So this is kind of like a "How to Use This Site" kinda page...but really, it's easy, read the recipe, make the cookies, eat the cookies.
If you have something pithy to say or a question to ask, just click the "Comments" link up by the title (it's in orange) and leave a comment! I'll try to respond...the word being try.
Anyhow...here are some Tips & Tricks from my kitchen to yours...
* Butter - When a recipe calls for "softened" or "room temperature" butter it actually wants you to use room temperature butter. Melted butter will not give you the correct batter or dough consistency and often times ends up acting a lot like veggie oil and causes your cookies to spread out and become little frisbees. If you're in a pinch or a hurry, put the cold butter into the mixer and beat the snot out of it and then let it sit for a few minutes. Not sure if your butter is "room temperature"? Touch it. Unwrap your butter and push a finger into it gently. If your finger leaves a small indentation you're golden. If your finger goes through your butter, it's too soft. If the butter is running all over the counter...well, you're lucky to live in Aruba.
* Eggs - Although it's rarely said in a recipe, eggs should be room temperature just like your butter. Don't believe me? Try a little experiment. Leave an egg out for a couple of hours to bring it up to room temperature. Now, in seperate bowls, crack a cold egg and your room temperature egg. Whisk them. The room temperature egg will be lighter and "foamier". Therefore, your dough will also be a little lighter in texture. (Some people say this doesn't really make a difference, and maybe it doesn't and it's all in my head, but this is how I cook and it's my blog.)
* Flour - Ok, so there are a lot of schools of thought on flour and measuring flour and sifting flour. I measure my flour straight out of the canister by scooping it up and leveling it off with the flat side of a butter knife. Easy enough right? Well, there are some interesting schools of thought on sifting your flour then measuring your flour by weight instead. Sounds like a lot of complicated mess to me. I don't sift my flour, but I do put it and all other dry ingredients (except sugar) into a bowl and whisk it together. It helps incorporate things and adds a little air.
* Cookie Sheets - I don't have fancy cookie sheets or baking stones or any of that other junk...even though I did ask Santa for new cookie sheets and silpats (reusable cookie sheet liners) this year as mine are kind of a mess. I did use parchment paper to line my cookie sheets until my Mum gave me some silicone cookie sheet liners, well I was hesitant to use them, but when I did...Whoa momma! I love them. They're going to save me a boatload of money in parchment and my cookies come out with a really nice bottom. (And we all know...a really nice bottom is a must.) If you use these, you might find that you have to add up to an extra minute on the baking time.
* Baking Times - On average most cookies bake anywhere from 7 to 12 minutes, but did you know that cookies continue to cook a little after you remove them from the oven? Think about this scientifically...if something has been in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes that heat doesn't just *poof* disappear when you remove it from the oven, right? It gradually dissipates, cooling slowly. So, even if your cookies don't seem quite done, let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and they'll continue to cook. Also, you can always throw cookies back into the oven to cook a little longer, but if you burn them...well, you can't really undo that. (It's a lot like letting a steak "rest".) My rule of thumb is, once a cookie sheet comes out of the oven the cookies stay on it until the next cookie sheet comes out of the oven. There's no law that states you have to have a cookie sheet ready and waiting to go into the oven. As a matter of fact putting cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet is a big no no...you don't want your dough to melt before it even goes into the oven! (Side note: All of my cookie times are based on bare cookie sheets or sheets with parchment, if you're using silpats or silicone baking sheets you might have to have to add up to a full minute till your cookies are set.)
* Brownulated Sugar - I know, what in the _____ is this? That's what I thought too when I had first heard about it. But it's just what it sounds like...it's granulated brown sugar. And it's my secret ingredient. Which is now not so secret any more. It's what gives cookies that really beautiful crispy, sugar, melt in your mouth top. If you flip a cookie over so the top is against your tongue and you squish it against the roof of your mouth (I'm salivating here...) cookies made with brownulated sugar will sort of dissolve against your tongue. In short...i
* Vanilla - There are a lot of vanillas out there. They are not all created equal. It is your choice as to what kind of vanilla you use. I use cheap imitation vanilla extract. 1. Because until I hit the MegaBucks I'm living on a budget. 2. I don't think it makes a damn difference. Unless you're going to be really picky about the color of your cookies, using clear vanilla compared to your everyday average brown vanilla, it doesn't matter. I have used expensive vanilla before and it does smell amazing, however, unless you're going to be drinking straight vanilla, it didn't seem to do anything for the flavor of my cookies. (It might make a difference in ice cream...but it's December and we're making cookies, not ice cream.)
