Cookie baking tips
These are some tips I’ve learned over the years when making lots of cookies for the holidays. Things my DMom didn’t teach me, ‘cause I don’t think she used them. I don’t think she made as many different varieties of cookies each year as I try to do.
Parchment paper is great to bake cookies on. You can slide the whole sheet of paper off onto your cooling racks without using the spatula to move each individual cookie.
Cookie stacking racks save essential counter space while cooling cookies. Before discovering these first two tools, I would spatula each cookie onto a wood block, then after they were slightly cool, move one-by-one to an angled stack to make room for the next sheet coming out of the oven, etc. My three stacking racks easily hold one batch of cookies.
When making ball cookies (Oreo balls/peanut butter balls, etc.) Roll a log of dough then pinch off the right amount for each ball. At first I was using a small spoon to get the right amount for the ball, then rolling. Using a “log” really cuts the time.
When dipping balls in chocolate, use a slow cooker. Put water in the slow cooker (a few inches) with a bowl of chocolate sitting in the water. Use the low temp (don’t try high as I did once and ruined my chocolate). It keeps the chocolate at the perfect dipping temp. You could also use a double boiler, but I didn’t want to work at the stove. To speed up the melting, put boiling water in the slow cooker first and pre-melt the chocolate in the microwave (half power for 30 seconds at a time until the right consistency). Don’t burn the chocolate!
Make a small investment in dipping tools. They really work so much better than toothpicks that the balls keep falling off of, and they are inexpensive! Again, use parchment paper to set the dipped balls on for cooling (on the stacking racks or stacked cookie trays in the frig).
Stack cookie trays in frig using blocks (toy alphabet blocks would work well if you have them).
Baby steps: Make dough one day, roll balls one day, dip one day; or make dough one day and bake another day.
Put oil in measuring cup or spoon (then pour back out) before measuring sticky ingredients like honey. It pours right out of the cup/spoon.
I like to freeze the cookies about 1 doz. to a bag and put a bag of each type of cookie in a box (shoebox) Then when I want to make up a cookie plate, I just pull the shoe box out, put a few of each cookie on a plate, re-seal the cookie bags and replace the box in the freezer. It saves me from having to take each type of cookie out of the freezer individually. I could make up the cookie plates ahead and put them in the freezer, but it would take up more room than what I have available.
Get Christmas ceramic plates at dollar store or thrift store to make gift cookie plates. Recipient can keep the plate. Look for plates with décor around the rim so the cookies aren’t covering the festive design.
I don’t have a lot of cookies/candies that are Christmas-colored. On a cookie plate, I like to add just a few pieces of Christmas-wrapped candy (kisses are nice) or a candy cane on top of the cookies. The yogurt covered pretzels with sprinkles are pretty, too.
I stir mixed nuts into the leftover chocolate from dipping balls and make nut balls.
I use a large table cloth on the counter and wear an apron, especially when using flour (rolling pie crust or lefse) or powdered sugar (cookies). When done, I can shake the table cloth outside and put it in the wash. No mess on the counter or my clothes.
I’m short and sometimes the counters seem a bit high for rolling dough or dipping chocolates. I use my aerobics step with beach towel on it to stand on next to the counter. The towel keeps any flour or sugar from getting into the little grooves in the step. When done, I shake the towel outside and put it in the wash.
Silicon spatulas are so easy to clean. (Silicon anything!)
If you make more than one kind of chocolate dipped cookie as I do (Oreo balls and peanut butter balls), embellish one or both differently so you can tell them apart. I sprinkle finely chopped peanuts on the peanut butter balls. Chopped peppermint candies would be pretty to sprinkle on. I’ve also used melted white chocolate to drizzle over my Oreo balls.
Cookie scoops work very well. I like the small scoop the best ‘cause I don’t like huge cookies, but that’s just me.
When filling your flour or sugar canisters, put the canister in the sink. Anything that spills won’t be on your counter or the floor.
If you have to pour dry ingredients into a measuring cup or spoon and it might spill over, do it over a paper towel or piece of waxed paper. You can usually get most of the spillover back into the container and just fold up your towel or paper and throw it away. No mess on the counter.