Stabilized whipped cream holds its shape and stays light and fluffy much longer than regular whipped cream! Use it to decorate cakes, cupcakes, pies, and more. 

What Is Stabilized Whipped Cream? 

If you’ve been following along for a while, you may recognize this stabilized whipped cream. Originally published in 2018, it quickly became a reader favorite because of how easy it is to whip up. Since it’s been a few years, I decided to give this post a much needed update with more tips and tricks for success!

In essence, this stabilized whipped cream is just whipped cream that’s been stiffened with unflavored gelatin. Regular whipped cream can deflate and become watery after just a few hours. However, whipped cream that’s been stabilized holds its shape and remains fluffy for up to two days.

I highly recommend using this stabilized whipped cream recipe any time you’re decorating a dessert in advance or if you know it will be sitting out at room temperature for a couple of hours!

Continue reading How To Make Stabilized Whipped Cream at Live Well Bake Often.

Learn how to make pumpkin pie spice in less than 5 minutes with just a few common spices. Perfect for fall cookies, breads, pies, and so much more!

Can I let you in on a big secret? You can make almost any spice blend you find at the grocery store yourself simply by using the individual spices you already have in your pantry. 

Oh, and it’s usually cheaper to make your own spice blends, to boot. 

For that reason, I prefer making my own pumpkin pie spice substitute rather than buying it at the store. I always have the individual spices on hand, and I like having the ability to scale the batch up or down depending on my needs. 

The pumpkin pie spice recipe I’m sharing with you today requires just five basic common spices and takes all of a few minutes to whisk together. 

Ingredients for This Recipe 

When making any kind of spice blend, it’s important that all of the individual spices are still good.

Continue reading Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice at Live Well Bake Often.

All out of brown sugar but want to make a batch of cookies? Make a substitute with just two ingredients! This post will explain how to make brown sugar with ingredients you have on hand already. 

What Is Brown Sugar? 

Brown sugar is a key ingredient in many baked goods. But what exactly is it?

In short, refined brown sugar is simply sugar that has some molasses added to it. The traces of molasses in the sugar, give it a distinctive brown color and a slight caramel flavor.

If a recipe calls for brown sugar and you don’t have any on hand, it’s better to make your own substitute than omit it entirely. This simple ingredient adds moisture to baked goods and also adds a lovely depth of flavor so don’t leave it out!

In today’s post, I’m breaking down everything you need to know on how to make your own.

Continue reading How To Make Brown Sugar at Live Well Bake Often.

This easy pastry cream recipe can be used to fill cream puffs, eclairs, cakes, cupcakes, and so much more! Every baker needs to know how to make this versatile custard filling. 

What Is Pastry Cream? 

Whether or not you realized it at the time, I bet you’ve had pastry cream at least once in your life. It’s essentially an ultra thick custard that’s used to fill any number of baked goods. You may know pastry cream by its French name, crème pâtissière. Whatever you call it, it’s delicious! 

You can use pastry cream to fill cream puffs, eclairs, or donuts. It can also be used as a filling for cakes or fruit tarts. 

Homemade pastry cream requires some patience, but once you know the method it’s actually very simple to make. Note that this recipe requires some advance preparation, as the pastry cream needs to chill in the fridge for two to three hours before it can be used.

Continue reading How To Make Pastry Cream at Live Well Bake Often.

Learn how to make buttercream frosting with this easy tutorial. This is the BEST recipe for homemade buttercream, it pipes perfectly, and makes a great base for other frosting flavors too!

Today we’re covering how to make buttercream frosting. Actually, we’re covering just how EASY it is to make your own frosting right at home. If you’ve been buying store-bought, you’ll want to ditch it after seeing just how easy it is to make your own.

I originally published this recipe in January of 2017, but decided it was finally time to update it with better instructions and more information. In today’s post, I’m breaking down everything you need to know about how to make the best buttercream frosting.

This recipe also makes a great base for so many different flavor variations. The possibilities are really endless, but I’ve included four different variations for you to try!

