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TIP #5:
Make sure your cookie dough & pans are cold before placing
them in the oven.
Watch baking cookies carefully. Rotate
cookie pans half-way through baking.
For cookies that are made by
creaming butter and sugar together, the butter gets soft quickly during mixing
and/or if the dough is left out on the countertop. If so, refrigerate the dough
until colder before making cookies to help prevent it from spreading immediately
when baked.
Baking with one cookie sheet in
the center of the middle of the oven shelf at a time is the best. Place the
cookie sheet in the middle of the middle rack.
But, most of us bake with 2
cookie sheets at a time (no more because the oven becomes crowded and the
cookies will not bake as evenly.) Even if you have room to bake both sheets on
one shelf, its best to stagger the sheets on different ones. Place the oven rack
1/3 of the way from the bottom and the top shelf 1/3 of the way from the top.
Leave about an inch or two between the cookie
sheets and the sides of the oven to allow for air circulation; the cookies will
bake better.
All ovens have hot spots, so it's best to rotate cookie sheets
half-way through baking. If using one cookie sheet, rotate the front to back.
If there are two cookie sheets in the oven at the same
time, swap and rotate the cookie sheets half way through baking. Your
cookies will bake more evenly.
(If you do bake two cookie sheets on one shelf, leave room between them and the
sides of the oven. Remember to swap and rotate them as well).
 Can
I microwave cookie dough?
No. The uneven heat of a microwave prevents the dough from browning and
baking evenly. |
Can I bake cookies in a toaster oven?
No, I don't recommend it. A toaster oven's small size often results in
uneven heating and the cookies may burn. |
Can I bake cookies in a convection oven?
Yes, follow the manufacturer's guidelines provided with your convection
oven. Lower oven's temperature by 25 to 50 degrees F from the temperature
specified in the recipe. |
TIP #6: Do Not overbake
cookies, cooling & storage tips.
Cookies bake in a
short time, generally 8 to 15 minutes usually at 350 to 375 degrees. They can
burn very easily, and they can be deceptive by looking underbaked when in fact
they're perfect. Many cookies rise a little bit, but usually collapse a bit when
pulled from the oven.
Check cookies for
doneness at 5 minutes before the first time in the range specified in the
recipe. Keep checking every minute or so. Cookies burn quickly.
If you want soft and chewy cookies,
take them out on the early side; for crispier cookies, bake a little longer,
being careful not to burn them. (Some recipes already make
soft or crispy cookies, so just follow the recipe).
Thick or moist cookies are done when
pressed lightly and leave a slight imprint. Thin, crispy ones are done when firm
to touch and slightly golden around edges.
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Burnt
cookie bottoms are so disappointing, but can be avoided. Here are some
baking tips to help you prevent this:
Watch your cookies carefully so
they don't burn; there is only a 1 or 2 minute window between when they are
finished and when they will burn.
Your oven may be too hot. Use an
oven thermometer from the grocery store to check.
Position the oven shelf in the
middle or the first rung from the middle before pre-heating. Burnt bottoms
means that the heat source below is too close and hot.
Rotate your pans in the oven
half-way through baking. Ovens have hot spots, so by doing this you are
baking the cookies at a more even temperature. |
When done, remove cookies from the oven and let
cool in the pans for 3 to 5 minutes. As cookies continue to cool they will
become firm enough to remove, otherwise they will fall apart if they are too
hot. If cookies are left on the sheet too long, they will be very difficult to
remove.
To cool, transfer each cookie gingerly to a wire
cake rack with a flat, metal spatula. Do not pile cookies on top of each other
and leave a bit of space around each. If you do not have enough space on the
cooling racks, putting the cookies on flat, brown paper grocery bags placed on
the countertop.
If you bake cookies on parchment paper, let them
sit on the pan for 3 to 5 minutes and then slide it with the cookies to a wire
cake rack to cool completely. Then, remove the cookies from the parchment
paper. They'll break less easily this way.
 If
the cookies stick to the sheet when trying to get them off, return it to the
oven for a few minutes, until the cookies are slightly softened. |
Cool bar cookies in pan slightly before cutting
to keep them from crumbling. For bar cookies...easy removal, line pan with foil,
allow an overhang and when cookies have cooled simply pull up foil or you can
allow cookies to cool 15 - 20 minutes, cut and remove.
Make sure that there is at least a 3-inch
clearance between the rack and the countertop. I have found that if the cooling
rack is too close to the counter, condensation forms underneath the cookies,
causing them to have slightly soggy bottoms. To do, place upside-down glasses on
the countertop and use them to support each corner of the wire cake rack.
Cookies should be (eaten) and
stored after cooling. Most cookies are
decorated after baking and
cooling, but can be done beforehand.
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