Baking Tips, Time Savers, and

Kitchen Substitutions
From Common Sense Home
https://commonsensehome.com
Some people throw their hands up and say, "I can't bake!", but these simple
baking tips, time savers, and substitutions may change your mind.

We hope you find this compilation useful. Happy baking!

Laurie Neverman,
Common Sense Home

P.S. – If homestyle recipes with troubleshooting tips are something you

enjoy, check out my print book, “Never Buy Bread Again”.

We cover an assortment of basic breads and quick bread type foods,

including pancakes and tortillas. Plus, there are troubleshooting tips, and
pointers for parbaking and freezing raw dough.
Contents
Pantry and Prep Baking Tips......................................................................... 5
1. Brands Matter ........................................................................................ 5
2. Freshness Matters.................................................................................. 5
3. Read the Whole Recipe Before You Start, and Prep Ingredients ........... 6
Baking Tips for When You're Ready to Mix and Bake .................................. 6
4. Watch the Weather ................................................................................ 6
5. Get Ingredients to the Right Temperature ............................................ 7
6. Check Your Oven Temperature ............................................................. 7
7. Measure and Mix the Right Way............................................................ 7
8. Parchment Paper is your friend ............................................................. 8
9. Watch Your Baking Time ....................................................................... 8
10. High Altitude Adjustments .................................................................. 9
After Baking Tips – Cooling, Decorating, Storage ........................................ 9
11. Don't rush to frost................................................................................. 9
12. Can I Freeze Cookies and Cakes? ......................................................... 9
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe ...................................................................... 11
“Stained Glass” Sugar Cookies................................................................. 12
Sugar Cookie Q & A ..................................................................................... 12
How do you make sugar cookies chewy? ................................................. 12
Are snickerdoodles and sugar cookies the same thing? .......................... 13
When should you put sprinkles on sugar cookies? .................................. 13
What's Vanilla Sugar? .............................................................................. 13
How do you make sugar cookies the same?............................................. 14
Want a short cut for decorating cookies? ................................................ 14
How do you make sugar cookies keep their shape?................................. 14
How long do sugar cookies last? ...............................................................15
Quick Bread Baking Tips and Q&A ............................................................. 16
 Why does my quick bread sink in the middle? ........................................ 16
Can you freeze quick bread? .................................................................... 16
What's the difference between a loaf pan, mini loaf pan and tea loaf pan?
................................................................................................................. 16
Can you rebake bread that is undercooked? ............................................. 17
How long does homemade bread last? ..................................................... 17
10 Tips for a Perfect Pie Crust ...................................................................... 17
Gluten Free Pie Crust Options ................................................................. 18
Which Fats to Use .................................................................................... 18
Mom's Pastry Pie Crust with Vinegar Recipe .......................................... 18
Mom's Best Pastry Pie Crust .................................................................... 19
Easy Nut Pie Crust – Gluten Free ............................................................ 20
Coconut Pie Crust – Gluten Free ............................................................. 20
Shortbread Pie Crust ............................................................................... 21
Pantry and Prep Baking Tips

Stocking your pantry and choosing the right tools for the recipe are a big
part of baking success.

1. Brands Matter

Different brands of ingredients perform differently in recipes. Find a simple

recipe you like, like chocolate chip cookies, and experiment with different
brands of baking ingredients.

Years ago when my kids were little, I bought some of the cheapest flour in
the store to make salt dough. While I was out one Saturday afternoon, my
husband tried to make cookies with the boys – and they flopped.

He of course found the cheap flour I'd stuffed in the back of the pantry
instead of the one we actually baked with, and his cookies ran all over the
pan.

Some of favorite flour brands include Great River Organic, King Arthur,
and Heartland Mills Gold-n-White.

Sugar is also important in your baking recipes. I prefer cane sugar to beet
sugar for more even browning. This is especially important if you're baking
meringues or brulee.

2. Freshness Matters

Ideally, you want to purchases or grow fresh spices each year. That 5 year
old jar of ground cinnamon in the back of the cupboard is not going to add
much zip to your baked goods.

Storing spices right next to the stove is a “no go”, too. Extended exposure to
heat drives off a lot of the flavor.
Whole grain flours go bad faster than “white” flour. Nuts also go rancid
over time. Purchase only what you need, or keep these items in the freezer
for longer storage.

