Tips For Baking A Better Cookie

Tips For Baking A Better Cookie

After making thousands and thousands of cookies over the years one learns a few important tricks on how to make a better cookie. Here are some tips from the Tiny New York Kitchen’s kitchen.

Making Dough:

Bring butter to room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before you start (unless otherwise directed).  If you’re short on time, cut the butter into pieces and microwave in 5-second intervals, just until butter is soft, but not melted. 

To measure flour, spoon it into your measuring cup, then level it with a knife. If you pack flour into the cup, your cookies could turn out dry and heavy. 

Check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda, or test the freshness by dropping a pinch into vinegar: If the baking soda or powder foams and bubbles, it’s still good. 

Use pure extracts. The imitation stuff just isn’t the same. 

Baking Cookies:

Buy an inexpensive oven thermometer and adjust your oven setting accordingly. 

If you’re baking more than one tray of cookies at a time, switch the positions of the pans from top to bottom halfway through baking and give each pan a 180-degree turn. 

Cool and quickly wash your baking sheets between batches. If you drop dough onto a hot baking sheet, the butter will start melting instantly and the cookies could lose their structure. 

Line baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup. 

Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets (just until they’re firm enough to move), and then remove them to a rack to cool completely (unless otherwise directed). If you leave the cookies on the pan, they could end up too crisp. 

"Work With What You Got!”

© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen

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