3000 miles 'til dinner.

Anonymous asked: why were my brownies crumbly? they were moist but didn't hold together? was it something in the process or did i add too little/too much of a certain ingredient? also just for future reference, can you EVER substitute baking soda with baking powder or vice versa? can you do any fix-its so that they can be used in a recipe?

The Killer Brownie recipe isn’t very forgiving when you substitute ingredients.They will still be delicious, if for instance, you substitute egg whites instead of whole eggs, white granulated sugar instead of brown and/or margarine instead of butter, but each will make a difference. Substituting egg whites for whole eggs will make the biggest difference in the texture and the “crackly look” on the top. Of course, anything but real butter will make the biggest difference in taste!

HINT #1 for a less crumbly brownie: chilling the brownies before cutting helps tremendously….all the the butter and chocolate goodness will become firm (after all, the main ingredients in this recipe are chocolate and butter, very little flour) HINT #2:  chill in the freezer if you are in a hurry

Baking Soda and Baking Powder - both are leavening agents with different ingredients. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate; baking powder is sodium bicarbonate (known as baking soda), the acidifying agent cream of tartar and a drying agent, usually starch.  

Both react when combined with moisture and acid,  the resulting chemical reaction producing bubbles of carbon dioxide (gas) that expand under heat/oven temps, causing baked goods to rise. 

Baking soda -  pure sodium bicarbonate.  It cannot act alone in cake batters unless it is accompanied with an “acid” ingredient such as sour cream, buttermilk, sour milk, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, chocolate, etc.  exception: it may be called for in cookies where there is no acidic ingredient in the recipe. Baking soda will add a harsh taste if too much is used so measure accurately.  Baking soda begins reacting as soon as it’s added to moisture/acid. 

*No - Baking soda cannot be substituted for baking powder. 

Baking powder - sodium bicarbonate with the acidifying agent cream of tartar 

*Yes - baking powder can be substituted for baking soda if you: 

(a) substitute 2x baking powder for the amount of baking soda called for in the recipe 

(b) make your own baking powder by mixing 2 parts cream of tartar to 1 part baking    soda

FYI: There are two choices when purchasing baking powder 

*single-acting powder - activated by moisture, so you should bake recipes immediately after mixing

*double acting powder: reacts in two phases. Some gas is released at room temp when activated by moisture, but the majority of the gas is released when finished batter or dough is put in the hot oven (best to buy double-acting powder)