The 8 Best kept secrets for amazing cookies
Wanting some fresh baked cookies? Homemade? Not sure how to? Then follow these 8 tips to make sure your first homemade cookies are a success. If you have tried before, you know how it is tricky to get it right from the start.
These basics secrets will set you up for success and a moment of pleasure. Up your game and impress friends and family!
Here are the 8 amazing secrets telling you how to make the perfect cookies
- Preheat the oven
If it says so in your recipe then do not skip this step as it will change everything. The dough will react differently if it is going into a slowly warming oven in comparison to a preheated hot oven. If you don’t preheat your oven, your cookies will be cooked at a lower temperature for the first 5-15mn as your oven heats up. Cookies belong to the category of food which needs to be baked in a short time at a relatively high temperature. This tip will:
- Prevent the cookies spreading too much:
When the oven has not been preheated it isn’t hot enough for the dough to cook properly, as a result, the cookies will spread too much. The reasons for that is the butter layered or dotted in it. As the dough heats slowly, the butter will melt and run out, changing the texture. On the other hand, when heating quickly, the butter will be able to shorten the dough and preserve the layers.
- Allow your cookies to rise
It is most likely that your recipe requires you to use baking powder, baking soda or yeast as leavening. If you preheat your oven you will prevent the lack of rising and allow your cookies to rise beautifully.
2- The oven door must remain shut when the cookies are baking
Opening the door while baking creates fluctuations in heat. The expansion of air and moisture from the heat of the oven gives you the lift you are looking for.
By opening the door, you let in cold air and let the hot and moist air out. Cookies get part of their leavening from the expansion of air.
Leaving the door shut will prevent uneven baking. So, keep the door closed, as long as you can.
3- Don’t grease the pan
There is enough fat in the dough to keep the cookies from sticking to the pan. The additional fats will step into your cookie causing them to spread too much and turn thin or flat, and merge them into one giant cookie.
4- Bring your butter out of the fridge 15 mn before baking
Not too soon but not too late, if the butter is too cold it won’t cream as intended. If you butter is too soft, the air won’t hold enough when beaten with other ingredients and will create a heavy greasy dough instead of a fluffy one.
5- Chill the cookie dough
A chilled dough will prevent your cookies from over-spreading. The results will be beautifully thick, and solid cookies. Try to chill your cookie dough overnight.
Taking it from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 10mn, before baking.
The cookie dough also makes a perfect candidate for freezing until the next friends of family visits, you will have your cookies ready!
6- Ingredients to keep high on your top list
Light brown sugar will give you the cookie texture, and choose baking soda instead of baking powder as raising agent. As for the best melted chocolate experience, cut chocolate into chunks and add them as well as the chocolate chips.
7- The right mix for the dough
Do not over mix your dough. By doing so, you will add too much air
8- Give your cookies the right shape
Roll them into balls and press them gently onto the tray to keep them in place. Leave enough space between each cookie so they can spread while in the oven.
Here you are, the best 8 cookies secret I wish I knew when I first tried baking cookies. Every cookie experience is unique, even for the same baker. That is how rich cookies are. Can you tell how much I love them? Try these tips when you next bake cookies and comment down below if these worked for you. Come back and share your tips if you think they should be added to this list for our fellows bakers!
Happy baking!
