Hi baking friend, Is there anything better than the aroma of spiced apples baking away in the kitchen? Perhaps when it's inside one of the EASIEST cake recipes you'll ever make! Salted Caramel Apple Sheet Cake This super moist and tender sheet cake is packed with cinnamon-spiced apples and finished with a thick, glossy salted caramel glaze. It's incredibly easy to make, no mixer required, and a crowd-pleasing fall dessert. ✨ Get the Recipe ✨ 💬 What Handle the Heat bakers are saying: "Easy to...
2 days ago • 1 min read
Fall is full of good excuses to bake. Pumpkin for breakfast. Apple desserts while they're in season. Warm chocolate chip cookies just because. And, of course, Joe's homemade pretzels for football season (they're the most important part of the game!). So I put together a Fall Baking Bucket List with 42 recipes for you to pick and choose from all season. Don't forget to tag @handletheheat if you make one. I love seeing what you bake! 💗 🍂 Click to the Fall Baking Bucket List 🍂 🍂 Save These for...
3 days ago • 1 min read
Hi baking friend, I am getting SO excited to be entering the fall baking season. It's my favorite time of year! (It also means Joe and I are that much closer to bringing our baby boy into the world... the countdown to my due date is officially ON. A quick update on that at the end of this email!) Today's spotlight is one of my personal favorites to bake the moment it's socially acceptable... Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake I first published this Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake recipe back in 2017, and...
8 days ago • 2 min read
Hi, baking friend, Not to brag, but I've had multiple people tell me they thought they hated scones until they tried one of my recipes! I've figured out some tricks over the years to prevent dry and bland scones, and they're incorporated into every scone recipe I publish. Today's might just be my new favorite: ✨ NEW ✨ Mocha Scones These tender, buttery scones are packed with rich chocolate and espresso flavor, with mini chocolate chips throughout and a coffee glaze on top 😍 They have lightly...
10 days ago • 1 min read
Hi baking friend, It is HOT here in Phoenix and I'm in my third trimester, so I'm keeping all my bakes simple & easy. Hence this week's recipe spotlight! I know many of you are in the chaos of back-to-school season, too, so these Labor Day recipes are all quick, easy, or able to be prepared in advance. Almost always, I include detailed make-ahead directions in the blog post (above the recipe card), so don't forget to peek that before planning your party menu :) Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats...
15 days ago • 2 min read
Hi, baking friend, During my first trimester, I was basically living on Cheez-Its. So naturally, a homemade copycat recipe had to happen! ✨ NEW ✨ Homemade Cheez-Its If you love Cheez-Its, you have to try making them at home! These homemade crackers are buttery, super cheesy, perfectly salty, and addictively snappy. They taste surprisingly close to the real thing! You only need 5 simple ingredients, a few spices, and about 25 minutes of hands-on time. Just mix, chill, roll, cut, and bake. 🧀...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Hi friend, Fall baking season is nearly here. Pumpkin everything, cinnamon rolls, enough holiday cookies to need their own pantry shelf. But before things get too busy, I wanted to share something I've never shared publicly before... The exact ingredients & brands my team and I use to test & photograph every single recipe on Handle the Heat. I'm particular about this stuff for a reason. The difference between a cookie that stays nice and tender and one that gets crumbly and dry can come down...
23 days ago • 4 min read
Hi, baking friend, If you thought I had reached the limit of brownie recipes (I have published 40+ already...) you would be wrong. Today, I have a brand-new brownie recipe for you: ✨ NEW ✨ Biscoff Brownies These are chewy and fudgy with a gooey center of creamy Biscoff cookie butter, topped with Biscoff cookie pieces for a little crunch. The rich chocolate + warm spiced cookie butter combination is so good. How'd I get that Biscoff in the middle? It's actually really simple! Freezing the...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Hi baking friend, Browning butter takes just a few extra minutes but adds SO much nutty, toasted flavor to baked goods. It's one of my favorite ways to elevate desserts, as you'll see below! What Most People Get Wrong About Browning Butter... Most people actually UNDER brown their butter, preventing the full flavor from developing. Make sure you scrape allllll those browned bits into your batter or dough, that's where the flavor lives. I've put together a step-by-step guide with photos so you...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read