So you want to learn to bake…but you don’t know where to start (beyond, you know, popping a tray of pre-made cookie dough in the oven). We’ve got you, girl! Read on to master the most important beginner baking techniques, along with the perf sweet starter recipes.

Pro tip: Whip up these dishes in order—the skills in each build off of each other!

Brownies

Ah, brownies…a timeless classic. Even with all of the hype blondies have been getting recently, a clasic brownie will forever be number one in our hearts. Peep my Grandma’s fabulous brownie recipe (with some GL tweaks!) below!

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter

11/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs (room temperature, pls!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or flavoring

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 325°F and spray an 8×8-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside and melt your butter. Add the sugar to the melted butter and whisk it for 2 minutes. Add in the eggs and keep whisking for another minute. Toss in some salt, cocoa powder and flour to the mixture, and stir it until it’s *just* combined. Make sure not to overwork the flour! Sprinkle in the chocolate chips and the vanilla and stir until combined. Spread your batter in the pan you prepped and bake for 25 to 30 minutes (or until the center of the brownies is just barely set). Let them cool for a bit, then serve and slice.

The tricky part: Melting your butter in the microwave seems easy enough, right? Wrong. As the hot butter particles start moving faster, they can actually explode out of the bowl. The secret? Always melt your butter in short, ten-second bursts to make sure it doesn’t get too hot, too fast. Just in case, put a paper towel over your bowl to catch any bursts.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

These double chocolate chip cookies are rich and gooey. They’re also *super* easy to make, so don’t let the long recipe scare you.

The tricky part: Creaming butter and sugar is v. important for the texture of your cookies. To cream your ingredients, use a stand mixer (paddle attachment, pls!) to beat them on medium speed for about 5 minutes. (Remember to scrape your mix down the sides of your bowl every now and then so that everything is evenly mixed.) And, ofc, make sure that you don’t under (or over!) cream your sugar. No dense bakes for us, tyvm.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Wait, cookies can be…bars? Yep, they can, and they’re delicious. This Soft & Chewy Chocolate Cookie Bars recipe is a crossover between the classic chocolate chip cookies and totally nostalgic brownies.

The tricky part: Ugh, separating eggs—every baker’s least favorite step. Start by cracking the egg on the side of a bowl (you’ll need two bowls!), but keep the egg closed tight—don’t let anything slip out yet. Carefully pull the shells apart, keeping one upright so the whites and yolk both sit in a single shell. Then, pour the yolk into the other half of the shell. It *should* separate itself from the whites, and if it doesn’t, pour it back and forth between the shells until it does. Once you have all the yolks in one shell and all the whites in the other, pour each one into a different bowl.

Frosting

What’s the most important part of any cupcake, cookie or cake? The icing, ofc! Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, the most common type of icing, is an absolutely non-negotiable recipe for budding bakers.

The tricky part: With icing, you have the freedom to alter proportions to achieve your dream consistency. Want your icing to be thinner and more spreadable? Add a splash of milk. Want it to be thicker and creamier? Mix in some extra powdered sugar. You can do the same with whatever flavoring you’re using, too. Our biggest tip? If you’re adjusting the proportions, add more ingredients in small amounts at first so that you don’t put in too much. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t always take it back.

Cupcakes

The official cutest baked good in the world, cupcakes are every girl’s favorite bake, especially with this amazingly fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes recipe.

The tricky part: The hardest (but most fun) part of making cupcakes is, obvi, decorating them. Use a piping bag to make things easier. Fit the bag with a tip, and then scoop out your icing (try out our recipe above!) into the piping bag. Start icing on the outer edge of the cupcake and slowly swirl inward. Then, you can keep adding layers until it’s the height you want. The look of your cupcakes all depends on your piping tip, so don’t be afraid to experiment with fancy ones. (We heart the Wilton 1M, Wilton 8Bm, Ateco 849 and the Ateco 808.)

Tag us on IG @girlslifemag showing off your baking creations!

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Images: @sarah_kieffer, Sally’s Baking Addiction