Continue reading How To Make Buttercream Frosting at Live Well Bake Often.

Learn how to make chocolate ganache with this easy tutorial. You only need chocolate, heavy whipping cream, a microwave, and 5 minutes to make this simple ganache recipe!

I used to think that chocolate ganache sounded like a difficult or fancy thing to make. But the truth is that chocolate ganache is actually really simple to make and it only requires two ingredients. Yes – just two!

What Is Ganache?

Chocolate ganache is made by adding warm cream to chopped chocolate, then mixing it together until it’s completely smooth. You can adjust the amounts of chocolate and cream to use it in various ways. Depending on the ratios of each ingredient that you use, ganache can be used as a pourable glaze, filling for cakes or pastries, truffles, and so much more!

In today’s post, I’m breaking down everything you need to know for how to make chocolate ganache.

Continue reading How To Make Chocolate Ganache at Live Well Bake Often.

An easy tutorial on how to make your own homemade pie crust! This recipe uses just a few simple ingredients and turns out perfect every single time. This post also includes several different ways that you can use this pie crust recipe!

Making your own pie crust should never be intimidating. In fact, if you have a good recipe and instructions it’s actually pretty easy.  

If you’ve been following me for a while you’ve probably seen this pie crust recipe at some point. But today I wanted to share this simple recipe with you again because it’s one that I use all of the time! You’ll absolutely love this recipe because it’s:

• Super flaky
• Ridiculously easy to make
• Uses simple pantry staples you likely have on hand
• Tastes better than anything that you can buy at the store

Trust me when I say that you’ll never go back to buying store-bought pie crust again once you learn how to make your own!

Continue reading Homemade Pie Crust Recipe at Live Well Bake Often.

Learn how to make homemade whipped cream with just three ingredients. You’ll want to ditch the store-bought stuff once you learn how easy it is to make your own!

*Post and pictures updated July 2020*

For a long time I used to buy whipped topping in a tub from the store. You know, the frozen kind you have to leave in your refrigerator for a few hours to thaw? I always thought that it was easier and more convenient, until the first time I learned how to make whipped cream.

And you know what? It’s easy to make and tastes amazing too. So today I wanted to share my homemade whipped cream recipe with you! 

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Only requires 3 ingredients
• Can be made in about 15 minutes
• Tastes better than anything you can buy at the store
• It’s a perfect topping for so many different desserts!

Continue reading Homemade Whipped Cream at Live Well Bake Often.

Learn how easy it is to make your own graham cracker crust with this simple tutorial! You only need three ingredients and about 10 minutes to prepare this pie crust. This recipe works great for baked or no-bake pies!

*Pictures and post updated November 2019.*

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a how-to baking post. Since we’re so close to the holidays, I thought it would be the perfect time to share one recipe that I make every holiday season — my homemade graham cracker crust recipe!

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve never been a fan of the store-bought graham cracker crusts. I feel like store-bought crusts are far too crumbly and it’s almost impossible to get a clean slice out of them without it falling apart.

I’ve been making my own homemade graham cracker pie crust for years now and I’ve never looked back because they’re SO much better.

Continue reading How To Make A Graham Cracker Crust at Live Well Bake Often.

A complete list of the best baking tools and equipment that every home baker needs in their kitchen. With these essential tools, you’ll be baking like a pro in no time!

Some of the most common questions that I receive are about the tools that I use when it comes to baking.

• Are some better than others?
• What are the best baking tools if you’re just getting started?
• Do baking sheets or pans make a difference? (yes, they actually do!)

Since I’ve spent a lot of time in my kitchen testing recipes with different baking tools and equipment, I know what works well. So, I’ve decided to compile a list of my favorites! From baking sheets to measuring cups to appliances and more, I’ve covered all of the basics.

Now, you certainly don’t need every single thing on this list but I feel that this is a good starting point.

Continue reading The Best Baking Tools Every Baker Needs at Live Well Bake Often.