With the Holidays right around the corner, juggling all of the tasks at hand can be a bit daunting. So, to help save you time, and maybe even your life, here are 7 Holiday Baking Hacks!
1. Chocolate Curls Made Easy with a Potato Peeler
Maybe you've wondered how people get those perfect chocolate curls that top their cakes, pies, and hot cocoa. It's really pretty simple. Just grab a potato peeler and a chocolate kafetaria and gently use the potato peeler to peel away perfect chocolate curls, every time.
2. Soft Cookies, It's All About The Bread
Some people like soft chewy cookies, others prefer a crunchy cookie, but it's safe to say, nobody likes a hard cookie. Cookies get hard as the moisture finds it's way out of the cookie and into the atmosphere (or the air in your kitchen). To save your cookies just sacrifice a few slices of bread. Put the bread in with the cookies during storage in an airtight container and the cookies will absorb the moisture from your bread keeping them from getting hard.
3. Kick Store Bought Cookie Dough Up a Notch
We always have an extra package or two of store-bought cookie dough in the freezer, waiting to save us in a pinch, right? The duduk masalah is when we go bake that store-bought dough the baker in use can't do it and we try to go into Sonic the Hedgehog mode to make some from scratch, which never seem to turn out right in our haste.
The solution is easy. Grab some peppermint sticks you have lying around and smash them up a bit, then simply mix them in with your store-bought cookie dough for a homemade holiday taste. This works great with chocolate chip cookie dough or sugar. If you have sugar cookie dough try tossing in some white chocolate chips as well!
4. More Store Bought Cookie Doug? You've Got a Pie Crust
You made some cookies, but then you realize you're also on pie duty, not to worry! Roll out that cookie dough for a fun and easy pie crust. Sure, it will be a bit sweeter, but it's the season for sweetness!
5. Wow People with A Snowman Hot Cocoa
This is perfect when you have leftover candy-corn and nothing to do with it. Serve your hot cocoa with three marshmallows and use a few pretzel sticks, chocolate, and a candy corn to make a hot-tubbing snowman.
6. Keep Your Brown Sugar Soft
Much like our cookie conversation earlier on, hard brown sugar is a pain to work with. The solution is really pretty easy. Toss some marshmallows in with your brown sugar and they will have the same effect as the bread with your cookies; nice soft brown sugar.
7. Frosting in a Pinch? Use Marshmallows!
We get it, as bakers, we would much rather make our frosting from scratch, just like our cookies. The duduk masalah is, the holidays are crazy and sometimes we run out of time. Marshmallows are a great quick and easy frosting replacement. Just top your cookies or cake with marshmallows 3-5 minutes before baking is done and they will melt perfectly, creating a fun gooey frosting.
Have your own hacks? Comment below, we'd love to hear!