butter!

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