How to Bake Cookies
This is not a recipe. Recipes for cookies abound. This post is what I have learned about baking cookies in 62 years. (Well, in my lifetime.)
1. The fat (butter, margarine, or Crisco) must be soft, but not melted. Butter is the best to use, if you have it; Crisco should be used only when the recipe specifies it. I have no opinions on butter-flavored Crisco.
2. Use exactly the amounts on the recipe. If you try to skimp on, say sugar to make it less sweet or high calorie, don't eat cookies. Cookies are fattening. That's why they exist.
3. The directions about keeping the dry ingredients separate from the wet ones is valid. Throwing ingredients in randomly is risky.
4. Baking soda is not the same as baking powder.
5. Use a KitchenAid mixture. Those are the world's greatest inventions for a cook.
6. Cookies are either rolled and cut or dropped. Dropped cookies present the challenge of uniformity, so you would do best to have a scooper (like a melon ball scooper) for consistency. Rolled cookies take up a lot of space, and flour is your friend; otherwise your dough will stick to everything.
7. Use parchment paper. It's amazing.
8. Put the one rack in the oven in the middle (as close as you can).
9. The cooking time is never going to be right because of inconsistencies in ovens and because some people like crisp cookies and some do not. (I do not.) You must watch them, so set the timer 2-3 minutes less than the recipe.
10. Finally, remove the cookies with a metal spatula and place on a cool place (rack or waxed paper) as soon as you get them out. It will free up the pans for the next cycle, but more importantly, the cookies will keep baking on the hot pans and that won't work out well for you.
If this seems like more trouble than it should be, you're right. Cookies are often not worth the trouble and if you are a busy person, let someone else do it. I make them once or twice a year for gifts or a special reason. The commercials show loving children baking cookies with their beautiful mommies and it being a really nice bonding experience. Perhaps; children can learn the basics of cookies, chemistry, and fractions that way. Outside of that reason, your local bakery can probably do the chewy chocolate chip just as well.
1. The fat (butter, margarine, or Crisco) must be soft, but not melted. Butter is the best to use, if you have it; Crisco should be used only when the recipe specifies it. I have no opinions on butter-flavored Crisco.
2. Use exactly the amounts on the recipe. If you try to skimp on, say sugar to make it less sweet or high calorie, don't eat cookies. Cookies are fattening. That's why they exist.
3. The directions about keeping the dry ingredients separate from the wet ones is valid. Throwing ingredients in randomly is risky.
4. Baking soda is not the same as baking powder.
5. Use a KitchenAid mixture. Those are the world's greatest inventions for a cook.
6. Cookies are either rolled and cut or dropped. Dropped cookies present the challenge of uniformity, so you would do best to have a scooper (like a melon ball scooper) for consistency. Rolled cookies take up a lot of space, and flour is your friend; otherwise your dough will stick to everything.
7. Use parchment paper. It's amazing.
8. Put the one rack in the oven in the middle (as close as you can).
9. The cooking time is never going to be right because of inconsistencies in ovens and because some people like crisp cookies and some do not. (I do not.) You must watch them, so set the timer 2-3 minutes less than the recipe.
10. Finally, remove the cookies with a metal spatula and place on a cool place (rack or waxed paper) as soon as you get them out. It will free up the pans for the next cycle, but more importantly, the cookies will keep baking on the hot pans and that won't work out well for you.
If this seems like more trouble than it should be, you're right. Cookies are often not worth the trouble and if you are a busy person, let someone else do it. I make them once or twice a year for gifts or a special reason. The commercials show loving children baking cookies with their beautiful mommies and it being a really nice bonding experience. Perhaps; children can learn the basics of cookies, chemistry, and fractions that way. Outside of that reason, your local bakery can probably do the chewy chocolate chip just as well.
Comments