Have Some Fun Baking Cookies

Baking cookies can be a lot of fun and the results are definitely worth the effort. Most cookie recipes are basic and easy to follow.  With some practice, you can become a master cookie baker.

How to Bake Cookies – A Basic Guide

Baking cookies can be one of the most addicting pastimes around. In order to be successful you will need a good recipe and the right ingredients. Many people think they can just follow a recipe but the fact is baking cookies requires a great deal of skill, practice and patience. The basic ingredients you will need are flour, sugar, butter and vanilla or baking powder. In addition you will need your favorite cookie recipe and some additional ingredients depending on the recipe you use. For example you will need oil, milk, eggs and butter for cookie dough and sugar, molasses and brown sugar for icing.

First of all you must preheat your oven. This will ensure your cookies bake evenly. The amount of baking soda needed depends on the size of your baking sheet and the recipe you use to measure the amount before baking. It is also important to line the baking sheet with wax paper so the finished product does not stick. This allows the cookies to cool completely in the oven.

Once your oven has preheated, and it should have done so by now, place the cookie baking sheet in the center of the oven and turn the oven on to the normal setting. Let the oven to preheat up to the proper level. You may need to put a plate beneath the cookie baking sheet to keep it from rising too quickly.

Small Batches Are Easier

If you bake one batch at a time then you can place the wrapped or lined cookie dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes to help it harden a bit. Once it is the correct consistency then it is ready to be used. Remove the waxed paper from the top of the batch and move it to one end of the cookie sheet and place the second batch of cookies on top of the first one. By taking two batches of cookies at a time you will be able to watch them to ensure they are done all the same.

Using either the scoop feature or a knife, start cutting the cooled cookie sheets into uniform sized pieces. It may take a few tries to get the cutters to come out the same size. Once the cookies are the same size, you will want to set the baking sheet into the preheated oven and turn the oven on to the normal setting. This is important because you do not want any over baking. If you under bake then your cookies will be uneven and will fall out of the pan.

Now, in order to make sure that your cookies are properly cooked you will want to add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. The mixing of the wet and dry ingredients should be done very quickly so that the cookie sheet does not overheat. Once this is done you can pour the wet ingredients into the mixer and start the stirring process. Once the ingredients are completely mixed, you will want to pour in the baking soda and mix it all together until the ingredients are completely combined.