Welcome all recovering perfectionists, new or experienced bakers, and baking confidence-seekers
Below you will find everything you need to get the full experience of the Handle the Heat website.
Where to Start
How to Navigate the Site
Think of this as your quick kitchen tour! We’ll show you how to navigate the blog and use all the tasty features we’ve added to help you get the most out of your experience.
These tags quickly show which category the recipe belongs to.
These tags highlight key ingredients and allow you to access relevant information about them.
Hover over the text below to see it in action.
baking soda
These tags give you helpful details at a glance. Difficulty & Equipment shows how simple a recipe is and what tools you’ll need, Time & Planning helps you choose based on your schedule, and Popular Picks highlights reader favorites and crowd-pleasers.
Handle the Heat Custom Tools
The Measurement Converter makes weighing your ingredients (my preferred method!) a breeze. The Recipe Selector is a fun way to figure out what to bake next. The Baking Troubleshooter is designed to answer your burning baking questions.
Hi! I’m Tessa Arias
professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and the creator behind Handle the Heat.
I didn’t grow up a baker. I inherited my sweet tooth from my grandmom and learned to bake in culinary school.
But now?
I love baking, obviously! It’s such a sweet, wonderful, and magical way to add joy to one’s life! What gives me the confidence to whip up new recipes and improve a few classics? Baking science!
Tessa’s Journey
I started Handle the Heat back in 2009, just before starting college. What began as a creative outlet has since turned into a full-time business, with hundreds of thousands of readers tuning in from all around the world!
Tessa’s Favorites
The Science of Baking
My superpower? Simplifying baking science for home bakers like you so you can be creative when baking and get perfect, consistent results.
Recommended Tools and Ingredients
I've tested a LOT of kitchen tools (and even worked at a kitchenware store in college!) and they are not all created equally. Sometimes, the wrong tool can ruin your entire bake. Below are my tried-and-tested favorites.
Tools
As I've probably mentioned enough by now, a digital kitchen scale is one of your best friends in the baker's kitchen! I like this Escali one because it's affordable and compact, but this OXO one has a pull-out display, which is great for when you're working with a large bowl or pan.
Unlined aluminum sheet pans are the best choice for evenly baked, golden brown cookies. They’re the standard in professional kitchens and conduct heat beautifully. I love Nordic Ware, but Chicago Metallic is great, too! Learn which baking pans you should avoid here.
My go-to pan for brownies and blondies! Metal pans bake more evenly than glass or ceramic, which can lead to overbaked edges or underdone centers. This one has a light nonstick finish that works perfectly. Learn more about glass vs metal pans here.
My favorite 9x13-inch pan is also from USA Pan.
Cookie scoops are some of my most-used tools in my kitchen. All three sizes are great for cookies, but I definitely use the medium and large scoops the most.
- Small scoop - 1 tablespoon dough
- Medium scoop - 1 ½ tablespoons dough
- Large scoop - 3 tablespoons dough
Learn more about how (and why!) you should use a cookie scoop here.
A set of round cutters is perfect for cut-out cookies and biscuits, but my favorite trick is using them to create picture-perfect cookies! Right after cookies come out of the oven, place a round cutter slightly larger than the cookie around it and gently swirl to reshape it into a perfect circle while it’s still hot and pliable.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Gold Medal Bleached - I prefer bleached flour, especially for cookies, because it’s softer and more absorbent, creating a softer, moister dough and baked cookies. (see a flour comparison in cookies here!)
- Bread Flour
- Cake Flour
Kirkland Unsalted or Challenge Unsalted - I only use European-style butter when specified in a recipe or for raw applications; I prefer Kerrygold.
- Dutch-Process: Penzey’s (22%), Guittard Cocoa Rouge (22%), Bensdorp (24-26%)
- Natural:Penzey’s High Fat Natural (22%), Ghirardelli (20%)
Learn more about the differences in cocoa powders (and if they’re interchangeable!) here.
- Unsweetened - Baker’s
- Bittersweet & Semisweet - Ghirardelli Bittersweet and Ghirardelli Semisweet or Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate and Bittersweet Chocolate Pound Plus
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips - Ghirardelli
- Milk - Endangered Species
- White - Ghirardelli Premium Baking White Chocolate Bars
Learn more about other forms of Chocolate in Baking (and what to avoid!) here.
- Fine Sea Salt - Whole Foods
- Flaky Sea Salt (for sprinkling on top of cookies or brownies!) - Maldon
Learn more about the differences in salts (and whether they’re interchangeable!) here.
More Baking Science How-To Guides
Kosher Salt vs. Sea Salt vs. Table Salt
How to Convert Cake into Cupcakes (and Cupcakes into Cake!)
Butter vs. Oil In Baking
How to Make Brownies with Shiny Thin Crust
Best (and WORST) Baking Pans
Everything You Need to Know About Sugar in Baking
Sign up for my FREE baking science course for bakers who want perfection whenever they whip up a sweet treat.
From cookies that spread to undercooked brownies, this FREE 5-day Baking Science course helps you conquer common baking challenges and make bakery-worthy treats every time.
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
Your guide to making perfect cookies every time
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook will help you master every type of cookie texture—soft, chewy, crispy, or gooey—just the way you like them. It’s not just about following directions‚ it’s about understanding what’s happening in your mixing bowl.
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