Location
San Diego, California
School
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute
Expertise
Baking and pastry techniques, Cooking fundamentals, Food safety
- Courtney has a ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification from the National Restaurant Association.
- In the past, she worked at a Forbes five-star, five-diamond resort where she baked and plated the pastries for two fine-dining restaurants.
- In 2015, she won the second-place baking competition scholarship for the Art Institute of California - Inland Empire.
Experience
Courtney's passion for both food and writing came at a young age. From writing columns in the school newspaper to devising business plans, she has always found a way to combine the two subjects. As a chef and writer, she enjoys writing for Static Media's Daily Meal, covering everything from restaurant news and food history to recipe development. Since completing her culinary education eleven years ago, she has worked in the industry in bakeries, hotels, schools, and residential facilities. Although she specializes in pastry arts, in 2021, she took on a savory cooking position, later advancing to the lead position. Currently, she works as a professional baker, baking cakes, cookies, and other scratch-made pastries for customers. In her time outside of the kitchen, she enjoys sharing her extensive culinary knowledge with online readers.
Education
Courtney has an associate's degree in baking and pastry from The International Culinary School at The Art Institute.
Daily Meal’s content comes from an authoritative editorial staff that is dedicated to current and comprehensive coverage. With an aim to provide only informative and engaging content, our writers, editors, and experts take care to craft clear and concise copy on all things food-related, from news in the food service industry to in-depth explainers about what’s found in readers’ refrigerators, original recipes from experienced chefs, and more.
Our team also regularly reviews and updates articles as necessary to ensure they are accurate. For more information on our editorial process, view our full policies page.
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Grocery
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 1 month ago
Not all ice cream cakes are created equally. We taste tested and reviewed several store-bought ice cream cakes to determine which ones are worth buying.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 1 month ago
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Exclusives
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 2 months ago
A bottle of white wine vinegar is a useful pantry staple, but there are several brands to choose from out there. We taste-tested several, to find the best.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 2 months ago
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Grocery
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 2 months ago
We've ranked store-bought key lime pies -- from tart fails to zesty wins, here's how they stack up! Enjoy!
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 2 months ago
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Costco
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 2 months ago
Some Costco bakery items may give you buyer's remorse. Here's a list of overpriced products customers say just aren't worth it.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 2 months ago
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Grocery
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 26th, 2024
All-purpose baking mixes can save time and effort in the kitchen. Our resident pastry chef tested a selection of them to see which one gave the best results.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 26th, 2024
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Exclusives
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 22nd, 2024
While there's no shame in making the classic version of these desserts, there are a few genius swaps you can make to give them that extra oomph.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 22nd, 2024
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Exclusives
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 19th, 2024
The texture and flavor of an ice cream sandwich are just as important as the appearance and structure, so we're here to give you pointers on the whole process.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 19th, 2024
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Exclusives
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 11th, 2024
Peach cobbler typically has a rustic look. So even if you don't have advanced baking skills, making a scrumptious and special peach cobbler is still possible.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 11th, 2024
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Exclusives
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 6th, 2024
We tried a variety of pancake mixes and were surprised to discover they weren't as similar as we assumed, but one still stood out as a clear winner.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges May 6th, 2024
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Baking
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges April 15th, 2024
When baking a cake, the type of pan you use can make a huge difference. Here's our expert explainer of all the different types and how they'll affect your cake.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges April 15th, 2024
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Cooking
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges April 11th, 2024
Homemade garlic bread is delicious, but hard to get right. Our expert is taking a look at 13 mistakes to avoid if you want to achieve garlic bread perfection.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges April 11th, 2024
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Exclusives
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges April 10th, 2024
To help you choose the absolute best chocolate cake mix to grab from the grocery store, we baked and ranked eight of them. One stood out as a winner.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges April 10th, 2024
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Tips
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges April 6th, 2024
Looking to upgrade your garlic bread game? Take the beloved dish to the next level with these 18 techniques, additions, tricks, and substitutions.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges April 6th, 2024
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Tips
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges March 31st, 2024
Homemade whipped cream is infinitely better than the canned kind, but if you're making it at home, beware of these mistakes that can ruin the taste and texture.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges March 31st, 2024
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Tips
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges March 23rd, 2024
Convenient and with a long shelf life, canned beans and lentils are useful to keep in your kitchen. Here are some of the best ways to cook with them.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges March 23rd, 2024
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Guides
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges March 16th, 2024
Whether you're new to learning about peaches or you're a seasoned connoisseur, these varieties will impress you with their unique qualities.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges March 16th, 2024
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Baking
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges March 4th, 2024
From not proofing the dough twice to making the flour paste too thick, avoid these mistakes and you'll enjoy perfect hot cross buns every time.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges March 4th, 2024
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Baking
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges February 26th, 2024
It's time to give your usual peanut butter cookie recipe a delicious upgrade with common ingredients you may never have thought to add before.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges February 26th, 2024
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Kitchen
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges February 14th, 2024
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges February 14th, 2024
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Kitchen
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges February 11th, 2024
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges February 11th, 2024
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Kitchen
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges January 20th, 2024
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges January 20th, 2024
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Kitchen
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges January 15th, 2024
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges January 15th, 2024
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Kitchen
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges January 4th, 2024
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges January 4th, 2024
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Kitchen
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges December 30th, 2023
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges December 30th, 2023
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Kitchen
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges December 18th, 2023
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges December 18th, 2023
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Tips
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 8 days ago
Have you ever started making a recipe only to realize you forgot to soften the butter ahead of time? Fear not! With these hacks it'll be soft in no time.
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges 8 days ago
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Recipes
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges December 16th, 2023
By Courtney Yost-Haendiges December 16th, 2023
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