How To Perfectly Bake Multiple Desserts At Once

If you're playing host and entertaining guests, your oven's likely working overtime. When you need to somehow squeeze in one more tray of cookies or another pie, you have to master the art of baking multiple desserts at once, especially if you don't have the luxury of a commercial kitchen oven. Mastering baking multiple desserts is a matter of space — deciding which treats go on which rack in the oven — and also temperature, if each recipe requires a different one. For dessert baking guidance, Chowhound spoke to Janina O'Leary, the co-founder and executive pastry chef at George's Donuts & Merriment, a donut bakeshop in San Francisco.

She advises cooking smart with your oven's racks, prioritizing the optimal middle shelf first. "If a recipe doesn't specify, the middle rack is generally the best place to bake," she says, explaining that this central spot provides the most even heat distribution. Of course, everything may not fit in the middle, but just know that treats may brown more quickly on the upper rack. "The lower rack encourages a crisper bottom," explains O'Leary. Know the difference, and place strategically.

Knowing that each rack produces a different end result, it's important to place foods on the top, middle, or bottom rack depending on the dish. For example, it's a grave mistake to bake cookies on the top rack, where they'll overly brown. If baking cookies en masse, it might be worth taking it in shifts. When baking different types of desserts, place the ones you don't mind getting a little browner on top, while putting more fragile goods, such as cookies, at the bottom. Or, you can rotate desserts so everything gets equal time on each shelf.

Perhaps the biggest headache when trying to bake a full spread of desserts all at once is when each recipe calls for a different temperature. You can make it work, says Janina O'Leary, by adjusting oven temperatures and baking dishes just a little cooler or hotter than the recipe calls for. "Choose a temperature in the middle of the range," she advises. "For example, if one dish needs 350 degrees Fahrenheit and another needs 400 degrees Fahrenheit, bake both around 375 degrees Fahrenheit."

Most desserts show signs of doneness when they reach a golden brown, but you can also check their texture by inserting a toothpick into the center. However, if you're looking to reheat an already baked treat in the oven, O'Leary says, "Gentle heat is key." She recommends popping items in at 300 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about eight to 15 minutes to bring leftover desserts back to life.