Cookie Making Tips
In the test kitchen, we've baked tens of thousands of cookies. Along the way we've come up with a few tips and techniques to keep the cookie-making process rolling along.
In the test kitchen, we've baked tens of thousands of cookies. Along the way we've come up with a few tips and techniques to keep the cookie-making process rolling along.
THE WARM-UP
For easiest mixing, use room-temperature butter and eggs. Quickly warm up cold butter by cutting it into tablespoon-sized pieces, placing them flat on a plate, and microwaving on the lowest setting for 10 seconds at a time, until the butter is still waxy (not greasy) and bendable. Take the chill off eggs by placing them in a bowl of warm water for five minutes.
THE COOL DOWN
To keep cookies from spreading and to make shaping easier, chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before using. If rerolling cut-out scraps of dough, cover the scraps with plastic wrap and rechill before using them one more time.
THE (EASY) BAKE OVEN
Baking cookies one sheet at a time is a good idea, but if you've got an army's worth of cookies to bake you can double up by using the upper-middle and lower-middle oven racks and rotating the sheets halfway through baking. When you switch the sheets between top and bottom you should also turn them from back to front to safeguard against oven hot spots.
YOU OLD SOFTIE
Cookies continue to bake and firm up on the hot baking sheet even after they are removed from the oven. For softer cookies, try underbaking by a minute or two, taking them out of the oven just as they begin to color around the edges. For chewier cookies, let them cool on the baking sheet rather than on a rack (unless specified otherwise in the recipe).
THE LAYERED LOOK
Once cooled, most cookies can be stored in an airtight container for at least 3 days. When storing decorated cookies, slip sheets of waxed or parchment paper between layers of cookies to keep sticky glazes and fillings intact.
SHAPE NOW, EAT LATER
If you would prefer to freeze the dough and bake the cookies later, simply cut out or roll the dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet. When the dough has set, transfer the cutouts or balls to an airtight container and return to the freezer. Because the dough has already been portioned, there's no need for thawing; just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.
