When I was young, I was lucky enough to have a mom who loved to bake. I remember when I was about 6 or 7, I would go to school with my homemade lunch and kids would pay me a quarter just for me to give them homemade cookies from my mom. I had a nice little side business going there for a while! I truly love making cookies from scratch and am trying to instill that love of baking in my own kids. But, I know there are a lot of people who were not raised with Betty Crocker for a mom. If you don’t learn from a mom, where to you learn to make homemade cookies? The internet, of course! I decided to share a few cookie baking tips for beginners in case a few of you need a bit of direction before getting started. For all you experienced cookie makers, feel free to leave a comment if you have more baking tips to share! I am including affiliate links in the post for a few items that you may want to invest in. I appreciate your shopping through those links if something inspires you!
Cookie Baking Tips for Beginners
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Make sure everything is at room temperature: Unless the recipes specifically says “cold butter”, you need to plan ahead and set things on the counter an hour or two before you start cooking. This is honestly one of the most important cookie baking tips for beginners because cold butter does NOT ‘cream’ well and you will be left very displeased with your resulting cookies!
Read the recipe through before you get started: Check your supply of ingredients and watch for any unusual steps. If the dough has to chill for 12 hours, you should know this before you start! Once you have read through the recipe, then you can start baking! These baking tips for beginners won’t help a bit if you are in a hurry or don’t have the right ingredients.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Do not attempt to roll out the entire batch of dough: If you are planning on making a cookie that needs to be rolled out and cut on a cutting board, start with small batches of dough. Make up the whole batch and break off smaller chunks to roll out. You will have a much easier time of things. Make sure you use plenty of flour to dust the cutting board, cookie cutters, and rolling pins. The cookies will stick if you don’t and you will be left with quite a mess!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Take care when frosting cookies: Frosting things isn’t always easy, but it really gives a nice look to your sugar cookies. Before frosting your cookies, remember that they must be completely cool to the touch. If you go to frost anything that is even slightly warm you will end up with crumbs in the frosting and a slightly melty look to the frosting. Let cookies cool several hours after removing them from the oven. Consider making your own homemade frosting and dying it with natural food colors or even learn how to dye frosting naturally with kale juice! Sounds horrible? It makes a pretty green color and you cannot taste the kale at all!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Choose your baking sheets wisely: Cheap baking sheets are never a good idea. Bake cookies on shiny, heavy aluminum baking sheets. Dark sheets may absorb heat, causing cookies to burn. You can use a silicone baking mat to help prevent sticking of cookies to the pan, but it may alter how they spread a bit. If you plan on using a darker cookie sheet, just keep an eye on the cookies and set the timer for a minute or two less than the suggested time. If they are already browning, they are probably done.
Measure accurately and follow directions: Baking isn’t really like cooking dinner. Baking is a little bit of science and measurements matter. Just throwing in a handful of something instead of 1/4 cup could really throw off your entire recipe. Take time to measure carefully. Use pyrex glass measuring cups for liquid and a standard stainless steel measuring cups for dry ingredients. Do not confuse the two or your ingredients will be off.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Choose your grease carefully: When a recipe calls for a greased cookie sheet, be careful what you choose to grease it with. Don’t use butter or it will burn. You can use a non-stick spray but I am not generally a fan and I find that it creates a sticky residue on the pan. A lot of sites say to use solid vegetable shortening, but I’m not sure how healthy that is. Personally, I have been using coconut oil lately and it seems to be working fine. I can spread it on the pan with a paper towel just like I do shortening, but I know it is a little healthier for me. You can also use parchment paper but I only use that for cookies I know are very delicate or incredibly sticky.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Cool before storing: Do not put warm cookies in a container with a lid. You will end up with soggy cookies! Cool cookies completely before storing them in airtight containers.
Select quality ingredients: You will get OUT of your cookies exactly what you put IN. Don’t skimp on ingredients. I use real organic butter, high-quality chocolate, pure maple syrup, and farm fresh eggs. I am very picky about cookie ingredients! I find that flour and sugar are all pretty standard no matter what brand you buy, but I definitely have figured out my favorite brands over the last few years for other ingredients.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Know your flour: Most cookie recipes call for all-purpose flour. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically says to do so. Remember, you cannot substitute whole wheat for all purpose in a cookie recipe. You may be able to substitute a small amount, but it will definitely change the taste of the cookie a bit!
Don’t expect your cookies to look like Christmas cookies on Pinterest: The problem with food bloggers is that they only show you the PERFECT cookies. You don’t see the other 300 that were burnt, broken, or defective looking. No matter how many cookie baking tips for beginners you read, your cookies are not going to be perfect. Remember, half the fun is in the process, not the final product. Just enjoy your holiday baking and don’t worry about perfection!
Have any cookie baking tips for beginners to share? Leave a comment!
Want an easy cookie to get started with? Try these White Chocolate Dipped Chewy Molasses Cookies
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The post Cookie Baking Tips for Beginners: For Perfect Cookies Every Time! appeared first on Turning the Clock Back.