Secrets To Making Perfect Cookies - How To Bake Cookies

How To Make and Bake Perfect Cookies

1.  Read your recipe carefully before starting:

Be sure you have all the ingredients called for and that you understand the recipe clearly.

Remember - If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right!

Cultivate the do-it-right attitude and habit. Baking demands accuracy and care. Unlike other kinds of cooking, such as soups or stews, you cannot improvise or substitute ingredients. Never carry on another activity while you are mixing a recipe. Distractions, no matter how small, lead to mistakes. Let the telephone ring!

2.  Use good tools and utensils:

Assemble all the bowls, pans, and utensils you will need on your counter or worktable before starting. Use standard measuring cups and spoons.

3.  Use correct pan sizes:

Use the type of pan specified in the recipe. Recipes are carefully calculated as to yield and changing the pan size also alters the baking temperature and time. Larger, shallower pans need increased heat; smaller, deeper pans need decreased heat. The size of a baking pan or dish is measured across the top of the container from the inside edge to inside edge. The depth also is measured on the inside of the pan or dish from the bottom to the top of the rim.

Prepare the pan carefully according to the recipe. Place pans as near the center of the oven as possible. Do not place pans directly over another and do not crowd the oven (this makes for uneven baking).

4.  Use top-quality ingredient and assemble the ingredients before starting:

You can't expect a first-rate product using second-rate ingredients. Be sure your ingredients are fresh and of the finest quality. If your recipe says the ingredient must be room temperature, be sure it is room temperature before proceeding.

Baking Powder and Baking Soda:  Check expiration dates of Baking Powder and baking soda, replacing if necessary. For testing purposes, baking soda should bubble when added to vinegar and baking powder should bubble when added to hot water. Be sure to mix baking powder and/or baking soda into the flour before adding to the wet ingredients; this distributes everything evenly so your cookies won't end up with large holes.

Eggs:  Check your "use-by" date on your egg carton. Check out Sell Date of Eggs (Sell Date of Eggs - Date Codes on Egg Cartons).

Flour:  Don't substitute flour types. If your recipe calls for all-purpose flour, that's what you need to use. Cake flour and bread flour will not behave the same. Learn about the different types of flour. When a recipe calls for all-purpose flour, it means the bleached variety.

Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and sweep a spatula across the top to level it off. Don't use the measuring cup as a scoop or it'll pack the flour and you'll end up with more flour in the cup than intended.

Nuts:  Smell and taste nuts before using. Oils in nuts can turn rancid quickly. Store any leftover nuts in the freezer for longest shelf life.

Butter:  Make sure your butter is at room temperature, otherwise it won't cream properly with the sugar. Set it out at least one hour in advance. It should be pliable enough that your finger can leave a mark in it, without being soft and greasy.

Don't try to microwave your butter as it will just end up too soft. If you don't have an hour's lead time, increase the surface area by cutting the butter into small pieces or shredding it on the large holes of a grater. It wil then come up to temperature in approximately 10 minutes.

Shortening:  Check shortening before using. Shortening, especially new trans fat-free brands) can go bad, introducing off-flavors to your cookies that you worked hard making.

Sugar:  The type of sugar your use in your cookies can promote spread in baked cookies. To understand this, you need to know that sugar is a tenderizer which interferes with the formation of structure. Sugars with a finer granulation promote more spread (probably because they dissolve sooner and only dissolved sugars tenderize). Powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar), when it contains cornstarch, prevents spread in cookies despite its finer grind.

5.  Measure the quantities correctly:

This is a baking must. Follow your cookie recipe to the tee (you can always experiment with later batches, testing how alterations affect the final product). One common cause of cooking failures is inaccurate measurement of ingredients. You can use the best ingredients in the world, but if you do not measure correctly, the recipe will not come out properly. Also always use level measurements (all measurements in a recipe are level).

