How To Bake the Best Cookies
There’s something undeniably comforting about the aroma of freshly baked cookies wafting through the air. Whether it’s classic choc chip, chewy oatmeal raisin or buttery shortbread, few treats can match the simple pleasure of a well-baked cookie. But achieving that perfect batch isn’t always as easy as it seems. If you’re looking to bake your best, follow these tips.
Best Tips for the Best Cookies
Try these baking hacks for the best cookies ever!
Make Sure Your Butter Is the Right Temp
The secret to a smooth dough? Ensuring that your butter is the temperature that the recipe calls for. For a flakier crumb, like in a pie crust, you might need to use cold butter, but for cookie recipes that require the butter and sugar to be creamed, it’s best to bake with room-temperature butter before beginning the mixing process.
Softened butter incorporates more easily with the other ingredients, resulting in a smoother dough that is easier to shape and form. It also allows more air to be incorporated into the dough, creating a lighter cookie. If using warm or melted butter, you can usually expect a denser cookie.
Cold butter can be difficult to cream with sugar, leading to an uneven distribution of ingredients and potential lumps in the dough. To bring butter to room temperature quickly, cut it into small cubes and let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before use. Alternatively, microwave the butter in short intervals, rotating it each time, until softened, but not melted.
Avoid Overmixing
Mix your ingredients only until they’re just combined. Overmixing can develop too much gluten, resulting in a tougher texture rather than the desired crumble. Use a light hand when mixing your cookie dough and stop mixing as soon as the ingredients are evenly distributed. This will help prevent the cookies from becoming tough and dense.
Scoop It!
Baking is truly a science, and if you want the best cookies, measuring your ingredients every step of the way will get you there – not just when making your dough.
Invest in a cookie scoop to portion out your dough evenly. This handy tool ensures that each cookie is the same size, resulting in uniform baking and a professional appearance instead of having to pick out the burnt ones from the near-perfect cookies. Choose a scoop size that corresponds with the desired diameter of your cookies for perfectly round treats.
Chill, Chill, Chill
After shaping your cookies, chill them thoroughly before baking. This helps the cookies maintain their shape and prevents spreading during the baking process. Chilling the dough also allows the flavours to meld together and enhances the texture of the cookies.
Place the portioned cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking to firm up the butter and relax the gluten in the dough. This will help prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven and ensure they hold their shape during baking.
Space Evenly on Baking Sheet
Arrange the shaped dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving enough space between each cookie to allow for spreading during baking. Position them in neat rows with equal spacing to ensure even baking and consistent results.
For perfectly round cookies, consider using a silicone baking mat with pre-marked circles as a guide for spacing. This will help you position the dough balls accurately and maintain uniformity in size and shape.
Cookie Recipes
Bake your best batch yet with our favourite cookie recipes.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chips are easier to work with, but for that gooey, slightly melted texture, use good-quality chocolate; you might not achieve the same result with waxy chocolate chips.
Thick & Chunky Speckled Egg Cookies
Creaming the butter and sugar helps get that irresistible, chewy bite.
Moerkoffie Cookies
Two of our favourites combined – coffee and cookies. The perfect sugar-to-butter ratio results in a fine crumb and sugary delight.
Giant Oatmeal with White Chocolate
A simple and delicious cookie that’s ideal for dunking in your morning cuppa. The key? Not overmixing the dough.
Classic Shortbread
Crumbly and buttery, this classic shortbread is pretty much perfect. All the more reason to stick with room-temperature butter.
Fudgy Salted Caramel & Chocolate Biscuits
The secret to baking fudgy cookies? Make sure you incorporate enough moisture into the batter. These fudgy beauties are loaded with avocado oil for the perfect texture.
Want more? Try these dunkable delights.
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