Cookie Baking Tips

You all are just the sweetest!

Even when I post a picture of a sheet of burned to a crisp cookies you still message me with cookie baking questions.

Thank you for having mercy on me and believing in me.

This will be a simple list of cookie baking tips.

Accurate measurements are a must!

Don't guess or hurry.

To much flour will make the cookies dry.

Use the correct ingredients.

Most cookie recipes call for all purpose flour, even if it doesn't say that unless it says otherwise that's what it usually means.

If it calls for softened butter, then soften it.

The best way to do that is to set the butter out several hours before you are going to make the cookies. You can soften it in the microwave but remember, it calls for softened butter, not melty butter, so be careful.

When the recipe says, cream until light and fluffy, that's what it means, it will make a difference in the end product.

It's going to take longer than you think.

Several minutes, keep  mixing and you will see the butter and sugar getting fluffier. don't hurry past this step.

If the cookie dough needs to be chilled than you need to chill it.

It will make all the difference if you follow the directions.

Different shortening or fats will make your cookies spread differently.

If they go way flat, you might have went to heavy on your fat or you might have been to stingy with your flour, remember, measure, measure, measure.

If they go to flat, you might try adding a little more flour in to the dough before you bake the next bunch.  Take it slow, a little at a time, don't be heavy handed, you can't take out but you can add.

Preheat your oven unless the recipe says something different.

Keep the cookies all the same size when you are putting them on the baking sheet. This is important, they all need to get done at the same time.

Set the timer but remember, every oven is different, you might need to add a few minutes or take a few away depending on how your oven bakes.

Always start with the lowest baking time given, you can add more but if you go to far, there is no redeeming a burned cookie, ask me how I know.

The cookies will continue baking even after you remove them from the oven.

They won't get browner of course but they will continue to cook on the inside.

The general rule is, for chewy cookies leave them to cool on the sheets for at least three minutes, if you want a crispy cookie remove them after about a minute.

If you find yourself in about half way and you are over the cookie baking thing, you can put the cookie dough in a freezer container and freeze it until next time.

Truth be told, most of us get over it about half way through, feel no shame about that.

You can store cookies in air tight container, or a zip lock bag or a cookie jar or freeze them of just eat them.

They store really well.

This is a side note, it has nothing to do with cookies but when we were talking about softening the butter I had a thought.

When you are making something that calls for cream cheese and it says soften the cream cheese, it's so important that you do that.

Have you ever tried to make a dessert with cream cheese and it had little lumps in it.

Lumps you just couldn't get out.

That was because you didn't soften the cream cheese.

For smooth creamy cream cheese you have got to soften it.

It won't hurt it all if you set it out early in the morning and leave it out all day.

It will be perfect to use after six or eight hours.

Now  when you go to a dinner..... and someone has lumps of cream cheese  in their dessert..... the challenge will be..... not to have cream cheese softening knowledge pride.

Remember, we've all had lumps in our cream cheese at one time of the other.

Enjoy your holiday baking !!!