So far with this feature I’ve interviewed a number of bloggers that I admire from afar, but don’t actually know in person. This week I have the pleasure of sharing a tip from a food blogger I’ve known since I was five years old – my BFF Kori of Paint + Tofu! She’s passionate about vegan cooking and baking, and has some great baking advice to share with all of us today.

Erica: Hi Kori! Please tell my readers a little about yourself and your blog.

Kori: Hi! I’m Kori, and I write Paint + Tofu, a blog of vegan recipes and no-skill-required DIY projects.  I currently live in New York City where I work for a tech startup. I’ve been vegetarian since I was 9 and vegan since I was 19, and plant-based diets are my passion. I’ve also been one of Erica’s best friends since we were in first grade :)

Erica: What’s your favorite kitchen tool or baking tip you’d like to share with all of us?

Kori: This is going to sound ridiculous, and it is, but my baking basic is properly measuring my ingredients. I used to be so nonchalant about this, to the point where I didn’t even use measuring spoons! I (very naively) didn’t believe it could really make a difference if I didn’t use exactly the right amount of salt or baking soda – as long as it was in there, I’d be fine.

More often than not, it wasn’t fine, and once I traded in my haphazard attention to detail for a set of measuring cups and proper technique, I noticed a drastic improvement in my baking. You’re probably shaking your head at the computer screen right now, but I warned you this was ridiculous!

1 – Fill the measuring cup with dry ingredients so it is heaping full, and then use the flat edge of a knife to even it off

2 – Always get eye level when measuring liquids in a glass measuring cup!

3 – Different ingredients have their own nuances. For instance, brown sugar needs to be packed tightly into the cup. Flour needs to be lightly scooped into the measuring cup and then leveled off.

Erica:  Ohhh Kori, there’s a reason we’ve been friends for so long. You’re the ying to my yang, and I’m glad you’ve picked up some ways to be almost as OCD as I am with baking.  Here are a few of Kori’s vegan dessert recipes that you can try out and measure correctly!

Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles  / /  Vegan “Dunkaroos”

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars  / /  Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Be sure to check out Kori’s blog, and even if you’re not vegan I promise you’ll love her food and hilarious commentary (although I may be biased…). And definitely make those peanut butter cookies – they’re her most popular recipe and I’ve had them multiple times and can attest to their greatness! Also, today just happens to be Kori’s birthday – so go ahead and leave her a nice birthday message too while you’re there. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KORI!!!