Leavening loses lifting power over time. Make sure to replace your baking
powder and baking soda every six months or so.

Yeast is best stored in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container. If

storing in the pantry, make sure to check the expiration date.

A friend called my mom to ask why her rolls didn't raise. As they checked
the ingredients, she found out that her yeast was years out of date.

3. Read the Whole Recipe Before You Start, and Prep Ingredients

I suspect many home cooks have ended up with recipe flops due to not
reading the recipe all the way through.

Sometimes the ingredient list calls for an ingredient that gets divided and
added at different times. Maybe you need softened butter, or time to chill
before baking.

Read the recipe, and plan accordingly. Make sure you have all the needed
ingredients, at the right temperature.

Speaking of temperatures…

Baking Tips for When You're Ready to Mix and Bake

Temperature is important for your kitchen, your ingredients, and your

oven.

4. Watch the Weather

When it's hot and humid or cool and dry, recipes respond differently. Cool
kitchen temps slow down yeast breads, excess heat may cause off flavors.
When it's too humid, dry ingredients tend to clump and stick because they
absorb moisture from the air.

Aim for kitchen temps between 66 and 77F, and adjust the moisture in
recipes if needed to accommodate high humidity. Keep your dry ingredients
stored in airtight containers.

5. Get Ingredients to the Right Temperature

If a recipe calls for room temperature butter or eggs, try to take your
ingredients out of the refrigerator in advance. Softened butter, melted
butter, and cold butter behave very differently in recipes.

When you're creaming the butter and sugar, you want butter soft, but not
liquid. For flaky pastries like pie crusts and scones, opt for cold butter.

Egg whites whip better at room temperature. Whipped cream whips better
if the cream and bowl are chilled.

6. Check Your Oven Temperature

One of the simplest baking tips is to check your oven temperature. To do

this, get an oven thermometer, and place it in the middle of your oven.

(You should always bake in the center of the oven, unless a recipe says
otherwise.)

Sometimes you can adjust your heating element, but it's usually easier to
adjust the temperature setting on the stove. Our old stove used to run hot,
so I would set it 5 degrees lower than called for in a recipe with good
results.

7. Measure and Mix the Right Way

Some bakers swear by weighing all their ingredients. That's great, but not
absolutely required.
What is needed is to measure fairly carefully. Use glass measuring cups
with pour spouts for liquid.

Spoon dry ingredients into your measuring cup, and level with a butter
knife. At the very least, don't pack your flour into the measuring cup if you
scoop. Too much flour equals dry baked goods.

Mix until blended, but don't be overly aggressive. Take time to work your
spatula or spoon around the bottom of the mixing bowl to incorporate all
ingredients.

8. Parchment Paper is your friend

Instead of greasing my pans, I line them with parchment paper or reusable

parchment paper. Parchment keeps cakes and cookies from sticking, but
also helps with more even browning.

I do not like silicon baking mats. After being used for a while, they pick up
odors. They also don't brown baked goods as nicely as parchment does.

9. Watch Your Baking Time

A baking tip that my friend, Julie, shared from her brother, a professional
baker, was to take cookies out of the oven before they look completely
baked.

If you want a cookie with a soft center, it needs to come out of the oven
when the edges are set, but the center is still gooey. The cookies will
continue cooking for a short time from the residual heat, and set up once
cooled.

Don't overbake your layer cakes and bar cookies. If the recommended
baking time is 30 minutes to 35 minutes, check at 30 minutes. You can
always add more time, but you can't take it off once the cake is baked.

When your cake is done, the edges should start to pull away from pan. The
top should bounce back when you touch it, and test clean with a toothpick.
10. High Altitude Adjustments

As I explained in the Altitude Adjustments for Canning article, there's less

air pressure at higher altitudes.

For baking cakes above 3500 feet:

 Increase over temperature from 350F to 375F.

 Increase liquid by 2 tablespoons for each cup used.

 Decrease sugar by one tablespoon per cup.

 Decrease each teaspoon of baking powder by 1/8 teaspoon.

After Baking Tips – Cooling, Decorating, Storage

If you cool your layer cakes upside down on the cooling rack, it will help to
level out the layers.

11. Don't rush to frost.

Make sure to cool before applying frosting! Whether it's cakes, cupcakes or
cinnamon rolls, trying to frost warm baked goods will make a mess.

