Is there anything better than biting into a warm and delicious cookie? You know the ones I am talking about – with the crisp outer, and the warm gooey centre. Delicious, right? The only trouble is that they are not as easy to make as they are to eat! But, you know what they say; practice makes perfect! With that being said, read on to discover more about the seven secrets on how to make the perfect cookies…
Remove Your Cookies Before They Are Done
One of the mistakes a lot of people make is overcooking their cookies. The best thing to do is remove your cookies from the oven around two minutes before they are supposed to be removed. You can then place them on a baking sheet, giving them another two to three minutes to rest so that the cooking process can be finished. Once that has done, remove the cookies and place them on a heavy-duty stainless steel cooling rack so that they can cool completely.
Don’t Rotate Your Pans
If you take a look online, you will see that there are a lot of people who advise rotating your pans when you are baking cookies. The aim of this is to try and ensure there is an even bake all around. It makes sense. However, there is just one problem, and this is the fact that you are going to be opening the oven door, which releases heat. So, in an attempt to eliminate a view hotspots, you have actually eliminated the heat altogether, which is much worse. When you consider the facts that cookies only take around 10-12 minutes to bake, you see why opening up the oven would be a problem. You don’t allow any time for the heat to build back up again, and so your cookies won’t rise properly and they probably won’t turn that delicious golden brown colour either.
Handle The Dough Gently
This is one of the most common issues with rolled cookies. After all, it is something that contradicts itself, as there is nothing gentle about using a rolling pin! And, the more you roll, the tougher your cookies are going to be. So, what can you do? Well, there are a few ways to minimize this effect. Firstly, don’t use flower to dust the surface – use powdered sugar instead. Excess flour will only contribute to making the cookies harder. Another tip is to make sure your initial dough is rolled into a shape that is as uniform as possible. Get as close as you can to the edge of the dough when using the cutters, and make sure you cut all cookies as close to each other as possible, as this is going to reduce your need to re-roll. When the dough is re-rolled, this is when the cookies become tough and it becomes difficult to get your cookies into the right shape.
Make Sure You Choose Premium Quality Butter
We are often told that it does not matter what butter we use when cooking – simply get the cheapest form of baking butter. However, the problem with cheap butter is that it can contain as much as 19 percent water, which really presents some problems when baking. Firstly, it makes it more difficult for the butter and eggs to emulsify. Moreover, it contributes to excess spreading. Also, you may not be surprised to discover that butter with a higher fat content usually tastes better too! So, going for a good quality butter will certainly pay off. When thing you should never do, though, is use the whipped, spreadable butter, which comes in a tub. As the name suggest, this water has air whipped into it, and it is also high in water too, which throws off everything in the cooking process!
Allow Your Butter To Sit At Room Temperature Before Using It
Another secret tip when it comes to baking the perfect cookies is allowing your butter to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Don’t leave it out for any longer than this, though. A lot of people take their butter straight from the fridge and use it. However, when butter is too cold, it does not cream properly, and this results in cookies that are too dense. What’s the issue with leaving your cookies out for longer than 15 minute? Well, if the butter is too soft, this will result in dough that is greasy and heavy, rather than fluffy dough. This is because the butter will be too soft, and so it will not hold enough air. So, 15 minutes is the perfect time!
Use Light Colored Pans
Another little secret that will help you to achieve the perfect cookies is to use light colored pans. You are probably wondering why the color of your pans makes a difference. Well, dark pans tend to cause cookies to burn at the bottom because they absorb more heat. This is why light colored pans are useful. They will ensure that you get a nice even back all of the way around, so you don’t get any burnt bits on the base.
Don’t Grease The Pan
You have probably been told numerous times that you should always grease the pan whenever you are baking. However, this is something you should not do when it comes to cookies. This is because greasing the pan will result in the cookies spreading too much, which could result in you ending up with one massive cookie. Of course, if you are cooking for yourself, there’s nothing wrong with this, right? But if you want a nice batch of even cookies, greasing the pan is not the way to go about it. Now you are probably worrying about your cookies sticking to the pan. If you don’t have a nice new, clean, and shiny pan, it is better to use a baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper. If you can afford to replace your pan, now would be a good time to do so! And, a little tip for looking after your pan in the future… it is going to last much longer if you stop greasing the pan!
So there you have it: seven secrets to baking the perfect cookies. Hopefully, you have now picked up some tips that you can use to help you create the best batch of cookies you have ever baked! One thing is for sure, you and all of your loved ones will have plenty of fun tasting your creations.
Sources:
- 5 Tips for Baking the Perfect Cookie – HowStuffWorks
- How To Make The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies – HuffPost
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