Measuring Liquids:  Use a glass or plastic measuring cup. The glass or plastic permits you to see the level of the liquid being measured. The cup for liquids should have additional space above the one-cup line, so that a full cup can be accurately measured without spilling. To get an accurate reading in a liquid measuring cup, set the cup on a level surface and bend down to check the measurement at eye level.

Liquid measuring cups come in several different sizes and are also useful for melting chocolate and butter in the microwave as well as measuring. Following are some different types of liquid measurement cups:

Measuring Dry Ingredients:  Dry ingredients such as flour and sugar should always be measured in dry measuring cups, never in liquid cups. Use standard individual cups.

Two Measuring Techniques:

1. Lightly spoon dry ingredients into correct cup size, and level off with edge of spatula by cutting across the top. Use measuring spoons in this way too.

2. Dip a dry measuring cup into the ingredient and sweep away the excess with a straight-edged tool, such as an icing spatula.

Flour need not be sifted before measuring unless recipe specifies it. When a recipe calls for sifted flour, it is important to take the time to sift, even if the flour you're using is labeled "presifted." Sifting flour onto a sheet of wax paper instead of into a bowl cuts down on dishwashing.

Measure brown sugar by packing it firmly into a measuring cup or into a measuring spoon.

Shortening should hold its shape when turned out of the measuring cup. The same applies to brown sugar.

6.  Room temperature:

Have all ingredients at room temperature for more glamorous perfect cookies, unless otherwise specified.

7.  Oven temperature:

Preheat the oven 10 to 15 minutes before you begin baking cookies. This is usually consistent unless a recipe specifically calls for you to start with a cold oven.

Get an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is operating at the right temperature. An oven that is too hot or too cold not only throws off the cooking times but can throw off the texture and appearance of the finished cookies.

8.  Baking or cookie sheets:

A baking sheet should be either cool or at room temperature when the cookie dough is placed on it; otherwise, the dough will start to melt, adversely affecting the cookies' shape and texture. Bake one cookie sheet at a time, and be sure that the sheet fits in the oven with at least one inch of space around its edges for the proper heat circulation. Rotate cookie sheets and rinse and wipe clean between batches.

• Cookie sheets with little or no sides will allow the cookies to bake quickly and evenly.

• Grease cookie sheets with either vegetable shortening or unsalted butter. Don't use vegetable oil for greasing. The oil between cookies will burn during baking; this is very difficult to clean. You also can use parchment paper or the reusable Silpat baking mats on your cookie sheets instead of the shortening or butter. NOTE: Silicone baking mats are a great reusable nonstick surface, particularly for candy making. And while they can certainly be used for cookies, you might need to lengthen the cooking time because the mats often inhibit browning.

• If cookie dough has a large amount of vegetable shortening or butter, it is not necessary to grease the pan. Most cookie dough can be baked on ungreased pans.

• Be sure to cool baking sheets between batches. A baking or cookie sheet should be either cool or at room temperature when the cookie dough is placed on it; otherwise, the dough will start to melt, adversely affecting the cookies' shape and texture. If the sheets are still hot when you load them with more dough, the cookies can start to melt and spread before they even get in the oven. If you need to cool the pans in a hurry, run them under cold water and then wipe dry before using.

• Bake one cookie sheet at a time, and be sure that the sheet fits in the oven with at least one inch of space around its edges for the proper heat circulation. Avoid placing one sheet above another in the oven, as this causes uneven baking. Cookies should be baked in the center of the oven.

• If you flour a cookie sheet after it is greased, there will be less tendency for the cookies to thin out and spread too much during baking. A greased and floured sheet is also preferred for any dough containing chocolate chips (the chocolate which comes in contact with the sheet is less likely to stick and burn while baking).

9.  Baking the cookies:

• Cookies should be of a uniform thickness and size so they will bake in the same amount of time. Using a small ice cream scoop will provide picture-perfect, uniform size cookies. NOTE:  To get uniform cookies, weigh the cookie dough.  Using your kitchen scale, weigh 1-ounce dough for each medium-size  cookie and 1/2-ounces for each smaller cookie.

