Traverse City bakery specializing in cookies, brownies, scones, and muffins

TIPS & TRICKS

Person decorating cookies with a kitchen blowtorch.
Four chocolate chip cookies on a white cutting board, with one cookie partially eaten, crumbs scattered around, and a white cloth on the side.

  • Start by adding just 1-2 Tbsp of flour, and test one cookie at a time so you don’t waste any more than you need to.

  • Start with just turning down the oven 5 degrees and bake one minute longer.

  • Listen to your instincts. If something seems off, then it probably is!

    Sometimes, even if you follow a recipe perfectly, things just don’t work out. Use the tips and tricks on this page to help troubleshoot the problem.

  • Everyone’s oven is different! Get to know your oven (which side is hotter, does it run hot or cold).

    It can be helpful to buy an oven thermometer so you know exactly how hot your oven is.

    Some ovens are hotter on one side than the other. If that’s the case you may need to rotate your pan halfway through baking.

  • Let the cookies cool down on the cookie sheet for at least two minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

COOKIES

BROWNIES & BARS

Stacked slices of chocolate brownie dessert on white crumpled paper.

  • Some batters or doughs can be really sticky and hard to spread into the pan. If that’s the case, slightly wet your hands and use your hands to press the batter into the pan. Slightly wet hands will keep the dough from sticking to your hands and will make it much easier to work with.

  • Lining a pan with parchment paper makes it so much easier to remove from the pan. I always use parchment paper for cakes, but it can also be helpful for brownies, bars, or other desserts.

  • Depending on the recipe you’re using, sometimes brownies or bars can be fudgy and hard to cut. Popping them in the freezer for a little bit can make it easier to cut them. Don’t let them freeze solid, just enough to firm them up to make the cutting process easier.

Stack of three chocolate brownies with a light-colored swirl topping, on parchment paper with a blurred container of milk in the background.
Wedding cake with two photos on top, one of a man holding a 'Just' sign and another of a woman holding a 'Married' sign, surrounded by eucalyptus leaves.

CAKES

  • Piping bags are such a helpful tool! Rather than using an offset spatula to spread icing onto the cake, use a piping bag. This helps to keep the cake from ripping and helps to more evenly spread the icing onto the cake.

  • Using a long straight icing leveler helps to make frosting look smooth and even. This really helps to elevate cakes and makes them look more professional.

  • This also helps with frosting cakes. This helps to even out frosting and makes it easier to frost ,so you don’t have to do acrobatics around your cake.

  • Freezing cakes is an absolute game changer. Freezing cakes lock in the moisture. Even if you have enough time to make a fresh cake, I would always pop the cake in the freezer for at least 4 hours. I usually do it overnight. Allow the cake to thaw about 80% and then frost it while it is still slightly frozen. This will also help prevent the cake from ripping.

A decorated cake with light-colored frosting, topped with pink flowers, green foliage, and a gold cake topper that says 'The Gazaryans'.

INGREDIENTS

A person pouring milk into a bowl of white flour.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • If you are trying to make a recipe vegan or you accidentally ran out of eggs you can use flaxseed as an egg replacement. Add 1 Tbsp of ground flaxseed with 3 Tbsp of water (for one egg, multiply for more eggs) and let sit for 5-10 minutes to gelatinize and then use it in place of the egg.

  • If you accidentally run out of flour and don’t have time to get more, you can use pancake mix in a pinch. I don’t recommend using this completely in place of flour because pancake mix also has leavening agents. However, if you need 3 cups of flour and only have 2.5 cups you can use pancake mix for the last half cup.

  • If you ever run out of brown sugar, you can make your own! Combine 1 cup of white sugar with 1-2 Tbsp of molasses.

  • Using quality ingredients will definitely make a difference in the final product. The better ingredients you use the better the final product.

  • Butter will make cookies with a crisper edge and margarine will make cookies that are softer and chewier, so it’s really a matter of preference.

  • Brown sugar should always be firmly packed in measuring cups. Flour should never be packed. Always lightly spoon flour into measuring cups. If flour gets too compact you will end up adding too much flour to your recipe.

  • Egg: Flaxseed egg replacement

    Butter: Oil (I prefer coconut)

    Milk: Alternative milk of choice (I prefer coconut milk)

A person holding a small pitcher pouring dark liquid into a white mixing bowl on a wooden surface.

GLUTEN FREE

A woman with brown hair tied back in a ponytail reaches into an open wooden kitchen cabinet with snacks inside, including chips and cups, while standing in front of a white wall with a wooden cutout plaque hanging on it.

● You need to use a specific GF recipe rather than just substituting GF flour in a regular recipe

● Coconut oil adds more moisture

● Flaxseed also adds moisture (especially in quick breads)

● Coconut milk (in a can) can be used in place of milk to help add moisture in many recipes

A pumpkin cheesecake topped with cookie dough pieces on parchment paper and a wooden cutting board.

● Adding melted chocolate to chocolate cake recipes helps hold the cake together

● Let GF doughs sit for 10 min before baking

● The best recipes are naturally GF recipes (flourless)

● Pamela’s and King Arthur have the best GF flour

● Sometimes adding an extra egg or egg yolk to your recipe can help it hold together

A person mixing cookie dough with chocolate chips in a glass bowl on a black countertop.