Did you finish a baking project and find yourself with leftover egg yolks or egg whites? Don't throw them away! Instead, let's use those leftover eggs to bake one of these delicious recipes.
Sure you could use leftover egg whites to make an omelet or add a leftover yolk to scrambled eggs, but these recipes offer much more exciting and fun ways to use up those leftover egg whites and egg yolks.
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What Do Eggs Do In Baking
Eggs play a hugely important role in baking, impacting both texture and flavor. Some of the key functions of eggs in baking are:
- Eggs help to create structure in baked goods, as they bind ingredients together.
- Eggs add necessary fat, moisture, and richness to batters and doughs.
- Eggs add flavor to baked goods.
- Eggs can act as a natural leavener (especially when whipped), helping baked goods to rise.
- Eggs help to thicken baked goods (especially those like custard).
So, what happens when we separate eggs, and use only the yolk or only the white in a recipe?
What Do Egg Yolks Do In Baking
All of the fat within an egg can be found in the yolk. Egg yolks add flavor and a creamy tenderness to our baked goods. Yolks can, for example, add richness to cakes and chewiness to cookies.
Storage: Raw egg yolks can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Recipes Using Egg Yolks
Check out my M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, too. These chewy cookies also use an egg yolk for extra chewiness.
Want even more mini cheesecake options? Try my Mini Egg Cheesecakes for Easter, my Mini Gingerbread Cheesecakes for Christmas, and my Mini Cookie Butter Cheesecakes any time of year! All of these recipes use one egg yolk plus one whole egg.
Another chocolate pudding option: these Halloween dirt pudding cups, which are also made using 3 egg yolks.
What Do Egg Whites Do In Baking
Egg whites add protein to our batters and doughs, which provides structure as they bake.
Also, whipped egg whites add a lightness and airiness to baked goods. Egg whites become a stable foam when air is whipped into them. This foam can be folded into batters, causing the batter to rise as it bakes from all of the tiny, trapped air bubbles within the egg whites expanding in the heat of the oven. Whipped egg whites are also often mixed with sugar to create desserts like meringue.
Storage: Raw egg whites can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Recipes Using Egg Whites
Tip: How to Separate Eggs
While an egg separator can be a useful tool (especially if you hate getting raw egg on your hands), you can easily separate eggs without any special gadgets. Here's how to do it (for those of us who can tolerate just a little bit of raw egg on our hands):
- Place two bowls on your work surface.
- Gently crack the egg on a flat surface, aiming to split the egg down its middle.
- Holding each side of the egg in one hand over one of the bowls, use your thumbs to gently pry the two halves of the egg apart. Some of the egg white may probably spill into the bowl.
- Carefully "pour" the egg into one half of the shell, protecting the yolk and allowing as much of the white as possible to run down into the bowl. Pour the egg back and forth between the shells a few times if needed in order to separate as much of the white from the yolk as possible. Be careful not to break the yolk.
- Once nearly all of the white has dripped into the first bowl, gently pour the yolk out of the shell into the second bowl.
- Wash your hands. 😀
One more tip: it's easier to separate eggs when they're cold. If you need separated, room temperature eggs for a recipe, separate the eggs right after taking them out of the fridge, then let the separated eggs come to room temperature before you begin baking.
Love this baking tutorial? Be sure to check out my other helpful baking tips! And don't forget to subscribe to Always Eat Dessert for even more baking tips and easy scratch-made dessert recipes.
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