Confession: I stole a set of measuring cups as a kid.
I wanted to be just like Mommy, flipping pancakes and baking chocolate chip cookies, so when she left the old tan set sitting on the counter, I slipped in, stood on my tippy-toes, and snuck off before anyone saw me. And despite banging them around my Fisher Price Kitchen for all of preschool, it took me another 13 years to finally figure out how to use them properly.
But I completely forgot to share those secrets with you!
So today, we’re going back to the basics. Many of you may know these tips and tricks already, but skim through them anyway—every one of them will convert you from a beginner into a baking pro!
The Recipe
- Read through the recipe completely before beginning. I know, I know… You’re probably rolling your eyes at me. But raise your hand if you’ve ever dove straight into creaming butter or mixing muffin batter after only reading the ingredients list. (Both of my hands are high up in the air!) It only takes an extra minute or two, but reading through every step will save you time, flour, and lots of burned cookies.
- Watch out for commas! It’s a subtle point, but how the ingredients are written dictates how you prepare and measure them. For example, “1 cup sifted all-purpose flour” means sift the flour before measuring, whereas with “1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted,” you would measure first and sift after. Perform any tasks on the ingredients in the order that they’re written: anything that comes after the comma is done second.
- Understand the language. Sliced, diced, chopped, cut, broken, beaten… Each word means something slightly different, so if you aren’t familiar with any of the terms in a recipe, look them up!
The Measurements
A quick tip before we dive in… I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale, especially for measuring dry ingredients! This is the one I own. It’s really affordable, and I’ve used it almost every day for 4+ years. It’s my #1 secret for making sure that my recipes turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time I make them!
- Flours. All-purpose, whole wheat, gluten-free, peanut, almond, coconut, cocoa powder, and even oats are all the same. Use a fork to “scoop” up flour (or whatever you’re measuring!) from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it (like you’d do with a hair drier!). Once there’s a small mound of flour extending above the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat backside of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the flour down with the knife or fork, and never shake the measuring cup either. Also, do NOT scoop the flours, cocoa powder, or oats directly out of the container with the measuring cup or pack them in. This results in 1.5 times more than is required in a recipe, which dries out your baked goods and turns them crumbly. Not good! However, this fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add the correct amount of flour to your recipe!
- Leaveners. With baking powder and baking soda, lightly fluff the leavener with a measuring spoon before scooping it out and leveling with a knife. Some containers have a flat edge built in—that works too!
- Sugars. For white sugar, use the same technique described for flours, except use a spoon instead of a fork. With brown sugar, lightly pack it into the measuring cup using a fork or spoon until the cup is completely filled and level (unless the recipe states otherwise). When you invert the measuring cup, the brown sugar should be packed tightly enough to hold its shape.
- Salt and spices. Treat them like the leaveners: fluff, scoop, level.
- Butter and margarine. Most stick-style butters and margarines are wrapped in a label with tablespoons marked on the side. Count out how much you need, and cut through the stick with a sharp knife. You should avoid using a butter knife because the blade is duller and you won’t carve off as accurate of an amount. With tub-style butter, margarine, and shortening, press the necessary quantity into a measuring spoon or cup, and level with a knife.
- Liquids. Milk, oil, juice, honey, syrup, and extracts are a little tricky. Place the measuring cup on the counter, pour in the liquid, and get down at eye level. The liquid at the edges tends to stick to the sides of the cup, while the liquid in the center sinks down a touch. (In science-speak, it’s called a meniscus!) You want to make sure the center of the liquid is even with the rim of the cup for the most accurate measurement. You can also use a clear measuring cup and the markings on its side instead. For teaspoons and tablespoons, fill them to the brim but not overflowing or bulging out the top. And be careful when pouring the liquids into the mixing bowl! (Also, never use a kitchen scale to measure liquids! The “ounces” option on kitchen scales is for dry ounces, not liquid ounces!)
I may add to this post as new things come up in the future. But for now, it’s time to bake something sweet! Which of these recipes are you going to try next? I can’t wait to hear!! ♡
You use a regular fork to measure out flour?
Yes, Barb! Just a regular kitchen fork! We’d love to hear what you think if you try this method of measuring your flour when baking!
so I wondering how w you use a fork for oatmeal or flour and transfer it into a measuring cup. A fork does not hold anything
We really appreciate your interest in our recipes, Joesy! Using a fork shouldn’t take any longer than using a spoon (for the traditional “spoon-and-level” method) to transfer flour into your measuring cups. When you scoop flour from its original container using either a spoon or a fork, the force of scooping it makes it tend to stick together somewhat, which is why it’s possible to use a fork without all of the flour falling immediately between the tines. So I recommend scooping the flour with your fork, then gently shaking the fork back and forth over your measuring cup to make the flour lightly fall down into it.
