Simply Delicious Holiday

(Family Features) - The holidays are filled with time-honored traditions -- and none of them are sweeter than the celebratory memories you bake each year in your kitchen.  Here are some foolproof tips to make sure this year's baking goes off without a hitch.

Adding nuts to your baked desserts can take them from ordinary to extraordinary. Toasting the nuts first will intensify their flavors -- just spread chopped or whole nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 350 deg F for five to 10 minutes or until golden and fragrant; stir them once during cooking to ensure even toasting. As an added bonus, toasted nuts are less likely to sink to the bottom of your cakes or breads.

If your recipe calls for "one cup chopped nuts," be sure to chop the nuts before measuring them. On the other hand, if it calls for "one cup nuts, chopped," measure first, then chop.

Love a decadent chocolate cake, but hate the white residue left by the flour you dusted the pan with? Next time, use cocoa powder. Not only will it look beautiful, but it will add another layer of decadent chocolate flavor.

Add some quick elegance to cookies, cakes or just about any other dessert with some chocolate morsels and a plastic bag. Just melt the morsels, put them in the baggie and then snip off a corner of the bag. You can drizzle the chocolate directly onto your desserts, or create swirls and curlycues on wax paper, chill until solid, and then place wherever you want to add visual interest.

Here's a foolproof method to avoid getting crumbs in the icing when you're decorating cakes: Once they've cooled, cover your cake layers in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour before icing.

Making a pie or pastry? Add some extra flavor to your crust by very finely grinding up some nuts in your food processor and mixing them into your flour.

Ensure your cupcakes or muffins are all uniform in size by scooping batter into prepared pans with an ice cream scoop.