By Kelly Bogard

Happy National Baking week! What should we make first? Maybe Chocolate Chip Cookies or Bacon Cheddar Biscuits. Or how about some of Granny’s Special Cupcakes?

Whatever you make, this week’s baking tips and tricks will help you!

#1 Need room temperature butter?
Fill a glass with hot water and let set for 30 seconds. Once the glass is warm, pour out the water and turn the glass over the butter on a saucer. The heat of the glass will warm the butter in minutes.

#2 Egg shell in the batter?
Simply wet your finger with water and place it in the bowl next to the shell. It’ll stick to your finger and come right out.

#3 Measuring sticky stuff?
Spray your measuring spoon or cup with a little non-stick spray before adding honey or syrup to help it slide out without leaving behind half of the ingredient.

#4 Using citrus juice in your recipe?
Place the lemon, lime or orange in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to warm it up and break the capillaries inside the fruit. You’ll be able to get more juice out of it that way.

#5 Is your brown sugar hard?
Keep a few marshmallows in the top of your brown sugar jar to keep the sugar moist and clump free.

#6 Yikes! The bottom of your cookies burned. What do you do?
You can use a cheese grater to remove the burned bottom without losing too much cookie. No one ever has to know.

#7 How to keep cookies from going stale?
Simply place a slice of bread in the cookie container for fresh, moist cookies for days longer.

#8 What to cut the cake with?
I like to use dental floss on any cake that is not in a pan. It makes for even and crumb-free slices.

#9 But what about cutting brownies?
Believe it or not the best way to cut brownies is with a plastic knife. They won’t stick to it like they do to a metal knife.

These tips and tricks are sure to make your baking a little easier. And if you find yourself missing a key ingredient, you can always use an emergency substitute. From all of us at Texas Table Top, enjoy!