To fill piping bags, I like to invert them in a large glass or mason jar. This
keeps them stable while I scoop in the icing. (This works great for whipped
cream and other fillings, too.)

12. Can I Freeze Cookies and Cakes?

Most cakes and cookies can be frozen. Back at the family catering business,
we regularly froze cakes that we didn't need immediately.

Baked goods are best used within 1-2 months.

To freeze an unfrosted cake – cool completely, then wrap tightly. Thaw at
room temperature.

If you want to frost before freezing, flash freeze the frosted cake, uncovered,
for 30-60 minutes. Once the icing is firm, wrap and return to freezer.

To use the cake, remove it from the freezer, unwrap, and thaw on the
countertop for several hours.

When freezing cookies, I place sheets of waxed paper between the layers of
cookies to keep them from sticking together. Most cookies freeze well.

Quick breads, like banana bread and zucchini bread, also freeze well. Cool
completely and wrap tightly before freezing.

Our basic sandwich bread also freezes well, but crusty breads, like French
bread, don't. The crust gets chewy with long storage.
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

I love that this sugar cookie recipe doesn’t require chilling the dough, so
you can mix and bake within minutes. It doesn't puff up during baking, so it
makes great cut out sugar cookies or edible cookie cups.

For best results, roll out your cookies on parchment paper or directly on the
baking sheet.

Don’t try to roll out cookies on the counter and then move them to the
baking sheet. I use reusable parchment paper and Airbake pans.

 Prep Time: 20 minutes

 Cook Time: 10 minutes
 Total Time: 30 minutes
 Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

 3/4 cup granulated sugar
 1 egg
 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
 2 cups all-purpose flour
 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 Decorating sugar, frosting or chocolate for dipping, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Blend in egg and
vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, blend dry ingredients (flour,
baking soda and salt). Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix will
appear crumbly.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll out dough to around 1/4″ (6mm) thick. (Go
thicker for a softer, chewy cookie, or thinner for a crispy cookie.)
4. Cut out sugar cookies and remove excess dough from around shapes.
Alternatively, shape dough into a cylinder, and slice off ¼” (6mm)
thick rounds.
5. Sprinkle with decorating sugar, sprinkles or vanilla sugar, if desired.
 6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies firm around the edges. (Bake
until lightly browned for crispier cookies.) Allow to cool for a few
minutes on the pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool
completely.
7. If you skipped the decorating sugar, you can frost the cookies or dip
them in chocolate for decoration.
8. Store your sugar cookies in an airtight container. Use within one to
two weeks of baking for best quality, or freeze for longer storage.

“Stained Glass” Sugar Cookies

For a stained glass effect, make larger sugar cookies, and use small cookie
cutters to cut our designs in the large cookies.

Fill the cut outs of each sugar cookie with crushed hard candy (such as Jolly
Ranchers or LifeSavers) before baking.

Sugar Cookie Q & A

Here are some tips and tricks to help you make your sugar cookies just the
way you like them.

How do you make sugar cookies chewy?

The big factors for a chewy versus crispy cookie are the thickness and the
bake time.

If you prefer a chewy cookie, roll your sugar cookie dough a little thicker –
¼ – 5/16 inch (6-8mm) thick. Bake until edges are set but center of cookie
is still soft. Let cool for a couple minutes on the pan, and then remove to
finish cooling on a wire rack.

You want that cookie a little bit under-baked when it’s coming out of the
oven. It will set up to chewy goodness as it cools.

If you prefer a more crispy sugar cookie, roll the dough about 3/16 inch (5
mm) thick. Bake until firm and edges are slightly browned.
Are snickerdoodles and sugar cookies the same thing?

The flavor profiles of snickerdoodles and sugar cookies are similar.

Snickerdoodles are traditionally rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mix, while
sugar cookies are rolled or sprinkled with only sugar.

White granulated sugar is the most common, but some folks prefer to dust
them with powdered sugar or use icing after baking.

When should you put sprinkles on sugar cookies?

Many people like to add frosting and sprinkles after baking, but you can
apply them before baking, too.

If you’re a fan of frosting and sprinkles, wait until your cookies are
completely cool. Then, apply icing, followed immediately by sprinkles. (If
you try to put frosting on a warm cookie, it wants to run right off.)

Don’t wait to apply the sprinkles! Once the icing dries out, the sprinkles
bounce off instead of staying on the sugar cookie.