* Spices - Again, I use cheap spices because I refuse to pay Hannaford $5.00 for a tiny thing of cinnamon. Especially when said cinnamon is no better than the $0.88 stuff I buy at Ocean State Job Lot. I will say this though, if you can get your hands on Vietnamese Cinnamon...do it. The stuff is amazing. I bought some at a Whole Foods in Boston when we were on vacation and it didn't last long in my house...I wanted to use it in everything. When using spices remember this - You can always add a little more, but you can't take a little out. Be careful when doctoring your cookies with spices. Things like cinnamon and nutmeg aren't such a big deal cause they add a mild heat and taste, but spices like cloves, ginger, cardamom, and allspice are a lot harder to mask the tastes of when you've gone overboard with them. Add them 1/8 tsp at a time. So what if you have to add it 3 or 4 times, at least you won't have clove cookies when you really meant to have Chai Cookies.
* Chocolate Chips - My poor husband nearly fell over when he realized I didn't use Nestle Chocolate Chips. Poor guy. I use Hannaford brand chocolate chips. They're chocolate chips people, not a porterhouse steak. I will admit this thought, I do like chopping up a bar of Ghiradelli and throwing that into cookies. But for your average chocolate chip cookie or any other cookie that calls for chips, there's no sense is spending a fortune on chocolate chips just because they come in a shiny bag.
* Music - That's right. It's an ingredient. Turn some on. Sing along. Enjoy your kitchen and your baking experience.
Have any questions? Don't hesitate to ask! I may not have the answer...but I'll try and find one for you!
If you have something pithy to say or a question to ask, just click the "Comments" link up by the title (it's in orange) and leave a comment! I'll try to respond...the word being try.
Anyhow...here are some Tips & Tricks from my kitchen to yours...
* Butter - When a recipe calls for "softened" or "room temperature" butter it actually wants you to use room temperature butter. Melted butter will not give you the correct batter or dough consistency and often times ends up acting a lot like veggie oil and causes your cookies to spread out and become little frisbees. If you're in a pinch or a hurry, put the cold butter into the mixer and beat the snot out of it and then let it sit for a few minutes. Not sure if your butter is "room temperature"? Touch it. Unwrap your butter and push a finger into it gently. If your finger leaves a small indentation you're golden. If your finger goes through your butter, it's too soft. If the butter is running all over the counter...well, you're lucky to live in Aruba.
* Eggs - Although it's rarely said in a recipe, eggs should be room temperature just like your butter. Don't believe me? Try a little experiment. Leave an egg out for a couple of hours to bring it up to room temperature. Now, in seperate bowls, crack a cold egg and your room temperature egg. Whisk them. The room temperature egg will be lighter and "foamier". Therefore, your dough will also be a little lighter in texture. (Some people say this doesn't really make a difference, and maybe it doesn't and it's all in my head, but this is how I cook and it's my blog.)
* Flour - Ok, so there are a lot of schools of thought on flour and measuring flour and sifting flour. I measure my flour straight out of the canister by scooping it up and leveling it off with the flat side of a butter knife. Easy enough right? Well, there are some interesting schools of thought on sifting your flour then measuring your flour by weight instead. Sounds like a lot of complicated mess to me. I don't sift my flour, but I do put it and all other dry ingredients (except sugar) into a bowl and whisk it together. It helps incorporate things and adds a little air.
