Cookie math
How to scale a cookie recipe from 24 to 12, 36 or 48 cookies
Cookie recipes are among the most straightforward recipes to scale, as long as the dough portions stay the same size and trays are baked as separate batches.
Blog
Recipe scaling notes for real kitchen situations
Specific batch-size problems, worked examples and practical cautions for the situations that do not fit on a calculator ticket.
Cookie math
Cake pans
How to halve a cake recipe and choose the right pan
Half the batter in the original pan bakes thin. Half the batter in a pan with about half the area behaves like the original cake.
Fraction chart
Half of 1 1/2 cups, 2/3 cup, 3/4 cup and other awkward fractions
Convert down to tablespoons before dividing. Once you do that, awkward halves become usable measures.
Serving count
How to scale a recipe from 4 servings to 6, 8, 10 or 12
The math is target servings divided by 4. The judgment is whether the original serving size was realistic for your table.
Savory scaling
How to double soup, stew or sauce without over-salting it
Broth, vegetables and meat can double cleanly. Salt, chiles, bouillon and simmer time deserve a slower hand.
Egg math
How to halve a recipe with 3 eggs
Three eggs become one and a half. The practical method is to whisk one egg and measure 25 grams.
Gram chart
Cups to grams for 20 common ingredients when scaling recipes
When a fraction starts getting ugly, grams make the scaling problem disappear. Here are the everyday numbers worth keeping close.
Canning caution
Can you double jam, jelly or canning recipes? Usually, don't
This is the rare scaling question where the safest answer is to make two separate batches, not one bigger one.
Capacity check
How to triple a recipe without overflowing the pot
The ×3 math is easy. The real question is whether your pot, bowl, pan, burner and patience also scaled by three.
Breakfast batches
How to scale pancake batter for two people or a crowd
Pancakes scale well because each pancake is small. The trick is keeping batter thickness and griddle rhythm consistent.
By count
How to scale muffins and cupcakes by count
Muffins and cupcakes scale best by cavities. Keep the fill level the same and the original bake time stays surprisingly close.
Weight first
Why you should convert a recipe to grams before scaling it
A gram version turns a messy recipe into a reusable formula. The first conversion takes a few minutes; every future scale takes seconds.
Dough scaling
How to scale yeast dough without guessing rise time
Flour, water, salt and yeast multiply cleanly. Fermentation does not obey the printed minutes once dough mass and temperature change.
Finishing math
How to scale frosting, glaze and ganache
Frosting does not always follow cake batter. Coverage depends on surface area, number of layers and how generously you decorate.
Marinades
How to scale marinades without over-salting the meat
Marinades are not just sauces. Salt level, acid strength and contact time matter as much as total volume.
Meal prep
How to scale recipes for meal prep containers
Meal prep scaling works best when you stop asking 'serves how many?' and start asking 'what goes in each box?'