Another option is to dip your cooled cookies completely or partly into

melted chocolate, and then add sprinkles to the chocolate.

I like to melt together 1 cup of chocolate chips with one teaspoon of coconut
oil. The coconut oil helps the chocolate to spread more evenly over the
cookies.

If you like a simpler look, you can lightly press colored sprinkles into the
dough before baking. We like using colored sugars or vanilla sugar, because
they hold their color and shape well. Larger, softer sprinkles work best
when teamed with frosting.

What's Vanilla Sugar?

When we make homemade vanilla extract, the vanilla beans still have a
little flavor left in them (even after being used twice).

We strain out the extract, and mix the leftover vanilla beans with
granulated sugar in a mason jar. The beans give the sugar a light vanilla
flavor.
How do you make sugar cookies the same?

The key to getting cookies that look the same is consistency in how you
make the cookies.

When rolling the dough, make sure to roll the dough to the same
thickness each time. Space cookies evenly on the pan, and bake
them the same amount of time each time.

Don’t mix big cookies and tiny cookies on one pan. The small sugar
cookies may burn by the time the big ones are done baking. Bake cookies
that are all roughly the same size together on one pan.

For tender cookies, don’t re-roll scraps more than twice. The more
times you handle the dough, the tougher the cookies will be. (We bake the
scraps after they've been rolled out twice, and eat those first.)

To decorate many cookies the same way, I find it helpful to line up the
cookies in an assembly line. I move from cookie to cookie, repeating
the same decorating steps each time.

Want a short cut for decorating cookies?

Through the miracle of modern technology, you can now order edible wafer
paper decorations in a variety of shapes and colors. Just apply a quick layer
of frosting or royal icing, and add on your decoration of choice.

They have decorations that are Christmas themed, woodland animals,

Avengers, 3-D butterflies, flowers, unicorns – the variety is amazing. These
are usually labeled as “cupcake toppers”, but they work fine for
round cookies, too.

How do you make sugar cookies keep their shape?

Having sugar cookies keep their shape is all about using the right sugar
cookie recipe and handling it correctly.

I remember being frustrated as a kid, trying to use my mom’s sugar cookie

recipe to make fancy Christmas cookies. I’d roll out the cookies carefully,
and then they’d blow up during baking. Every cookie looked like a giant
blob.
Our sugar cookie recipe holds its shape great during baking – no more
blobs!

I do advise having your butter at room temperature before you start mixing,
so it blends evenly.

Also, blend butter and sugar until light and fluffy, but don’t whip the pants
off your butter. Butter that’s whipped too much can give you sugar
cookie dough that puffs up and collapses after baking.

If you're mixing by hand, this usually isn't a problem. If you’re using a stand
mixer, don’t turn it on and leave it mixing.

Mix as much as you need to blend ingredients, but no more. Be gentle

with cookie dough. Treat it more like pie crust than bread – no
kneading.

How long do sugar cookies last?

Sugar cookies should last for several weeks in an airtight container – if you
don’t eat them first.

For best shelf life, store in a cool, dark location, out of direct sunlight. It’s
helpful to place wax paper between layers of cookies if they are frosted or
iced. This keeps them from sticking together.

Your cookies will look a little nicer if you frost them after they thaw, but you
can freeze frosted cookies, too. It’s fine to freeze plain or sugared cookies
for a month or so in an airtight container.

You can also freeze raw cookie dough. Cut out shapes as if you
intended to bake the cookies. Place baking sheet in freeze until the cookies
are frozen solid. Remove from pan and pack in an airtight container.

When ready to bake, remove from freezer and place on baking sheet to
thaw. Bake as normal. (They may need a little extra time if the dough is very
cold.)
Quick Bread Baking Tips and Q&A

In this section, we'll cover some common questions that people run into
when baking quick bread recipes.

Why does my quick bread sink in the middle?

Most quick bread is pretty reliable, but sometimes you might have bread
that falls and has a soggy center.

This may happen when there is:

 too much moisture in the bread (measure carefully, adjust if needed

in the future)
 not enough leavening (such as baking powder or baking soda)
 too much time between mixing and baking (baking soda starts to
activate as soon as it gets moist)
 undercooked bread (check to see if a toothpick inserted in the center
comes out clean)
 gluten free flour substituted for regular all-purpose flour (gluten free
flour may require extra baking time)

Can you freeze quick bread?