* Cookie Sheets - I don't have fancy cookie sheets or baking stones or any of that other junk...even though I did ask Santa for new cookie sheets and silpats (reusable cookie sheet liners) this year as mine are kind of a mess. I did use parchment paper to line my cookie sheets until my Mum gave me some silicone cookie sheet liners, well I was hesitant to use them, but when I did...Whoa momma! I love them. They're going to save me a boatload of money in parchment and my cookies come out with a really nice bottom. (And we all know...a really nice bottom is a must.) If you use these, you might find that you have to add up to an extra minute on the baking time.
* Baking Times - On average most cookies bake anywhere from 7 to 12 minutes, but did you know that cookies continue to cook a little after you remove them from the oven? Think about this scientifically...if something has been in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes that heat doesn't just *poof* disappear when you remove it from the oven, right? It gradually dissipates, cooling slowly. So, even if your cookies don't seem quite done, let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and they'll continue to cook. Also, you can always throw cookies back into the oven to cook a little longer, but if you burn them...well, you can't really undo that. (It's a lot like letting a steak "rest".) My rule of thumb is, once a cookie sheet comes out of the oven the cookies stay on it until the next cookie sheet comes out of the oven. There's no law that states you have to have a cookie sheet ready and waiting to go into the oven. As a matter of fact putting cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet is a big no no...you don't want your dough to melt before it even goes into the oven! (Side note: All of my cookie times are based on bare cookie sheets or sheets with parchment, if you're using silpats or silicone baking sheets you might have to have to add up to a full minute till your cookies are set.)
* Brownulated Sugar - I know, what in the _____ is this? That's what I thought too when I had first heard about it. But it's just what it sounds like...it's granulated brown sugar. And it's my secret ingredient. Which is now not so secret any more. It's what gives cookies that really beautiful crispy, sugar, melt in your mouth top. If you flip a cookie over so the top is against your tongue and you squish it against the roof of your mouth (I'm salivating here...) cookies made with brownulated sugar will sort of dissolve against your tongue. In short...i
* Vanilla - There are a lot of vanillas out there. They are not all created equal. It is your choice as to what kind of vanilla you use. I use cheap imitation vanilla extract. 1. Because until I hit the MegaBucks I'm living on a budget. 2. I don't think it makes a damn difference. Unless you're going to be really picky about the color of your cookies, using clear vanilla compared to your everyday average brown vanilla, it doesn't matter. I have used expensive vanilla before and it does smell amazing, however, unless you're going to be drinking straight vanilla, it didn't seem to do anything for the flavor of my cookies. (It might make a difference in ice cream...but it's December and we're making cookies, not ice cream.)
* Spices - Again, I use cheap spices because I refuse to pay Hannaford $5.00 for a tiny thing of cinnamon. Especially when said cinnamon is no better than the $0.88 stuff I buy at Ocean State Job Lot. I will say this though, if you can get your hands on Vietnamese Cinnamon...do it. The stuff is amazing. I bought some at a Whole Foods in Boston when we were on vacation and it didn't last long in my house...I wanted to use it in everything. When using spices remember this - You can always add a little more, but you can't take a little out. Be careful when doctoring your cookies with spices. Things like cinnamon and nutmeg aren't such a big deal cause they add a mild heat and taste, but spices like cloves, ginger, cardamom, and allspice are a lot harder to mask the tastes of when you've gone overboard with them. Add them 1/8 tsp at a time. So what if you have to add it 3 or 4 times, at least you won't have clove cookies when you really meant to have Chai Cookies.
* Chocolate Chips - My poor husband nearly fell over when he realized I didn't use Nestle Chocolate Chips. Poor guy. I use Hannaford brand chocolate chips. They're chocolate chips people, not a porterhouse steak. I will admit this thought, I do like chopping up a bar of Ghiradelli and throwing that into cookies. But for your average chocolate chip cookie or any other cookie that calls for chips, there's no sense is spending a fortune on chocolate chips just because they come in a shiny bag.
* Music - That's right. It's an ingredient. Turn some on. Sing along. Enjoy your kitchen and your baking experience.
Have any questions? Don't hesitate to ask! I may not have the answer...but I'll try and find one for you!