Top 10 Tips For Making The Best Cookies PDF

10/6/2017 Top 10 Tips for Making the Best Cookies
Cookies Desserts
Top 10 Tips for Making the Best Cookies

BY LINDA LARSEN Updated 05/03/17
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Cookie making is an art and a science. These top ten tips for making the best cookies
will make you a better baker!
Traditionally, cookies are fairly simple, because until the middle of the 20th century,
white sugar and white flour were kept 'for company only'. Sugar cookies, Mexican Tea
Cakes, and Roll Out Cookies all use basically the same dough, varying proportions of
ingredients slightly. Because these cookies are so simple with little margin for error,
you must follow the directions carefully and follow these tips that will help ensure
your cookies are the best ever.
Read through the article, pick a nice selection from My Cookie Recipe Box and start
baking!
Top Ten Tips for Making the Best Cookies

Top Ten Tips for Making the Best Cookies

01 Measure Flour Correctly!
This is the most important tip for any baker. Adding too much flour will make
your baked goods tough and dry. And be sure to not overwork the dough; mix
just until the flour disappears. I was watching Everyday Italian on the Food
Network, a show that I love, and one of Giada's guests brought Chocolate Mint
Surprise Cookies to a cookie exchange. I could tell by the look of the cookie
when she broke it open that too much flour was used; it was dry and hard.
02 Reduce Flour by About 3 Tablespoons to 1/4 Cup

I like to reduce the flour amount in most cookie recipes by a few tablespoons, up
to 1/4 cup to make the most tender cookies that do not dry out even after
several days. To be able to handle the dough, see the next tip:
03 Chill the Dough Before Baking

Chilling the dough helps softer doughs keep their shape and makes the dough
easier to work with. I find that chilling the dough improves the flavor and allows
the dough to relax a bit.
04 Use a Silicone Rolling Pin
With this new rolling pin, you won't have to use as much flour when rolling out
doughs and your cookies will be more tender. You can also purchase a Marble
Rolling Pin and chill it to keep the dough cold while you're working with it. Or use
a rolling pin cover and cloth. You won't have to use as much flour with these
cloth accessories. Rub flour into the rolling pin cover (also called a stockinette)
and the cloth that is placed on the work surface, and the dough won't stick.
Using a combination of powdered sugar and flour to dust the work surface will
also help keep the cookies more tender. Also think about purchasing Rolling Pin
Rings that you wrap around the pin so your dough is an even thickness and all
the cookies bake at the same time.
05 Use an Oven Thermometer

Be sure that your oven is accurate with a thermometer, then bake cookies at a
slightly lower temp. The instructions for your stove or oven will tell you how to
adjust the heat if necessary. I have a digital oven, so when a recipe calls for a
350 degrees F oven, I set the temperature to 345 degrees F. This small reduction
in temperature ensures the cookies won't overbake and overbrown, especially on
the bottom. With each batch of cookies, the baking time will be reduced because
of the increased humidity in the oven from the cookies.
06 So en Bu er Properly
It's difficult to soften butter properly in a microwave oven; too often part of the
butter melts, which will change the structure of the cookies. Butter and sugar
form the basic structure of the cookies; the sugar cuts small air pockets into the
butter, which are stabilized by the flour and filled with C02 from the baking
powder. Soften butter by letting it stand at room temperature for a couple of
hours. You can also grate the butter into a bowl, then it will soften in a few
minutes.
07 Freeze Dough
Making and freezing doughs ahead of time not only is a great time saver, but it
improves the texture of the cookies. Icebox cookies are shaped into a log,
wrapped, and chilled or frozen until it's time to bake. You can form drop cookie
dough into balls and freeze; bake from the frozen state, adding a few minutes to
the baking time. This technique also lets you make all the doughs one day, then
take another day for the fun part: baking and decorating!
08 Use Fresh Ingredients

Make sure that all of your ingredients are fresh. Buy new baking powder and
baking soda, vanilla and spices, flour and sugar. Most of us don't bake often
during the year, and it's a good bet that your ingredients are more than a year
old. You're putting a lot of effort and heart into these cookies: start with the best
ingredients!
09 Baking Times
I set the timer for 2-3 minutes less than the cooking time called for in the recipe.
I take the cookies out of the oven just as they're beginning to look done because
the residual heat from the cookie sheet will continue to bake the cookies. Also,
slightly underbaked cookies are more tender and moist.
10 Insulated Cookie Sheets and Cookie Scoops

I adore the insulated sheets my sister gave me for Christmas. One of the biggest
problems with delicate doughs is they can get too brown on the bottom.
Insulated sheets prevent that so your cookies turn out perfectly every time. And
using cookie scoops means your cookies will all be exactly the same size.
Now that you are a cookie expert, enjoy the time you spend in the kitchen with family
and friends, baking wonderful cookies.
Watch Now: Tips on Working with Butter

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10/6/2017 Top 10 Tips for Making the Best Cookies

Top 10 Tips for Making the Best Cookies

SHARE PIN EMAIL

Matthew O'Shea/Photographer's Choi…

Top Ten Tips for Making the Best Cookies

Top Ten Tips for Making the Best Cookies

02 Reduce Flour by About 3 Tablespoons to 1/4 Cup

03 Chill the Dough Before Baking

05 Use an Oven Thermometer

08 Use Fresh Ingredients

10 Insulated Cookie Sheets and Cookie Scoops

Watch Now: Tips on Working with Butter

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