Baking Cookies

Instructions

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   The information below covers many of the basic features about making cookies.

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   Whether you bake from scratch or use mixes or frozen dough, the basic information below will help you do it better.

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   Mixing cookies: Mixing cookies has come a long way since the days of a big mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.

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   Proper preparation will make the mixing process go smoothly and quickly. * Check your recipe and assemble all the ingredients you will need.

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   Crack eggs or weigh them before you do anything else.

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   Mix dry milk with water and have it ready.

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   Chop nuts if needed and measure or weigh them.

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   Make sure you have enough of each ingredient before you start mixing.

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   The mixing process should flow from from one stage to the next to finish without interruption.

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    Many scratch made cookies have the same basic mixing instructions.

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    Cream the sugar and shortening together well.

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    Add the eggs and/or other liquid.

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    Then scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

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    Mix the eggs in slightly.

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    Add the dry ingredients, nuts, chips and the extracts (flavors) Mix to incorporate thoroughly.

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    Do not over mix the dough.

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    The tips below will help you make a variety of cookies: * When your cookie dough mixture is dry, add an egg yolk instead of water.

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    Water makes a dough tough.

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    The fat content of an egg yolk will keep the dough tender and its emulsifying action will help keep it moist after baking. * When using a package mix, follow the directions on the package and if the cookies come out perfect continue to do so.

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    However, since your kitchen environment is unique you may need to make changes in your mixing times, baking times or oven temperature.

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    Directions are used as a starting place to doing things correctly and sometimes must be changed to make cookies the way you like them. * Crumbly cookies may be caused by over mixing the batter.

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    Cream the shortening and sugar together, add liquids and then carefully mix in flour, fruit, chips and nut-meats.

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    Over mixing the flour will cause crumbly cookies.

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    Care should also be taken to use only cool liquids.

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    Mixing generates heat from bowl friction.

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    Heat may melt the shortening and most certainly will cause the baking powder or baking soda to begin its chemical action. * Dry, hard cookies are caused by over mixing the batter, over baking, dry fruit/coconut, too much water or a lack of fat.

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    Excessive salt can also cause your cookies to be hard. * Duplication of other people's baking is very difficult.

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    Invariably they do things to the recipe that is not written down.

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    A little extra vanilla, or even a change in mixing time will make a noticeable difference in the finished cookie.

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    Also, their oven will always have different baking characteristics than yours.

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    You must first pinpoint the differences between your cookies and theirs.

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    Then you must make the changes in the recipe to offset the difference.

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    You must determine by crust color, taste or texture where theirs is different.

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    Crust color being lighter or darker will usually mean a difference in oven temperature or baking time.