• Leave room between cookies on the cookie sheet. Rule of thumb is 2 inches between cookies. If they are extremely large cookies or the recipe calls for more space, adjust the space

• Watch the baking time and use an accurate timer. Always check the cookies at the minimum baking time listed in your recipe. Even one minute can mean the difference between a cookie that is done and one that is ruined.

• Unless the recipe directs otherwise, remove baked cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack immediately to prevent further baking. Use a thin pancake turner to remove and move cookies from baking sheets. If cookies are left on the sheet to cool, they will be very difficult to remove (this will keep cookies from tearing or breaking).

Bars, Squares, and Brownies

Bars and squares are a softer type of cookie. they are more like cake. Bake bars and squares in greased pans that are at least one and one-half inches deep and have sides.

To not over beat brownies and similar bar cookies. Beat just enough to mix the ingredients well. Over beating causes them to rise too much. As they cool, they will then fall, making a cracked surface and a ridge around the outside edge.

Important: Do observe all pan sizes indicated in your recipes, because the texture is affected by the thickness. a pan smaller than indicated in the recipe will give a cake-like result, not a chewy one. a pan too large will give a dry, brittle result.

Bars and squares are done when the sides shrink from the pan, or the top springs back when lightly touched with the finger.

When baking brownies, do not over bake (the result will be dry and crumbly if you do). Brownies should appear set in the center and when a wooden toothpick is inserted at edges (1/2 to 1 inch from edge of pan), the toothpick should have moist crumbs attached. If crumbs are dry, brownies are over baked.

Cutting Bar Cookies: To prevent jagged edges that often occur when cutting bars and squares, use a sharp knife to score the bars as soon as the pan comes out of the oven. Cool completely before cutting - then cut the cooled bars along the scored lines.
 

Crisp or Rolled Cookies

Crisp or rolled cookies are made from a stiff dough which is rolled and cut with sharp cookie cutters, a knife, or a pastry wheel. They should be thin and crisp.

It is usually best to work with a small amount of dough at a time. Chill the dough if it is too soft to handle easily. For rolled cookies, the dough should be chilled for 15 to 30 minutes before rolling. this will prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. NOTE: Roll out only one portion of the dough at a time to prevent dough from drying out. I like to keep the other portion is the refrigerator and chilled.

When using plastic cookie cutters, they should be dipped in warm vegetable oil while you are working. You will get a cleaner, more defined edge on the patterns.

For the most tender cookies, use as little flour as possible when rolling out the dough. Save all the dough trimmings and roll at one time (these cookies will be less tender). Sugar cookies will not get stiff or tough if you roll them in sugar instead of flour.

TIP:  Roll the chilled dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper or wax paper. Remove the top sheet. Make cookie cutouts, then lift with a wide spatula from paper to pan.

Crisp or rolled cookies should be stored in a container with a tight-fitting cover.

Drop Cookies

Almost any cookie dough can be baked as a drop cookie if additional liquid is added to the batter. TIP:  For more evenly-sized cookies, weigh you cookie dough. Use your kitchen scale – 1 ounce of cookie dough makes a nice large cookies and ½ ounce of cookie dough is great for smaller cookies.

Drop cookie dough vary in texture. Some fall easily from the spoon and flatten into wafers in baking. Stiffer doughs need a push with a finger or the use of a second spoon to release them.

To make uniform soft drops, use a measuring teaspoon. When chilled, these doughs may be formed into balls and flattened between palms. First dust your hands with flour or powdered sugar. If the cookies are dark or chocolate, use cocoa for dusting.

Macaroon Cookies

Macaroons originated in an Italian Monastery around 1790. They were baked by the Carmelite nuns who followed the principle: "Almonds are good for girls who do not eat meat."  During the Revolution, two nuns who hid in the town called Nancy, made and sold macaroons. They became known as the "Macaroon Sisters."

Most macaroon and meringue cookies are fragile and need special handling. Keep them small and they will hold together better.

Some of the meringues, heavy in nuts, keep well if stored in a tightly covered container.