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How to Can Apple Butter

Want to store your homemade apple butter long-term but don’t have freezer space? Learn how to can apple butter and enjoy this fall favorite all year long. Without a doubt my most popular recipe this time of year is my slow cooker apple butter. And there’s really no question why! It’s incredibly easy and absolutely …

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Want to store your homemade apple butter long-term but don’t have freezer space? Learn how to can apple butter and enjoy this fall favorite all year long.

Close up of a jar of canned apple butter.

Without a doubt my most popular recipe this time of year is my slow cooker apple butter. And there’s really no question why! It’s incredibly easy and absolutely delicious.

One of the most common questions I get about the recipe is: Can I can this apple butter?

I didn’t grow up with a grandmother who canned food, so I never messed around much with it. It always seemed really intimidating to me. But I called up my friend Megan and asked her to teach me what I needed to know to can my apple butter.

I don’t think I’ll become a master canner, but it’s nice to know how to preserve one of my favorite fall foods without taking up a bunch of space in my freezer. 

So let’s talk through the basics on how to can apple butter!

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How to Make Cinnamon Sugar

Cinnamon sugar is one of the most useful spice blends you can keep in your pantry! Learn the best ratio for making it as well as ways to use it. Sometimes I don’t know where I’d be without my baking basics. I’ve saved myself so many extra trips to the grocery store by knowing how …

The post How to Make Cinnamon Sugar appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

Cinnamon sugar is one of the most useful spice blends you can keep in your pantry! Learn the best ratio for making it as well as ways to use it.

Cinnamon sugar in a small white bowl.

Sometimes I don’t know where I’d be without my baking basics. I’ve saved myself so many extra trips to the grocery store by knowing how to whip up a buttermilk substitute, how to make pumpkin pie spice at home, and how to make powdered sugar

You’ve probably seen jars of cinnamon sugar in the spice aisle at the grocery store. Maybe you’ve even bought it before! But from now on, you won’t need to.

Once you know how to make cinnamon sugar, you’ll be able to keep a jar of it on hand at all times.

Spoon in a white bowl filled with cinnamon sugar.

HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON SUGAR

Cinnamon sugar is one of the most useful things you can keep in your pantry, especially if you have a bit of a sweet tooth. 

Like simple syrup, it’s one of those things that you CAN buy at the store. But once you realize how easy it is to make and you know the ratio to use, I bet you’ll save yourself some money and make it at home.

The most important thing you need to know when it comes to making cinnamon sugar is the ratio to use.

My preferred ratio is: 1 part cinnamon to 4 parts granulated sugar by volume.

Once you’ve got that down, you can make as much or as little as you need!

Ingredients for cinnamon sugar on beige countertop.

Ratio examples

Here are a few ratio examples for you, so you can see how you can make anywhere from a small amount to a larger volume:

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon + 4 teaspoons (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon + ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon + ½ cup sugar

As you can see, it’s easy to scale this up or down however you like. 

You don’t even have to use traditional measuring spoons or cups! Any scoop or spoon you have lying around your kitchen will work – just use 1 scoop of cinnamon for every 4 scoops of sugar.

Cinnamon being added to granulated sugar in a white bowl.

USES

Need some usage ideas? I’ve got you covered.

The most common uses are for making cinnamon toast or using it to coat snickerdoodle cookies (or to top snickerdoodle blondies), but there are a whole bunch of options beyond those.

Cinnamon sugar being spooned over muffin batter before baking.

Sprinkle it on top of blondie bars, muffins, or quick breads before baking, such as apple bars, zucchini muffins, or banana bread.

Add it to your morning oatmeal, sprinkle it on top of bread pudding before baking, or use it to make cinnamon tortilla chips for a delicious snack.

And don’t forget donuts and pretzels! You can make cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites or cinnamon sugar pretzels with your favorite hard pretzels. Skip the glaze on homemade doughnuts and cake donuts and go for a coating of this goodness instead. 

Muffins topped with cinnamon sugar set on a wooden board.

Feeling snacky? Try candied pecans or air fryer cinnamon sugar knots.

Even drinks are made better with it! It makes a great rim for apple cider margaritas, or sprinkle it over spiced apple cider.

Three cookie dough balls being rolled in a bowl of cinnamon sugar.

STORAGE

Once you’ve mixed up your cinnamon sugar, store it in an airtight container, such as a glass jar. Label it and store it in a cool, dry place and it’ll keep pretty much forever.

Like all ground spices, the cinnamon will start to lose some of its flavor after about 6 months, but the mix itself will still be good – it just might not pack as much punch.

