Guide
For Making Homemade Cookies
Cookies should be uniform in size and thickness so use level
spoonfuls for drop cookies, a sharp thin bladed knife for slicing refrigerator
rolls.
When trying a new cookie recipe, it is helpful to
bake a test cookie to see how much it spreads. If it spreads too much try
chilling the dough or adding a little more flour to the dough.
Do not grease the cookie sheet unless the recipe states you
should.
If the recipe does require it, do not use butter to grease baking sheets but just a light
layer of unsalted shortening or non-stick spray. Too much grease causes cookies
to spread and edges will be thin, crisp & may burn.
Use shiny baking sheets, dark or burned sheets absorb heat
faster and may cause cookies to burn.
Be sure to bake cookies on a sheet without sides or with very
low sides. If your baking sheets have sides, turn them upside down and
bake cookies on the bottom.
You can use a smaller pan such as an inverted cake or pie pan to bake cookies if
you don’t have enough dough left to fill a regular baking sheet.
Place cookies approximately 2″ apart on baking sheet to
allow for spreading while they bake.
Bake cookies on the middle rack of your oven and only one sheet
at a time for best results.
There should be at least 2″ of rack showing around all sides
of the baking sheet to allow for proper heat circulation.
If your cookies tend to burn on the bottom, raise the level of
the oven rack or try placing another baking sheet under the sheet that holds
the cookies.
If your cookies at the back of the sheet brown faster than
those in the front, your oven is hotter in the back than in the front. Try turning
the sheet around half way during the baking time.
If a recipe gives an approximate baking time, such as 12 to 15
minutes, check the cookies at the minimum time to avoid overbaking.
Practically all cookies should be slightly underbaked. Take them from the
oven while still a little soft, they’ll continue to bake as long as they are in
contact with the hot pan.
After baking cookies, remove them from the sheet and place in
a single layer on a wire rack to cool. If you stack them on top of each other they
will stick together.
Before baking another batch of cookies, cool and clean off
your baking sheet, hot baking sheets melt the shortening in the dough and
cookies will spread.
Drop Cookies: Chilling the cookie dough before dropping
cookies helps to keep spreading to a minimum. You can keep cookie dough in the refrigerator
for up to one week (covered well) or freeze for later use.
Shaped Cookies: When making shaped cookies, chill dough if it is too soft
to shape. Flatten cookies with a floured fork or
bottom of a glass which has been greased and dipped in flour or sugar.
Rolled Cookies: Dough can be molded into balls and
flattened with bottom of glass which has been greased and dipped in sugar. Roll out small portions of dough rather
than in one whole batch. Keep the remainder in refrigerator until ready to
roll. Do not add scraps of rolled dough to
fresh dough. Save and roll out together since these cookies will be less
tender. Cut in squares or diamond shapes to avoid more scraps. To prevent sticking when rolling, use a pastry cloth
and covered rolling pin. Roll with a light touch, you don’t want the dough to
stick to the board or pastry cloth. Dough may be tightly covered and kept
in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Roll out and bake fresh cookies as desired.
Refrigerator Cookies: These cookies
spread very little, chill dough thoroughly before slicing. For quick chilling, place rolls in
freezer for an hour. Refrigerator doughs keep well in
the refrigerator for up to three weeks, just slice and bake as needed. Slicing may
be easier if you dip the knife in hot water and then wipe.
Cookies should be thoroughly cooled before being stacked for
storage. Crisp and soft cookie varieties should never be stored in the same
container since the crisp varieties will soften quickly under such
circumstances.
Storing Baked Cookies
Soft Cookies
Store cookies in
air-tight container. Sheets of waxed paper between layers prevent cookies from
sticking to each other. A piece of cut orange or apple placed in the container
will keep cookies soft. Because fruit molds make sure to change frequently.
Crisp Cookies
Store cookies in
container with loose-fitting lid. If cookies become soft, place in single layer
on ungreased baking sheet and heat in 300°F. oven for 3 to 5 minutes.
Freezing Cookies
Wrap cookies in
freezer paper or place in air tight containers or bags. Thaw in original
wrappings at room temperature. Baked cookies thaw within about 15 minutes at
room temperature. Freeze up to six months.
Homemade cookies information: most of this was found in an old Robin Hood recipe booklet.
Storing Cookies information: taken
from www.tipnut.com