The baking stuff…
Where can I find all of your old blog posts?
Simply click on the “blog” button in my menu, and they will all be there in chronological order. Or you can always use the search button to find the recipe you are looking for.
Can I reduce the amount of sugar in your recipes.
You certainly can try. However, just know that reducing the sugar can often affect the texture, appearance and of course taste, so if your recipe doesn’t come out looking just like mine, that is why 🙂
Can I sub in Gluten free flour?
You can certainly try! I am no expert in the ratios of gluten free substitutes to all purpose, so I am not the one to ask about how to measure this out. However, I know there are a few options on the market that are supposed to be 1 to 1 gluten free flour substitutes for baking. I have tried them before and they work great. That being said – the texture and taste will be affected, and again your baking results will most likely not look the same as mine.
Do you have any dairy free recipes or can I sub in dairy free alternatives?
Unfortunately most of my recipes use dairy. You can always try subbing in dairy free alternatives to things like butter, milk or yogurt. Most of the time I find this has worked fine and you don’t need to adjust other ingredients, however this will affect the texture and flavour of the recipe.
Can you tell me the measurements in metric?
My favourite online calculator to do this is linked here
My cookies came out flatter than yours! What happened?
Most likely this is just a simple measurement issue with the butter to flour ratio – too much butter and not enough flour. When you are measuring your baking ingredients, make sure to be diligent. When measuring flour, take care to level off the flour right at the top of your measuring cup, ensuring that there isn’t a sunken hole in your flour cup.
If the problem persists, the issue could be the brand of flour. Some brands contain more protein than others, and will therefore produce a thinner or thicker cookie depending on the case.
Altitude and humidity in your place of residence can also be a factor.
Long story short, if your cookies are still too thin after careful measuring, try adding an extra 2-4 tbsp of flour to your mix until you get the desired consistency.
My cookies came out thicker than yours! What happened?
Similar to the question above, this is most likely this is just a simple measurement issue with the butter to flour ratio – too much butter and not enough flour. When you are measuring your baking ingredients, make sure to be diligent. When measuring flour, take care to level off the flour right at the top of your measuring cup, so there isn’t any excess mounding on top.
If the problem persists, the issue could be the brand of flour. Some brands contain more protein than others, and will therefore produce a thinner or thicker cookie depending on the case.
Altitude and humidity in your place of residence can also be a factor.
Long story short, if your cookies are still too thin after careful measuring, try reducing the amount of flour by 2-4 tbsp until you get the desired consistency and cookie thickness.
How do I store my baked goods? How long will they last before they go stale?
For me, this is almost a personal preference, and dependent on the baked good… Personally I like my baked goods as fresh as possible so I don’t typically store anything for more than 2-3 days on my counter as a rule because in my opinion baking gets stale fast.
If you want your baking to store for longer than 2-3 days and keep the freshness, your best bet is to store your items in the freezer, and take them out the night before you want to eat them again. Store them in a ziplock bag for the best storage.
For things like cookies, brownies and squares, I usually just store them in a cookie jar or in an airtight container on my counter for up to 3 days. For cookies, since a recipe will typically yield about 24 cookies, I like to bake off about 6, and then store the cookie dough balls in my freezer to bake off fresh when I want them.
For scones , these really are just best consumed the day they are baked. So what I prefer to do is prepare my scone dough, bake off say half the recipe (or as many as I need for that day) and then store the scone dough in my freezer for another day. I will bake them off from frozen, and just add a few minutes extra of bake time and they are amazing.
For muffins – similarly to scones, I believe muffins are best the day they are baked. So again what I like to do is prepare my muffin batter, bake of as many muffins as I need for that day and then store the batter in my fridge to bake off fresh that week, or store it in my freezer if I plan to bake it off later. You can simply scoop the fridge batter into muffin cups and bake like that. If your batter is frozen, allow it to come to temperature in the fridge for a day and then use it for baking.
For donuts – again these are honestly just best if consumed the day of. Donuts do not keep particularly well. If I end up having leftovers, I typically just store them on my counter with a tea towel on top. Avoid putting these in an airtight container as they have a tendency to sweat, and nobody wants a soggy donut.
Long story short – I am a big fan of preparing dough, batters etc, baking off what I need for a couple days and then freezing the rest to bake off fresh later. I do it with almost everything. It works amazing and this way you always have a stock in your freezer and therefore fresh baking at your fingertips.
the personal stuff…
What kind of camera do you use?
Let me start by saying that I am not a trained photographer. When this blog started, I used nothing but my iphone and a few different photo editing apps.
During the second year of The Sweet & Simple Kitchen, I got a Canon Rebel t5i and we have been inseparable ever since. I typically shoot with my standard kit lens, but sometimes use my 50mm portrait lens. I am saving up for a nice macro lens, but for the time being what I have is just wonderful.
The main thing that I do when I photograph is shoot in natural light. I set up camp next to a large bay window in my master bedroom and now I edit my photos using Adobe Lightroom.
Favourite colour?
Orange – think Autumn, burnt orange.
Who is your Hero?
My Mom (hands down)
Favourite Movie?
Such a hard question… If I had to choose I would say it’s a three way tie between Castaway, The Kids are Alright & My Girl
Favourite snack?
Wasabi peas or banana chips or just a good old fashioned spoonful of peanut butter…
Favourite Song?
Again, so hard to choose but a couple of my all time favs are She Will be Loved by Maroon 5 or Last Dance with Mary Jane by Tom Petty…
Favourite Book?
The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderband (Yes, a sappy love story but the descriptions of the food in the bistro are absolutely divine)
Celebrity Crush?
Male: Robert Redford &Chris Hemsworth / Female: Three way tie between Diane Keaton, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone & Amy Schumer
Favourite Dessert?
Pie (Warm with ice cream)
Favourite Dinner?
PASTA! or bread and cheese… or just anything with cheese…
Favourite thing to Bake?
Scones
Favourite Vacation?
Jasper Road Trip 2019
