Cookies

Learn how to make a perfect batch of cookies, and find delicious cookie recipes!

There are so many good reasons to keep a cookie jar stocked! Cookies are perfect for serving visitors who drop by (or yourself when you're in the mood for a sweet snack), they're the highlight of lunchboxes, and they can be served for dessert (solo or partnered with some ice cream or yogurt). You can make cookies with favorite ingredients, with healthful additions, and to suit particular dietary needs.

In the world of desserts, cookies are easy to make, too. Of course, there's an occasional stumbling block — cookies that spread into one big mass in the oven, cookies that are crisp rather than soft like you prefer them (or vice versa), and cookies that become soggy in the container. All it takes is a little know-how, though, to avoid these pitfalls and produce that perfect batch of cookies.

Cookie-Making Tips:

• As with other baking, always start with room-temperature ingredients.
• To measure flour accurately, stir, and then spoon it into your measuring cup. Don't tamp it down; just level it off with a spatula or knife.
• For a softer cookie, melt your butter rather than simply softening it. And because white sugar produces crisper cookies, substitute honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar in place of all or some of the white sugar if you prefer soft cookies. An extra egg yolk will also increase tenderness (yes, as well as fat).
• After removing cookies from the oven, allow your batch to cool on the pan for 4 or 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. For crisper cookies, remove them to a cooling rack after just a minute.
• Margarines and spreads tend to be watery, which results in cookies that spread, so stick with butter.