Pastry Blender does a very efficient
and quick job of cutting fat into dry ingredients. Choose one that
feels
good in your hand.
Baking soda and baking powder do
not last forever. To taste baking soda and baking powder for freshness,
mix baking soda with a little vinegar, and baking powder with a little
warm water. If they bubble furiously, they are fresh.
Always use unsalted butter for cookies
or short breads, because salted butter browns more quickly and
affects
the flavor of baked goods.
Bake
cookies on baker's paper (parchment
paper) or non-stick cookie sheet, they will lift off the baking tray
easily and you will avoid the
extra calories you'd add by greasing the trays.
If you are using baker's paper (parchment
paper), you can reuse it over
and over, until it become browned at the corners.
Oven temperatures can vary up to
50 F (28 C) so test the heat of your oven with an oven thermometer.
They
are available at cookware or hardware shops and inexpensive.
For thicker, chewier cookies, place
prepared cookie dough and pans in freezer for 8 to 10 minutes before
baking.
You may have add a minute or two to your baking time, but your cookies
won't spread as much.
To avoid sogginess, cool cookies
completely before packaging.
Most cookies freeze well because
of their relatively high fat content, so take some of the stress out of
holidays by baking ahead.
To freeze baked cookies, place them
in a tin with the lid and then place the tin in plastic bag and tie.
