I've been a professional baker for over 10 years. Here are my top 8 tips for making the perfect cookies.
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- As a baker with over 10 years of experience, I've learned how to make the best cookies every time.
- Properly creaming the butter and sugar is key for achieving great texture.
- For soft, chewy cookies, let them cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
Whether you're baking for one or a whole party, homemade cookies are always a hit. And with the right recipe, anyone can bake a delicious batch, no matter their skill level.
After working at a grocery-store bakery and owning my own bakery, I have several tricks I use every time I'm making cookies.
Cream the butter and sugar properly
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Creaming butter and sugar is the first step for countless cookie recipes. But simply mixing softened butter with granulated sugar or brown sugar until combined isn't enough.
It's important to really whip the ingredients together for several minutes to create air bubbles in the mixture. The bubbles play a key role once the dough is in the oven by creating steam, which ultimately results in a great texture.
Typically, proper creaming takes anywhere from three to five minutes, depending on your mixer. The final product will be pale and fluffy and ready for room-temperature eggs.
Use pure vanilla extract
Most cookie recipes call for vanilla extract — especially chocolate-chip and sugar cookies.
But the flavor will only be as good as the ingredients you add.
Vanilla extract is used to enhance the flavors of other ingredients and add its own distinct flavor, so it's best to stick to a pure, high-quality option. Artificial extract won't achieve the same incredible results.
Pay attention to chilling time
Not all recipes call for chilling time, but if your dough does, be sure to follow it. It's a crucial step to preventing cookies from spreading too much while baking.
Part of what controls the spread is the butter.
At room temperature, it's quite soft. Chilling the dough gives the fat time to solidify again, which ultimately takes longer to melt in the oven.
Use a cookie-dough scoop
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Want cookies that are uniform in size and shape? Use a cookie-dough scoop to evenly divide the dough.
They look like mini ice-cream scoops and can be found in multiple sizes.
Just scoop the dough, roll it into a ball, and place it on your baking sheet.
Always line your baking sheets
The key to preventing cookies from sticking is lining your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Many recipes suggest greasing the sheet, but that can often impact the way the cookies spread. Parchment paper prevents sticking without affecting the dough.
Plus, it can be reused multiple times while baking several sheets of cookies.
Give the cookies some space
It varies depending on the type of cookie, but every dough will spread while baking — even if it's just the slightest amount.
When you're placing dough on a baking sheet, give each cookie 1 1/2 to 2 inches of space to ensure they don't merge together while baking.
Keep an eye on your cookies in the oven
Even set to a uniform 350 degrees Fahrenheit, every oven will bake a bit differently.
It's important to check your cookies a few minutes before the recipe's baking time is up.
Cookies are usually done when the edges are lightly golden brown, which may be several minutes before or after the timer actually goes off.
For soft cookies, let them finish baking out of the oven
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If you're a fan of soft, chewy cookies, the key is to pull them out at the right moment.
Once the edges of the cookies have just started to brown, remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it on the stove top.
Allow the residual heat from the baking sheet to finish off the cookies for two to three minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.