This page is dedicated to my tips and comments about the ingredients commonly used in this blog's recipes and brands that I use or are popular. The list below is permanently tweaked with new ingredients, options or substitutions.
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Chocolate and cocoa
- Chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate for this recipe. I like Callebaut 54% chocolate wafers or Ghirardelli Premium baking bar.
- Cocoa powder: always use unsweetened. I like Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, Ghirardelli Premium baking cocoa, and Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder. And, in my experience, the dark ones are the best (this does not apply to the super dark used for making homemade Oreo cookies known as dark cocoa powder).
- Chocolate chips: use your favorite semisweet chip. I love Ghirardelli premium baking chocolate chips, Callebaut 54% chocolate wafers (larger chips, our favorite), and Nestle Toll House semisweet chips.
- Chocolate chunks: the chocolate will be more noticeable than if using chips, and we love that. Use store-bought ones, like Nestle chocolate chunks or Barry Callebaut dark chocolate chunks. Or make your own by chopping a chocolate bar like Ghirardelli Premium baking bar. The chunks will be irregular.
- White chocolate: use white chocolate chips or chunks. When available, I like to use Valrhona caramelized chocolate Dulcey, Callebaut white chocolate chunks, or a white chocolate baking bar, coarsely chopped.
- White chocolate: melting chocolate wafers work well or any white chocolate that you already use. Mercken's coating melting wafers, Callebaut white chocolate wafers, or a white chocolate baking bar.
- White chocolate chips: they add sweetness. I use Ghirardelli white chocolate chips or Nestle Toll house premier white chips.
- Milk chocolate chips: use your favorite brand. I use Callebaut milk chocolate callets, Guittard milk chocolate chips and Ghirardelli chips. Nestle toll house chips are also popular.
Coatings
- Chocolate: I like to use melting chocolate, the type used for candy-making, such as Mercken's melting chocolate wafers. Or use a chocolate bar that melts well. I use Callebaut 54% chocolate wafers. If you want a sweeter bark, use milk chocolate (like milk chocolate melting wafers).
- Melting white chocolate: use melting white chocolate wafers that are made for candy making, like Mercken's coating melting wafers, Ghirardelli white melting chocolate or Wilton white candy melts. They dissolve easily and create a thin coating.
Dry ingredients
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online. Domino powdered sugar is a very popular one.
- Salt: I like using kosher salt when baking, but regular table salt works just fine.
- Baking powder: make sure it hasn't expired. Use double-acting baking powder that activates with moisture and heat.
- Baking soda: make sure it hasn't expired. Arm & Hammer baking soda is a popular one.
- Cornstarch: it’s used as a thickener. Argo 100% pure cornstarch is a popular one.
- Dry cake mix: the type you find in the supermarket or grocery store, whatever brand you want. I use yellow cake mix or White cake mix for this recipe. Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines are popular ones.
- Oats: I use old-fashioned rolled oats (traditional oats) because they have more texture, but you can use instant or quick-cooking oats.
- Coconut: we always use unsweetened shredded coconut.
Flavorings
- Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon and Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- Crushed peppermint candy: you can crush whole candy canes or buy crushed ones, which is way easier. I used Atkinson's Mint Twists crushed candy and love it as it stays soft to the bite after it's baked.
- Mint extract: I use Simply Organic peppermint flavor or Nielsen Massey pure peppermint extract.
- Coconut extract: it reinforces the coconut flavor which can sometimes be lacking. I used Frontier coconut flavor. Watkins coconut extract and Mc Cormick coconut extract are other popular ones.
Peanut butter, dulce de leche & frosting
- Peanut butter: recipes in this blog use the thicker, commercial type, like Skippy creamy peanut butter.
- Peanut butter chips: we like Reese's peanut butter chips.
- White frosting: from the store, like Duncan Hines Vanilla frosting or Pillsbury supreme white frosting.
- Chocolate frosting: from the store. The classic ones like Duncan Hines chocolate frosting, Pillsbury's supreme fudge frosting and Betty Crocker's gluten-free chocolate frosting. Or opt for a sweeter one with milk chocolate like Betty Crocker's milk chocolate frosting or Hershey's milk chocolate frosting.
- Dulce de leche: you can make homemade dulce de leche following my tips. It's not hard at all and uses few ingredients. You can easily buy it online. I use dulce de leche Chimbote, dulce de leche Cachafaz, and San Ignacio milk caramel spread.
- Dulce de leche as a filling (for alfajores for example) use the thicker kind I always use dulce de leche repostero Vacalin.
Dairy
- Sweetened condensed milk: it's a must ingredient and can't be substituted. Use the regular type such as Carnation condensed milk or Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, not unsweetened or evaporated milk.
- Cream cheese: the regular type, full-fat cream cheese is needed for consistency and creaminess. I always use Philadelphia original cream cheese, but other premium brands work fine.
- Sour cream: use the regular type, full-fat sour cream. It adds richness and moisture.
- Buttermilk: it makes the preparation tender and counteracts the metallic flavor of the baking soda. What if you don't have fresh buttermilk? You can buy buttermilk powder and prepare it as you need to. Homemade buttermilk is another option, and it's effortless and I add it to the recipe card when appropriate.
- Milk: I always use whole milk because of its richness, but reduced in fat, lactose-free, and almond milk also work.
- Dry milk powder, also known as powdered milk, it is regular milk that has been evaporated to dryness, creating a powder with a long shelf life. It's easily available at the grocery store. Nestle Nido dry whole milk powder and Hoosier Hill Farm whole milk powder are popular ones.
Yeast
- Types of yeast: besides active-dry yeast, you can use instant yeast (¾ of the amount given for active dry) and add it to the flour, then add the water. Or fresh yeast (3 teaspoons) that you crumble and mix with the water first.
- Yeast: I use active-dry yeast, which needs to be hydrated before. You can use instant yeast (¾ of the amount given for active dry) and add it directly to the flour, then add the water, no need to foam it first. If using fresh yeast (the ratio is 3:1 to dry), and is used in the same way as the active-dry, you need to hydrate it first and let it foam.
Nuts, canned food & extras
- Whole almonds: I buy nonpareil because they are easily available and the best if you want to remove the skins. But you can use Marcona or any other you like.
- Almond flour: make your own by processing whole almonds until finely ground. Or buy almond flour online or at the grocery store.
- Almonds for toppings and garnishes: they're used for the topping. Sliced almonds are traditional, but slivered almonds work just as well.
- Apples: I use granny smith apples exclusively (the green ones, my absolute favorites for baking due to their tartness). They bring some acid to the mix that complements the overall sweetness of the cake. And they hold their shape and don't turn mushy in the oven. If you have another favorite that you usually bake with (pink lady, fuji, gala, Honeycrisp apples), by all means, use it.
- Pumpkin puree: use canned fresh pumpkin or make homemade pumpkin puree. Please don't mistake it for pumpkin pie filling, which is a different product.
- Graham cracker crumbs: you need fine crumbs, so using a food processor is the best choice. I use homemade graham crackers or regular graham crackers when I can get a hold of them, but honey maid graham crackers, cinnamon graham crackers, or vanilla wafers work well if you want to have a choice of cookie crusts.
- Cranberry juice: we like 100% unsweetened cranberry juice.
For questions regarding ingredients, please leave a comment below. Thank you!