Yes, most quick breads freeze well, so they are perfect to make ahead.
Simply cool completely on a wire rack after removing from the pans, and
then wrap or seal in an airtight container. Use your bread within 2-3
months for best quality.

What's the difference between a loaf pan, mini loaf pan and tea
loaf pan?

A standard loaf pan is 9 by 5 inches. Most mini loaf pans are 5 1/2 by 3
inches. A tea loaf pan is 12×4 inches.

This cranberry orange bread recipe fills two 9×5 loaf pans or tea loaf pans,
or six mini loaf pans. (Tea loaf pans hold as much batter as standard loaf
pans, but bake more quickly.)
Can you rebake bread that is undercooked?

If you take your bread out of the oven and find that it's raw in the middle,
you can rebake it. It won't be the same as if it was properly baked.

You have several options:

 Put it back in the oven at 350°F for 10-20 minutes. Edges will likely
get hard, but gooey center should disappear.
 Slice the bread and place the slices on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F
for 10 minutes, flip and bake for 10 minutes more. Call it cranberry
orange biscotti. People will think you're feeding them a fancy recipe
instead of underbaked cranberry orange bread.
 Use your slightly underdone bread to make bread pudding, so it gets
baked again but not dried out. (There's a good bread pudding recipe
in our book, Never Buy Bread Again.)

How long does homemade bread last?

Fresh bread is best within 2-3 days, but may last up to a week depending on
conditions. Freeze for longer storage. If you want to skip the plastic, try
reusable bread bags for storage. Wrap the reusable bags in foil for freezer
storage.

10 Tips for a Perfect Pie Crust

1. Always keep your pie crust ingredients cold. The bits of cold fat (lard,
butter or shortening) melt to form air pockets during baking. If your
fat melts during mixing, there are no pockets, and no flaky crust.
2. Always work gently with pie dough to preserve those fat pockets.
Blend until just combined. It should resemble coarse crumbs. Too
much handling makes the dough tough.
3. To blend pie crust ingredients, use a pastry blender, or pulse in a food
processor. Let crust rest for a time before rolling to relax the gluten.
4. As your finishing the mixing of your pastry crust, add extra water one
tablespoon at a time. The dough needs to be just wet enough to come
together, not sticky.
5. Roll the pastry dough to the correct size – don't stretch it! If you
stretch the dough, it's more likely to shrink back during baking and
slip into the pan.
 6. To blind bake a pastry crust, use wax paper and pie weights to keep
the crust from puffing up.
7. Crimp pastry dough just slightly around the edge of the pan to keep it
from slipping down into the pan.
8. Prevent excess browning around the edges of your homemade pie
crust by covering with aluminum foil or a pie crust shield. (You can
keep drips out of the bottom of the oven with a pie drip catcher.)
9. I prefer Glass pie plates over metal. They transfer heat more evenly,
and the pie doesn't pick up a metallic taste from the pan.
10. If the top of your pie or pie crust cracks, serve with whipped
cream to cover the cracks. 🙂

Gluten Free Pie Crust Options

The nut pie crust and coconut pie crust are gluten free by default. You can
make the graham cracker and cookie crusts gluten free by starting with
gluten free crackers/cookies.

To make the pastry and shortbread crust gluten free, use an all-purpose
gluten free flour blend such as Namaste. Note: using gluten free flour does
make the crust a little more crumbly and challenging to handle.

Which Fats to Use

Lard and butter are my top two choices for pie crust. You can use salted or
unsalted butter – your choice.

When selecting lard, look for non-hydrogenated. You can usually find this
at butcher shops or specialty grocers.

If you need a vegan option, go for a reliable brand of palm shortening or

coconut oil. Shortening is easier to work with, coconut oil tends to be more
messy.

Mom's Pastry Pie Crust with Vinegar Recipe

This pie crust recipe with vinegar is the one my mom used for as long as I
can remember. The vinegar makes it lighter and flakier. (I tried vodka like
they recommend on some foodie sites. Vinegar is better.) The egg makes it a
little more elastic and easier to form.
Mom's Best Pastry Pie Crust

This pie crust recipe with vinegar is the one my

mom used for as long as I can remember. The
vinegar makes it light and flaky, and the egg
makes it a little more elastic and easier to roll.

