fresh out of the oven: welcome to my substack

a warm welcome to how the cookie crumbles: the how's and why's of baking

Baking: 50% Science, 50% Testing, and 100% Delicious

If you’ve found your way here, chances are you love butter, sugar, and maybe a little bit of chaos in the kitchen — which means we’re going to get along just fine. This newsletter is where we’ll chat about all things sweet, buttery, and little scienc-y. We’re talking deep dives into recipes I’ve tested, tweaked, and probably overthought at 2 AM. My goal? To make baking less intimidating and a lot more fun (and to prevent those "Why does my cake look like a pancake?" moments). If you follow me on Instagram and TikTok, we're going to be doing something very similar to my viral series Cookie 101. Explaining why every ingredient is used in a recipe and the benefits from them.

Expect everything from which pans are worth your money and the secrets on creating food that not only taste good but looks it too. Oh, and if you decide to become a paid subscriber, you’ll get the VIP treatment:

• Informed newsletters fortnightly to save your bakes from disaster

• Detailed explanations and recipes

• Recommendations for all my favourite places to eat

• Quarterly giveaways (baking ingredients, cookbooks and ingredients)

• Behind-the-scenes chaos from my life as a recipe developer, content creator, and now — drumroll, please — cookbook author (eek!)

Let’s clear something up: Instagram and TikTok is excellent, but between the quick videos and trying to look like I haven’t just face-planted into a bag of flour, there’s not always time to explain why I do things a certain way. That’s what this newsletter is for — the nerdy baking stuff that actually makes a difference, minus the pressure to keep things under 60 seconds.

So a bit about me…

At the young age of 19, I ran an online bakery where I sold thousands (yes, thousands) of cookies and brownies across England. It was loads of hard work while juggling a full-time job but I loved it. Fast forward a few years, I’m now a full-time content creator with WAY more knowledge on baking.

So, when I say I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, I mean it. And can we talk for a sec, how fabulous is the name How the Cookie Crumbles? Big shoutout to my sister for that one — it’s a perfect fit for me, the (self-proclaimed) cookie queen, and for this newsletter, where we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of how and why things work in baking.

I’ve got two amazing recipes and deep dives coming up soon, so stay tuned!

Until then, I’ve left below my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe where we will be deep diving into another time but grab a cup of tea (Earl Grey, if you’re fancy like me) and settle in. We’re about to baking super easy.

Speak Soon,
Remi 🍪💕

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a newsletter with tested recipes, explaining the how's and why's of baking from a cookbook writer and recipe developer.

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Brown Butter Chocolate Cookie

makes 12-16 large cookies. requires chilling overnight

Cookie Dough

• 225g unsalted butter, cubed

• 150g caster sugar

• 150g light brown sugar

• 3 large egg yolks

• 75ml whole milk

• 270g plain flour

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 3/4 tsp bicarbonate soda

• 3 tbsp cornstarch

• 150g dark chocolate, chopped

• 150g milk chocolate, chopped

Method

1. Start by cubing the unsalted butter into small, evenly sized pieces. This helps the butter melt evenly when you brown it later.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the cubed butter. Once melted, continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the butter turns a golden brown colour and has a nutty aroma. This process usually takes about 5-7 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. Browning the butter adds a rich, caramelized flavour to the cookies.

3. Allow the browned butter to cool slightly before using it in the dough.

4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together brown butter, caster sugar and brown sugar.

5. Once combined, add the egg yolks and milk to the butter mixture. Mix until well combined.

6. In a separate bowl, sift together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and cornstarch. Sifting helps to remove any lumps and ensures even distribution of the leavening agents.

7. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a smooth dough forms.

8. Gently fold in the chopped dark chocolate and milk chocolate into the cookie dough. Using chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips ensures that the chocolate melts evenly throughout the cookies, enhancing their flavour and texture.

9. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Refrigerate the dough for at least 24 hours, or up to 48 hours. Chilling the dough allows the flavors to develop and helps the cookies maintain their shape during baking.

10. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius.

11. Line a light-coloured baking sheet with parchment paper. Make sure to use a baking sheet large enough to accommodate the cookies with space in between.

12. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, portion the chilled dough into balls and place them onto the prepared baking sheets. Make sure to leave enough space between each cookie dough ball to allow for spreading during baking. Roughly, a 30cm baking sheet should hold about 3 cookies to prevent them from merging together.

13. Optionally, before placing cookies in the oven add chopped chocolate on top of cookie dough to get that bakery-style flair.

14. Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until they are golden brown around the edges, don't worry if the inner circle of the cookie still seems uncooked by the time these cool it will be fine.

15. Once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for at least 6 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.