Steven Gdula’s Top Five Tips for making perfect gobs every time!

1. Listen. Food is very noisy. And I don’t mean the sounds made by the equipment and utensils we use to make it. I mean ingredients, when mixed together, can be almost musical. When you’re making your frosting, listen for a soft “thwopping” sound as the confectioner’s sugar thickens the dairy. It will leave peaks. It will be thick enough to hold onto an inverted spoon. But for me, that sound is what I always listen for. If you need to add an additional tablespoon of sour cream or one of the flavoring syrups, go right ahead. If it appears too loose you can always firm it up by adding another tablespoon or two of confectioner’s sugar and sticking the mixing bowl in your fridge for twenty minutes. Just be careful not to over mix it. Cream cheese can separate and then all bets are off.

2. Sniff. A lot of the recipes call for cinnamon or ground ginger or ancho chile powder or other ground aromatic spices. I sift mine together with the flour into the bowl, but the way I can tell if everything has been properly integrated is that the light powdery smell of flour is no longer present when I’m whisking.

3. Watch. This is where my parents would say “Eyeball the batter.” I’ve replaced the “1 cup of water, use sparingly” in my batter recipes with two tablespoons of sour cream (in recipes that needed it.) If you’ve added it and your batter still seems too thick, don’t even hesitate to plop in another tablespoon of the cream or buttermilk. You want to be able to dig out a thick scoop of batter, but you don’t want it too dense. Likewise you don’t want it too runny. Here’s what to look for: After you’ve added all of your ingredients, turn your mixer back on, let the paddle or beaters whir around a few times, then turn it off. The batter should very, very slowly start to drift from the sides of the bowl back to the center. SLOWLY! If it’s stationary, add the above mentioned additional tablespoon of sour cream or buttermilk. If it’s moving like a mudslide, add another tablespoon of flour.

4. Touch. When you’re scooping your batter out onto your baking sheet, it should easily come out of the spoon. If you find that you have to dig it out, your gobs will be dry little domes, almost like cookies. This is where “watching” is a time-saver. If you see your batter is too thick, especially with the chocolate gobs, then add some additional sour cream or buttermilk, by the teaspoon at first, then up to two tablespoons if necessary.)

5. Taste. Your gobs will be delicious! I know it! Follow the recipes, but don’t be afraid to ad lib a little! If you want to dial back one of the spices, and pump up another, go ahead. Baking might be an exact science, but gobbing isn’t! Enjoy!

The tips have been taken from Steven’s blog Gobba Gobba Hey.  To read more from Steven, visit www.gobbagobbahey.com.

To purchase Gobba Gobba Hey visit www.amazon.com.