There are million tips and tricks out there on how to make the “perfect”
cookie. However, everyone’s perfect
cookie is different. Some people like chewy cookies while other prefer more of
a crunch. Some like sweeter and some
like tart. These tips have helped me in the kitchen and hopefully they will
help you find your perfect cookie!
Here are 5 tips to help make your homemade cookie recipe even more
delicious!
1) Use parchment paper or a silicone mat when baking. This will help you avoid
burning the bottom of the cookies. Place
your cookies on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a soilcone mat help to
bake the cookie evenly without burning the bottom. Otherwise, the metal baking
sheet can get too hot and can turn a tasty treat into a hard mess.
2) Use the better ingredients. Including but not limited to, pure butter, real
eggs (not egg beaters) and kosher salt. When you are using
baking chips or chocolate chunks make sure you use a premium chocolate with a good
cocoa butter content. This may seem like a basic concept, but using higher
quality ingredients will make sure that your cookie recipe is on point. Cookies are only as good as the ingredients
in them.
3) The placement of your cookies in your oven make a big difference. You want to place
your tray of cookies on the middle rack. The top rack will burn the tops
too quickly, and the bottom rack may cause you to bake the cookies longer than
need so the middle is cooked, but will result in drying out your cookies. I am not a fan of baking more than one sheet
of cookies at a time either. It may take a little longer, but I find keeping
the cookie sheet in the middle of the oven produces a better cookie.
4) Follow the correct mixing order on your recipe. It is important to understand the art and
science of proper mixing.
Your fats, sugars, and eggs should be mixed together and fully combined
before adding dry ingredients. Typically, you will add any extract at the
first mixing stage, but make sure it’s a pure extract and none of that
imitation stuff. This will help
incorporate the flavor into the sugars and fats. After combined, slowly add the
dry ingredients. Take your time, there is no need to rush a delicious cookie!
5) Keeping an eye on your oven. This is very important step
people tend to forget. You could have the best cookie recipe on the planet, but
if your cookies are baked too much they will be dry and tasteless. I always set the timer for 2-3 minutes less
than what the recipe calls for, espically for a new recipe. For the last
few minutes I keep a close eye on them. As soon as they start browning at the
edges, I remove them from the oven, Cookies will continue to bake after they
are removed from the oven. So you don’t wait until they are fully brown or you
risk over baking them,
I hope these tips were helpful! Now go practice your favorite cookie recipe!
As always, Happy Baking!