Metric Measurements

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If you’re reading this, you probably have questions about metric measurements. And why my quantities might differ from another source.

Let’s get into it.

Why are your metric measurements different, Karli?

Ooh, I’m so glad you asked!

For starters, a “Cup” measures volume and does not have one universal weight. That’s why you cannot trust just one universal conversion chart!

When a chart indicates that 1 cup of an ingredient weighs X amount, they are just meaning that 1 cup of that ingredient weighs X amount when measured using their method and their ingredient.

Things like the ingredient brand, how it was processed, how packed it is, the humidity it is stored at, and how you physically measure out the ingredient (do you scoop & level? Spoon & level? Just shake & hope for the best?) ALL impact the final mass of the “same” 1 cup measurement.

To reiterate: the weight of an ingredient will heavily depend on how you fill the measuring cup and the ingredient itself.

How do I determine my metric weights?

I don’t rely on any one ‘standard’ metric measurement as those are just made of averages and cookies can be really sensitive to tiny changes. Instead, I personally weigh all of my ingredients to match exactly how my recipes were developed and tested. My metric measurements are designed so that if someone follows my recipe in grams, they will get the same results as my imperial cup measurements.

My goal is making my recipes repeatable, so you get the same results that I do! This means my conversions may not look the same as another website’s conversion chart – neither number is wrong! They’re just representative of different methods.

So in truth, the “right” metric measurement is the one that recreates the tested texture + bake of the recipe you are using. So if you’re baking a recipe from a different recipe source, use the measurements they recommend. If you’re baking one of my recipes, use the weights I recommend.

In sum:

If you’re baking one of my recipes and the metric measurements seem a little off from what you may have seen elsewhere, remember this:

My metric weights match how my recipes were developed and tested. Other sites may list different weights per cup depending on how they fill a measuring cup.

And if you feel more comfortable using imperial measurements, you’ll always be able to find those on my sites, too. Just be sure to measure the flour like I do, 😉

Here’s my process for measuring flour (in case you were wondering):

Scoop the flour out of the container and dump it back in a few times to ‘fluff it up’.
Once the flour is fluffed, scoop into the measuring cup.
Level off with a knife and use!

I use this method because I have found it is the closest to what home bakers naturally do. I want my recipes to work for you, so I try to develop my recipes with techniques you’d already be using.