SOME COOKIE BAKING TIPS

Most everyone knows how to bake cookies but there are a few tips that may improve your cookie baking skills. Here are a few of them:

• Spoon the flour into the measuring cup; level with a knife. Flour that is packed into the measuring cup with give you a dry cookie.
• Set butter out a room temperature at least 30 minutes before using, an hour is even better. Do not melt butter unless the recipe calls for melted butter.
• If you can afford it, use pure extracts. They are more expensive than imitation extracts but the difference in taste is worth it.
• If you substitute dark brown sugar for light brown you may notice more of a molasses taste to your cookies.
• Never use Dutch-process cocoa powder unless the recipe specifically calls for it. Otherwise, use regular or natural cocoa powder.
• Parchment paper is great for cookies, less clean up and the bottoms of your cookies are less likely to burn. Exception: Spritz cookies - the nonstick coating of the paper could cause the dough to spread out.
• Remove cookies from pans to cooling racks as soon as you can. When left on the hot pan they continue cooking and the bottoms may become too brown.
• For uniform-sized cookies, use a cookie or ice cream scoop.

 Happy Baking!

This is a file photo.