Holiday Baking Tips and Tricks

Are you baking pies this Holiday season? This All Butter Pie Crust is my favorite pie crust recipe for all of my Holiday pies. Head over to the post to check out the recipe and all of my tips for foolproof flaky, pie crusts.

Need Pie Recipes for your Holiday Baking? Check them out in the Pie Recipe Index.

4 different ways to cut butter into flour for recipes like pie crusts or biscuits. The 4th way on this list is my all time favorite kitchen tips is this trick for cutting butter into flour!

This is a great tip to use when it comes to baking Holiday Pies or baking something with a crisp or crumble topping.

If you forgot to set your butter out to soften before getting ready to start a Holiday cookie baking session, don’t panic! You can soften butter quickly with or without a microwave.

In this post, I’m sharing How to Soften Butter Quickly eight different ways, plus answering FAQs about softening butter and its uses.  

Head over to the Cookie Archives for cookie inspiration to add to your Holiday Baking list!

Can you freeze butter? Absolutely! In this post, I walk you through how to freeze butter and how to defrost it. Plus, I answer other FAQs about freezing butter. 

I love to stash butter in my freezer when I find it on sale. Perfect for Holiday Baking season so I always have plenty on hand!

Knowing How to Bring Eggs to Room Temperature quickly is useful when baking cakes, cookies cupcakes, waffles, and more!

Don't let poor planning put a wrench in your Holiday Baking. You can always follow these tips if you forget to set your eggs out ahead of time.

One of my favorite kitchen tips is how to measure partial eggs because it comes in handy when you're making adjustments to recipes. Check out these easy instructions for how to measure half an egg when making partial recipes.

This tip is great for Holiday Baking if you're scaling a recipe down (or up) and find yourself needing a half or a quarter of an egg.

Sometimes you might come across a recipe that requires eggs plus additional yolks or whites. It also isn’t uncommon to find a recipe that requires only yolks or whites, so separating eggs is a good, basic kitchen technique to master.

Learn how make chocolate ganache (hint: it is actually really easy!) and check out these 5 delicious ways to use it for the ultimate chocolate treat.

Chocolate Ganache is great for Holiday Baking - you can top brownies with a thick later of ganache and add crushed candy cane, you can use ganache to make truffles, the ideas are endless!

I love to make Christmas candies as part of my Holiday Baking plan. Learning how to temper chocolate properly is essential when you want to make homemade candies, such as truffles or chocolate bark.

Follow this how-to for all you need to know about chocolate tempering.

Chocolate curls are great for garnishing your holiday baking recipes! Try adding them on top of your favorite seasonal cupcakes, cakes, brownies, or cheesecakes for an extra decorative flair!

In this post, I’ve provided step-by-step instructions on How to Make Chocolate Curls, plus I’m sharing the best types of chocolate to use for chocolate curls, how to store the curls, and more! 

Do you have a special Holiday recipe that requires cake flour?Learning how to make cake flour is so easy! Here's how to make homemade cake flour, plus my favorite ways to use it.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree can be used in many sweet and savory Holiday recipes and lets you enjoy pumpkin season year-round! In this post, I’m sharing 5 ways to make pumpkin puree from scratch as well as how to store, freeze, thaw, and use it.

Out of buttermilk? No worries! Learn all about common buttermilk substitutes as well as how to make easy homemade buttermilk for use in your Holiday Baking recipes.

Just realized you’re out of baking powder and you need it for a recipe? Don’t worry, you can actually make your own homemade baking powder in seconds!

This post explains How to Make Baking Powder, plus it answers the most commonly asked questions about storing and using it. 

Cookie dough freezes extremely well and is the perfect sweet treat to keep stashed in your freezer to instantly satisfy those sweet tooth cravings.

This holiday baking tip is also perfect when you want to bake a lot of holiday cookie varieties, but you don't want to have to prepare them all on the same day. Take your time, freeze ahead, and bake when you're ready!

Whether you stocked up on buttermilk in preparation for the holidays or like to keep it on hand for your favorite baked goods, freezing buttermilk is the perfect way to ensure you never run out!

In this post, I’ll walk you through how to freeze buttermilk, how to thaw it, and why it’s worth freezing in the first place! 

I love to use cranberries in my holiday baking. One of my favorite holiday recipes to bake are these Cranberry Pomegranate Walnut Bars.

Want to be able to make cranberry recipes all Holiday season and beyond? Freezing cranberries is a great way to take advantage of winter’s offerings year-round - plus you won't have to worry when the store sells out during seasonal demands.

This post will show you how to freeze cranberries, answer questions about freezing and thawing cranberries, and shares some of my favorite recipes to use frozen cranberries.

Freezing pie dough is a great way to save time when preparing for your holiday baking!

This post will show you how to freeze pie dough, how to freeze unbaked pie crusts, answer questions about freezing and thawing pie dough, and shares some of my favorite pie recipes.

Do you like to bake special holiday muffins? This post will explain how to freeze muffins, as well as provide thawing instructions and 15 easy muffin recipes.

Freezing holiday muffins is a great way to get ahead of Christmas morning or other Holiday brunches!

Parchment is a baker’s best friend! I never bake holiday cookies or bars without lining a pan with parchment paper first!

This post shows you how to line pans with parchment paper.

Every year I make homemade cinnamon rolls for our Christmas morning breakfast using a yeast dough. It is one of our traditions for Holiday Baking.

These tips for baking with yeast will help you feel more confident in the kitchen and yield more successful results.

Be sure to check out a few of my favorite recipes if you’re wondering what to make with yeast – they’re all tried and true family favorites that even my picky eater approves of.

Not exactly a baking tip, but tips for after baking!

Hosting a cookie decorating party this year? Read through these tips first so your cookie party goes smoothly. I’ve shared my top cookie decorating ideas, the necessary cookie decorating supplies, and more!