See? Now that you know how to make cinnamon sugar, you can pass by it at the store and keep a jar of it in your pantry at all times!

Snickerdoodles next to a bowl of cinnamon sugar on a wire cooling rack.
Cinnamon sugar and a small whisk in a white bowl.
Print

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar

Cinnamon sugar is one of the most useful spice blends you can keep in your pantry! Learn the best ratio for how to make cinnamon sugar as well as ways to use it.
Course Baking Basics
Prep Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 part ground cinnamon
  • 4 parts granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Whisk together and store in an airtight container.

Notes

Use the above ratio to make as much or as little cinnamon sugar as you need. Common examples:
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon + 4 teaspoons (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon + ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon + ½ cup sugar

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How to Freeze Cake

Curious about whether or not you can freeze the cake you just made? Use this guide to learn how to freeze cake, whether whole or sliced, frosted or unfrosted. Today I’m bringing you another kitchen how-to.  If you’ve been around here for a while, you know how much I love sharing these posts with you. …

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Curious about whether or not you can freeze the cake you just made? Use this guide to learn how to freeze cake, whether whole or sliced, frosted or unfrosted.

Assortment of wrapped cakes and cupcakes ready to go in the freezer.

Today I’m bringing you another kitchen how-to. 

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know how much I love sharing these posts with you. Whether it’s knowing how to throw together a quick buttermilk substitute, how to measure flour correctly for better baking results, or how to make perfectly round cookies, these are some of my favorite tips and tricks.

One of the most frequent questions I get asked about nearly all of my recipes is, “Can this recipe be frozen?”

And when it comes to cake and cupcakes, I am happy to say YES! 

But there are some differences in how to freeze cake depending on if it’s frosted or not, whole or sliced. So let’s dive into how to tackle each of these.

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How to Make Perfectly Round Cookies

If you’ve ever had cookies come out of the oven looking a little less than perfect, give this trick a try. Grab a drinking glass or a coffee mug and learn how to make perfectly round cookies. I’ve told you guys before how TikTok is my new favorite social media platform. I get so many …

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If you’ve ever had cookies come out of the oven looking a little less than perfect, give this trick a try. Grab a drinking glass or a coffee mug and learn how to make perfectly round cookies.

Perfectly round sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies on a wire cooling rack.

I’ve told you guys before how TikTok is my new favorite social media platform. I get so many great tips and tricks there, whether it’s a recipe for cinnamon rolls with heavy cream or how to make your cookies perfectly round.

Yes, you read that right. Perfectly round cookies!

I saw this trick several months ago. I can’t find the original video, but it showed the creator using a cup to reshape her freshly baked cookies into perfect circles.

I am happy to eat cookies in any shape or size, but sometimes I do want mine to look really nice, so I gave this trick a try and it worked great!

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Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate ganache is one of the simplest and most useful things you can make! Using just two ingredients, ganache can be used as a topping, sauce, filling, or frosting. If you’ve been reading MBA for a while, you know that I love chocolate ganache. Whether I’m using it as a glaze for a bundt cake, …

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Chocolate ganache is one of the simplest and most useful things you can make! Using just two ingredients, ganache can be used as a topping, sauce, filling, or frosting.

Chocolate ganache being whisked in a small white bowl.

If you’ve been reading MBA for a while, you know that I love chocolate ganache. Whether I’m using it as a glaze for a bundt cake, a frosting for brownies, or even as a sauce for ice cream, it’s something that has so many uses.

I’ve included a lot of various ganaches with different dessert recipes on this site over the years, but I realize that I’ve never given you a standard, simple ganache recipe.

So today we’re going to talk all about ganache: What it is, how it’s made, how to use it, and so much more.

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How to Caramelize Onions

Curious about caramelized onions? Learn everything from what they are, how to use them, and – most importantly – how to caramelize onions easily at home. There are a handful of cooking and baking basics that I think every home cook should know. These are things like how to make a buttermilk substitute, how to brown …

The post How to Caramelize Onions appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

Curious about caramelized onions? Learn everything from what they are, how to use them, and – most importantly – how to caramelize onions easily at home.

Gray bowl filled with caramelized onions, set on a marble countertop.

There are a handful of cooking and baking basics that I think every home cook should know.

These are things like how to make a buttermilk substitute, how to brown butter, how to roast garlic, and how to caramelize onions.   

Sure, you could probably go your whole life without needing to do these things, but they’re super easy tricks that can not only make your life easier, they make your life more delicious.