Does that make more sense? I’d love to hear what you think if you give this method a try!
Can I use almond flour in this recipe instead of whole wheat flour?
We really appreciate your interest in our recipes, Pat! Can you let me know which specific recipe you were referring to? The comment was left on our Baking Basics 101 page, which I’m sure you found by clicking a link about measuring flour in one of our recipes! Once I know that information, I’ll be able to better answer your question! 😉
OMG!! Thank you for the tip about measuring flour! I was so taken by surprise that I Googled your suggestion and found a video that demonstrated how different scooping methods drastically change the amount in a measuring cup. I have a kitchen scale that I bought to measure my protein portions, but never use. Now I have a new reason to pull it out. 🙂
Looking forward to trying your Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookie recipe. Thanks for this delicious-sounding recipe as well.
You’re welcome, Shelly! I’m so happy to hear you found these tips useful. It’s true (and a little crazy to think about!) how different scooping methods can affect the amount of flour added to measuring cups. I know my fork method is somewhat unorthodox, but it’s been quite helpful and yielded good results! 😉 I also love how kitchen scales usually result in fewer dishes to wash. They’re so handy to have!
I’m excited to hear what you think of these Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies. They’re one of my favorites, so I really hope you like them as well!
Can you provide a video of your measuring technique. I don’t understand. Thanks!
Yes, it’s on our list of videos to film and share! In the meantime, here’s a little longer explanation of our favorite “fork-and-level” measuring technique. (I’m assuming that’s the one you were referring to, but if not, I’m happy to elaborate on what you meant instead!)
For our “fork-and-level” technique of method, you’ll use a fork instead of a spoon to scoop up flour from the container and transfer it to your measuring cup. When you scoop flour from its original container using either a spoon or a fork, the force of scooping it makes it tend to stick together somewhat, which is why it’s possible to use a fork without all of the flour falling immediately between the tines. 😉
So we recommend scooping the flour with your fork, then gently shaking the fork back and forth over your measuring cup to make the flour lightly fall down into it. Don’t shake the measuring cup — or even nudge it back and forth to “level off” the mound of flour on top! Leave the measuring cup stationary the whole time.
Once there’s a small mound of flour extending over the top of the measuring cup, gently drag the flat side of a knife across the top to remove that excess mound of flour.
Does that help, Kim? 🙂
Is there a way to get a printed Baking Basics 101. I would love to include in 11year old granddaughters recipe book she asked for for Christmas. (I know, a list before HALLOWEEN.) She loves to come over and bake.
I just found your site this morning and enjoying reading with my Oatmeal raisin cookie. But your Peanut Bar sound more healthy.
New follower
Katie
(ktcronin@sbcglobal.net)
This makes me so excited and happy for your granddaughter, Katie! I would have absolutely loved a gift like that at her age, and I’m sure she will treasure it for years to come. She is lucky to have such a loving and thoughtful grandma like you! 🙂 We are incredibly honored that you’d choose to include some of Amy’s best tips in her recipe book. The easiest way to print it out would be to use your internet browser’s “Print” option (File > Print) and select Pages 1-4. (The rest of the pages are the comments section!) I wish you the best putting together this special book for your granddaughter!
Thank you will give it a try.
I’m happy to help, Katie!
I can’t actually see the recipe for vegan chocolate cookies!
I gave read sll instructions , and tried ‘jump yo recipe to pin’ but it just keeps circling back to thr first image!
I need the quantities!
Also, the sight won’t accept my email address, so maybe I can’t see the recipe as I can’t subscribe?
We really appreciate your interest in our cookie recipe, Joy! All of the recipes on our website are free to view, so you don’t need to subscribe to see it. (Although we’d absolutely love to have you! 😉 )
If you’re able to read Amy’s blog post about the chocolate cookies, then it sounds like you’re in the right place! She shares lots of tips about the ingredients and instructions in her blog posts (because we have many beginner bakers who follow our recipes and find this extra info really helpful!), but if you continue scrolling past that, the recipe box will appear. It’s contained within a dashed outline. If you haven’t seen that box with a dashed outline, then keep scrolling!
Inside of the recipe box, you’ll find the full ingredients list and quantities, instructions, and recipe notes.
We’re still working on reformatting our older recipes, but if there’s a “Jump to Recipe” button towards the top of the page, you can also click or tap on that to skip past most of the blog post. You’ll still need to scroll a small amount once the “jump” is complete in order to see the ingredients because of the way the “jump” works (it lands so that the recipe box’s top dashed line is at the bottom of your screen because that’s the “beginning” of the recipe box — if that makes sense!), but hopefully that makes it easier to find the ingredient quantities! 🙂
Does all of that make sense? Did it work, and were you able to find the ingredient amounts?