Baking cookies? Here are some handy tips and tricks
Cookies are great! In fact, we love them so much, we even had a special cookie bookie supplement with our last issue (which you can buy here), packed with delish cookie recipes for the kids and even adults, to while away the winter with.
But sometimes it's those tiny little tricks that bakers have picked-up along the way that can turn a great cookie into a phenomenal cookie - and who doesn't want that? So here are some favourites.
Split the dough
There's nothing worse than a super tough cookie and sadly, playing with the dough too much can make this nightmare a reality! Split the dough into halves when rolling and cutting, keeping one half in the fridge to avoid this.
Get greasy
Grease the baking sheets with cooking spray or solid shortening instead of butter or margarine as they don't provide enough non-stick for the cookies to do their thing while cooking.
The more batches the merrier
Bake one sheet of cookies at a time on the middle oven rack, rotating your baking sheets from the top rack to the bottom rack half way through to encourage even browning.
Don't forget to check as you go
Cookies have a tendency to walk that fine line between being just done and overdone, so check their progress at the minimum recommended baking time (chocolate cookies bake for around 8-10 minutes, for example), to make sure they're to your preferred level of cooked.
What about shorts?
Take your short cookies out of the oven and pop them on some sugar-covered baking paper on the bench. This way, the bottoms won't go soggy!
Keep it cool
Like with most warm or hot food, it's best to let them cool from the oven, completely before you pack them away for storage.
The bigger the better
You can find all sorts of cookie pans out there in the world that help to make all sorts of shapes and sizes of cookie, but the best? Well, that's easy. Go big or go home!
This silicone, decorated gigantic cookie pan from Better Homes and Gardens' Shop is just the ticket!