I can promise that once you know how to caramelize onions, you’ll be looking for all sorts of ways to use them from breakfast to lunch to dinner. 

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Types of Salt

Do you find yourself overwhelmed by all of the different types of salt at the grocery store? Learn about the various salts used for cooking so you know what to look for next time you go shopping! I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, there was pretty much one kind of …

The post Types of Salt appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

Do you find yourself overwhelmed by all of the different types of salt at the grocery store? Learn about the various salts used for cooking so you know what to look for next time you go shopping!

I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, there was pretty much one kind of salt: table salt. We used it for cooking and baking and that was it.

If you had a grandma who made pickles, sometimes you’d come across pickling salt. And once in a while you might see rock salt for using in ice cream makers, but that wasn’t very often.

Of course other types of salt existed, but they weren’t easy to find at your standard grocery store back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. But these days? You walk into the spice aisle and you can find at least half a dozen different types of salt.

I spend a lot of time watching the Food Network and scrolling through cooking TikTok, so I’ve learned a lot about how different kinds of salt are used. But even then it’s easy to get them mixed up!

I’ve put together this post as a primer on the 9 kinds of salt most home cooks might encounter, including what each one is and how it’s used in cooking. 

Now you’ll know what to look for next time you head to the grocery store or explore a specialty cooking shop!

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How to Poach Eggs

If you love going out for brunch for the perfectly poached eggs, you’re in luck! Learn how to poach eggs and enjoy a restaurant-quality brunch right at home – it’s easier than you think. Long-time readers will know that I am a big fan of keeping a bunch of baking and cooking basics at your fingertips. …

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If you love going out for brunch for the perfectly poached eggs, you’re in luck! Learn how to poach eggs and enjoy a restaurant-quality brunch right at home – it’s easier than you think.

Poached egg on eggs benedict. The egg has been cut to allow the yolk to run out.

Long-time readers will know that I am a big fan of keeping a bunch of baking and cooking basics at your fingertips.

I can’t tell you how often I need to whip up a buttermilk substitute or know how to brown butter or how to roast garlic.

You could probably go your whole life without knowing how to poach eggs, but it’s a great trick to know if you want to take your brunch game to the next level. Or if you really love a runny egg yolk!

Luckily, poaching eggs is a lot easier than you probably think.

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How to Toast Coconut

Ever wondered how to toast coconut? Making it yourself is the easiest thing to do! Learn 3 simple methods for taking your shredded coconut to the next level. Toasted coconut is one of my favorite ingredients to add to baked goods. Although I love me some coconut straight from the bag, toasted coconut is definitely …

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Ever wondered how to toast coconut? Making it yourself is the easiest thing to do! Learn 3 simple methods for taking your shredded coconut to the next level.

Toasted coconut is one of my favorite ingredients to add to baked goods. Although I love me some coconut straight from the bag, toasted coconut is definitely my favorite.

Did you know that coconuts made their own way around the world? Of course, traders brought them with them on travels 2,000 years ago, but because it can float, it’s also thought that the coconut spread itself throughout the subtropics.

I know that’s a little more history than I regularly delve into, but coconuts are pretty fascinating. And tasty. Plenty tasty.

I find that coconut is one of those ingredients that most people either love or hate. I definitely fall into the love category. 

If you also love it, find out how to toast coconut to make it even more delicious! I’ve got 3 simple methods to share with you, so let’s get to it.

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Homemade Vanilla Extract

Homemade vanilla extract is simple to make and is a great gift for all of the bakers in your life! Read on for details on how to make and store your own vanilla extract, as well as a free printable label template. This post contains affiliate links. I would guess that since you are reading …

The post Homemade Vanilla Extract appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

Homemade vanilla extract is simple to make and is a great gift for all of the bakers in your life! Read on for details on how to make and store your own vanilla extract, as well as a free printable label template.

Four small, labeled bottles of homemade vanilla extract with a large jar of the extract visible in the background.

This post contains affiliate links.

I would guess that since you are reading My Baking Addiction, you probably have some form of vanilla extract in your pantry. 

Some of you may use imitation vanilla, while others may fork over the money for higher quality pure vanilla extract.

Regardless of your vanilla choice, I wanted to share an effortless “recipe” for homemade vanilla extract using two easy ingredients: alcohol and vanilla beans.

This is one of those kitchen how-tos that sticks in my brain right along with my buttermilk substitute and knowing how to make powdered sugar. It’s so simple and is sure to be a trick you’ll be happy to have up your sleeve!

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