After reading part one of this article, you may be feeling pretty confident. In fact, you may even feel like the next Betty Crocker. But hold on a second. Much like the final Harry Potter or Hunger Games movies, if you don’t stick around for the second part, you’ll miss something important.
So, put down your mixing bowl and pay attention. Part one was only the beginning. There are five more tips you need to know to ensure your cookies are top-notch.
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1. Mixing
Speaking of your mixing bowl, one of the biggest baking mistakes happens during mixing. It may be tempting to dump all the ingredients into the bowl and start mixing. But don’t! There is a right way and a wrong way to mix your cookie dough.
- Cream- The first step in most cookie recipes is creaming together the softened butter and sugar. Doing so allows the sugar to fully dissolve into the butter. This step also adds air and volume to your batter, creating light, delicious cookies.
- Room Temperature- Okay, we did say that creaming was the first step in most cookie recipes. However, the “pre” step before the first official step is to set out all your ingredients.It is essential to make sure you have everything you need. More importantly, set out any refrigerated ingredients so they can come to room temperature. Room-temperature ingredients will combine more efficiently and will result in a softer dough.
- Over-Mixing- The ultimate cookie-baking-blunder comes from over-mixing the dough. It’s perfectly fine, even encouraged, to thoroughly mix your wet ingredients. The problem comes when the dry ingredients, specifically flour, are added.Once you’ve added the flour to your dough, gently mix until combined. One way to judge this is to only mix until there are no streaks of flour. Overmixing flour causes too much gluten to develop, resulting in tough, dry cookies.
2. Ingredient Swaps
Following a recipe to a “T” is a great way to start making delicious cookies. But keep in mind, as you become more comfortable with baking, there are a few ingredient swaps that may further improve the quality of your cookies.
For deliciously softer, chewier cookies, try these swaps:
- Brown Sugar- For every cup of granulated sugar the recipe calls for, use one cup of brown sugar instead.
- Baking Powder- For less spreading and a thicker, gooier cookie, use baking powder instead of the called-for baking soda.
- Egg Yolks- Use two egg yolks for every egg the recipe calls for. Since egg yolks are higher in fat than egg whites, you’ll end up with moister, smoother cookies.
3. Dough Temperature
One of the most skipped steps in cookie baking may be chilling the dough. We get it. Life is busy, and most people don’t want to sit around and wait for cookie dough to chill. However, this step is crucial in baking the ultimate cookie.
Chilling cookie dough in the refrigerator makes it easier to handle and prevents it from spreading too much during baking. This results in better appearance and texture.
Chilling also improves the overall flavor of the cookies. As it cools, the dry ingredients in the dough absorb the wet ingredients, creating a more concentrated flavor.
Chill time will vary depending on the recipe. Most cookie doughs need to chill for at least 30 minutes. Others may need to chill overnight. So, pull out a puzzle, turn on a show, or take a nice, hot bath while your dough is chilling. Your taste buds will thank you.
4. Liner
Another common cookie-baking mistake is baking the cookies right on the cookie sheet. You must line your pan to avoid issues with your cookies, such as uneven baking, sticking to the pan, or over-spreading.
A common way to “line” a cookie sheet is to spray it with non-stick cooking spray. This may do in a pinch, but it is not ideal. The cooking spray often creates too greasy of a surface, resulting in your cookies spreading too thin.
Rather than using a cooking spray, consider using liners such as parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a silicone mat. Not only will your cookies spread less, but clean-up will be easy-peasy.
While any of these three liners will work, parchment paper is the ideal liner for baking cookies. Parchment paper is slightly insulated, non-stick, and moisture-resistant. This provides the perfect surface to bake beautiful cookies, ideal for holiday gift packages.
5. Oven Timing And Temperature
One surefire way to ruin your cookies is to over-bake or under-bake them.
Cookie recipes can vary greatly. For example, say you have two nearly identical chocolate chip cookie recipes. The only difference between the two is how you bake them. This slight difference will determine the outcome of your cookies. One recipe may yield crispy cookies, while the other results in a cake-like texture.
For most cookies, the bake time and temperature ultimately depend on personal preference. Do you prefer crispy, chewy, or cake-like cookies? For chocolate chip cookies and most other drop cookies, follow the guide below.
| Cookie Texture | Oven Temperature (Fahrenheit) |
Bake Time (Minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| Cakey | 375 | 12-15 |
| Crispy-Cakey | 425 | 8-10 |
| Extra-Crispy | 300 | 24-28 |
| Chewy | 375 | 10-12 |
| Super-Chewy | 375 | 12 |
Bar cookies in a 13×9 inch pan should be baked for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut-out cookies should be baked for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
It is important to note that cook times may need to be adjusted, as not all ovens are created equal. Ovens can be inaccurate in their temperature reading. To monitor the exact temperature of your oven, buy an oven thermometer.
While baking cookies is a form of science, it doesn’t have to be rocket science. By addressing the things mentioned in parts one and two of this article, you will be well on your way to baking your own original gourmet cookies in no time.
Give Betty a run for her money. Go bake something amazing.