Ingredients

 3 cups flour
 1 cup lard or palm shortening, or half butter/half lard, cold
 1 teaspoon salt
 3–5 tbsp cold water
 1 egg
 1 tablespoon vinegar

Instructions

1. Cut together flour and lard with a pastry blender or pulse in food
processor to form pea sized bits.
2. Mix together salt, 3 tablespoons water, egg and vinegar. Cut wet mix
into flour mixture with a fork to form a dough. Add more water if
needed.
3. Divide, shape into disks and chill. Use a rolling pin to roll out between
two sheets of wax paper or on a pastry cloth.

To Blind Bake (Bake Without Filling)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Roll out pastry and fit into pie pan. Use a fork to poke small holes in
bottom of pie crust.
3. Place a sheet of wax paper in crust, weighted down with dried beans
or pie weights, to keep crust from puffing up.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove pie weight and bake until lightly
browned, about 5-7 minutes more.
5. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
Notes

This recipe makes enough for 3-4 for crusts, depending on how thick you
roll the dough. It can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen.

Easy Nut Pie Crust – Gluten Free

With just three ingredients, this nut crust is easy to make and goes together
in minutes.

Ingredients

 2 cups ground pecans or almonds

 3 tablespoons butter, softened
 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

1. Combine the ground nuts, butter and sugar with a pastry blender or
by pulsing in a food processor.
2. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie
plate.
3. Bake at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes to par-bake crust, 10-12 minutes to
blind bake.

Coconut Pie Crust – Gluten Free

This coconut pie has only two ingredients, so the coconut flavor shines
through.

Ingredients

 1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter)

 2 cups dried unsweetened coconut meat, finely shredded

Instructions

 Combine the oil and coconut meat.

 Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie
plate.
 Bake at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes to blind bake crust.
Shortbread Pie Crust

This pie crust tastes just like a favorite

shortbread cookie.

Ingredients

 1 cup flour
 2 tablespoons sugar
 6 tablespoons butter

Instructions

1. Sift flour and sugar together into

large mixing bowl.
2. With pastry blender or food processor, cut in butter until mixture
resembles cornmeal.
3. Chill 30 minutes, then press firmly into 9 inch pie pan.
4. Blind bake at 350°F for 5-7 minutes.

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

This simple graham cracker crust pairs

well with custard pies, frozen pies or
pies with whipped filling.

Ingredients

 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

(about 18 crackers)
 3 tablespoons sugar
 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

 Mix graham cracker crumbs and

sugar in a medium mixing bowl or food processor. Add butter and
mix thoroughly.
 Press mixture firmly and evenly against bottom and sides of pie pan.
 Bake 10 minutes at 350°F. Cool and fill with whipped or custard
filling.
Notes

This recipe works fine with gluten free graham crackers.

For variety, add a teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin spice.

Any Cookie Pie Crust

Make Graham Cracker Pie Crust as above, but substitute chocolate or

vanilla wafer cookies or gingersnaps in place of graham crackers.
 Handy Kitchen Substitutions from Common Sense Home
commonsensehome.com/kitchen-substitutions/

Sweeteners
1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white cane sugar plus 1-2 tablespoons molasses
(1 for lighter, 2 for darker)
1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup brown sugar
OR 1 ¾ cup packed confectioner’s sugar
1 cup honey 1 ¼ cup cane sugar plus ¼ cup liquid (i.e. water)
1 ½ cup corn syrup 1 cup sugar plus ½ cup water
1 cup molasses 1 cup honey
18 to 24 stevia sweetener packets
1 cup sugar OR 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon of undiluted stevia powder
OR 1 teaspoon of a liquid stevia extract
maple sugar, ½ cup packed 1 cup maple syrup (you may need to adjust liquids in
the recipe)

Chocolate and Cocoa

1 square unsweetened chocolate (1 ounce)
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 ounce baking chocolate
3 tablespoons cocoa + 1 tablespoon fat (i.e. butter)
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
PLUS 7 tablespoons sugar
PLUS ¼ cup fat (butter or coconut oil)
3 tablespoons carob powder + 2 tablespoons water,
coconut oil, milk or non-dairy milk

