We often get tips from candied fruit lovers or we develop them here in our Paradise kitchen.  Read these and you will be sure to take away at least a few items that will add to your enjoyment of baking. 

A cookie or brownie that calls for milk can get an additional zip of taste if you add flavored creamer.

Butter must be beaten for at least 8 minutes to cream.

Use a paper towel (or coffee filter) to serve as a counter cover when you are measuring dry ingredients. Then you can pour the excess back into the container and clean your counter at the same time.

If the recipe you are making calls for one cup of peanut butter or shortening, use a two cup measuring cup. Put one cup of water in and just add enough of the ingredient to raise the water to the two cup mark, then pour out the water. This eliminates the need to smoosh it all into one cup.

If you find the brown sugar is clumping together after getting packed in a measuring cup, you can combine it with the regular sugar and put it in the food processor to break apart.

When you are covering a freshly iced cake to keep it fresh after baking, put a gum drop or marshmellow on the end of a toothpick, stick the toothpick in the middle of the cake, and use it as a tent post to keep the tin foil from touching the top.

If you find your brown sugar or cookies are drying out and becoming hard, try placing a piece of bread or an apple in the middle of them to increase the moisture.

If a recipe calls for softened butter, put it on the oven for gradual softening from the heat emanating from it.