Milk
1 cup fresh whole milk
1 cup fresh whole milk
1 cup fresh whole milk
1 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1 cup half and half
1 cup sour milk
½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
1 cup reconstituted nonfat dry milk
PLUS 2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup sour milk or buttermilk + ½ teaspoon soda
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
PLUS enough fresh whole milk to reach 1 cup
1 cup whole milk + 1 tbsp melted unsalted butter
OR 1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup plain milk kefir

Other Dairy
1 cup sour cream 1 cup yogurt (works better in sweet recipes)
1 cup cream, half-and-half 1 ½ tablespoons butter + enough milk to reach 1 cup
OR ½ cup light cream + ½ cup milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream 1/3 cup butter + about 2/3 cup whole milk
 Handy Kitchen Substitutions from Common Sense Home
commonsensehome.com/kitchen-substitutions/

Egg Substitutions (per 1 whole egg)

3 tablespoons water + 1 tablespoon chia seed 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2-3 tablespoons water
(combine and let sit 10-15 minutes) (simmer over low heat until it starts to gel)
2 egg yolks + 1 tbsp water – skip water for custards 2 ½ tablespoons dried egg + 2 ½ tablespoons water
(good use for leftovers from an egg white recipe) (beat together thoroughly)

Flours, Leavening and Thickeners

1 tablespoon cornstarch (for thickening)
1 tablespoon flour (for thickening)
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 package dry yeast (1/4 oz)
2 tablespoons flour (approximately)
½ tablespoon arrowroot
OR 2 teaspoons quick cooking tapioca
1 cup all-purpose flour
PLUS 1 teaspoon baking powder + ¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon baking soda + ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast
OR 1 cake of compressed yeast
OR 2 teaspoons SAF-INSTANT yeast
OR 2 ¼ teaspoons bread machine yeast

Tomatoes
1 cup canned tomatoes ~1 ½ cups diced fresh tomatoes, simmered 10 minutes
2 cups tomato sauce ¾ cup tomato paste + 1 cup water
1 cup tomato juice ½ cup tomato sauce + ½ cup water
1 pound fresh tomatoes 6 to 8 sun-dried tomato halves,
reconstituted in hot water

Bread Crumbs
1 cup bread crumbs ¾ cup cracker crumbs
1 cup bread crumbs 1 cup crushed tortilla chips, potato chips,
pretzels, or corn flakes
¼ cup DRY bread crumbs 1 slice bread
½ cup SOFT bread crumbs 1 slice bread

Herbs, Spices, and Other Seasonings

1 tablespoon fresh herbs 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon dried herbs
1 tablespoon mustard 1 teaspoon mustard powder (plus liquid if needed)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Garlic, 1 small clove OR ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
OR ½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion / 1 medium onion 2 teaspoons onion powder
Juice of one lemon 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
 Handy Kitchen Substitutions from Common Sense Home
commonsensehome.com/kitchen-substitutions/

Gelatin
1/4 ounce envelope 2 ¼ teaspoons gelatin powder
OR 4 sheets gelatin (4x9 inches)

Broth (per 1 cup)

1 bouillon cube + 1 cup boiling water 1 teaspoon bouillon granules + 1 cup boiling water
Other liquids (water, tomato juice, wine, beer) to taste

White Wine Substitutes

Vinegar (apple cider or white wine) Chicken broth
Apple juice White grape juice
Ginger ale Water

Cooking Oil Options (Medium to High Heat Frying)

Butter Lard
Tallow Refined coconut oil
Schmaltz (chicken fat) Bacon grease

Baking Fat Options

Butter Coconut oil (refined or otherwise, to taste)
Olive oil Avocado oil
Low-fat: swap ½ of fat for applesauce or veggie puree
Vegetable oils not recommended, as they’re typically highly processed.

Cooking spray – substitute coconut oil or lard, applied with paper towel or clean hand.

Measurement Equivalents
8 fluid ounces (fl oz) 1 cup (c)
240 milliliters (ml) 1 cup
2 cups 1 pint
4 cups 1 quart
7/8 cup 7 ounces (use a liquid cup measure)
1 quart 0.95 liters
3 teaspoons (tsp) 1 tablespoon (tbsp)
15 milliliters 1 tablespoon
5 milliliters 1 teaspoon
¼ cup 4 tablespoons
1/3 cup 5 2/3 tablespoons
1 stick butter ½ cup butter
12 ounces chocolate chips (by weight) Approx. 2 cups chocolate chips