Tips On Specific Cookies
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CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Chocolate Chip cookies are probably the most popular of all cookies. Here are some tips to make them your favorite.

Always add the chocolate morsels last to the mix. It's best when they are very cold. Just barely stir the morsels in - don't over mix.

Cream the shortening and sugar well. All the rest of the ingredients can be just mixed in, but proper creaming of the shortening and sugar is important.

Make sure that your baking pans are cool between batches.

Substitute cherry flavored morsels for 1/2 of the chocolate morsels for a new taste treat.

Drop your cookies extra thick (use an ice cream scoop), flatten the top a little, then place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Take the sheet from the refrigerator and bake at 375 degrees until the cookie edges are slightly brown and you will have a soft-centered delight.

SUGAR COOKIES, LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

Sugar cookies are really an old-fashion treat that is never out of style.

Bake your sugar cookies until they are barely brown around the edges. They will finish baking after they are removed from the oven.

Cream your sugar and shortening thoroughly. All the rest of your ingredients should be just mixed in, but good creaming of the sugar and shortening is very important.

Add lemon zest and substitute a little lemon juice for part of the water, plus a few drops of yellow food color will give you an excellent lemon sugar cookie.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Always add your peanut butter as the last ingredient to the recipe. It's very easy to over mix peanut butter cookies and they'll be greasy if you do. Mix in the peanut butter only until it is blended.

Bake the proper length of time. A little under bake is much better than to over bake peanut butter cookies.

Use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth when you want more peanut flavor.

Use plenty of vanilla extract. Vanilla will bring out the peanut butter taste.

OATMEAL COOKIES, OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Add raisins with the sugar and mix dry until the raisins are crushed. Add shortening to the mix and cream well together.

Add a little cinnamon to bring out the flavor of the oatmeal and the raisins.

Use Old Fashion Oatmeal (Three Minute, is okay) in your oatmeal cookies. Instant oatmeal will dissolve and make a heavy cookie.

Chopped nut-meats and finely chopped fresh apple is a good addition to oatmeal cookies.

Be careful not to over bake oatmeal cookies. Less is better. Remember, cookies continue baking after they are removed from the oven.

GINGER SNAP COOKIES

Use only fresh ground ginger spice. Ginger loses its flavor with age and should be replaced when you've had it a long time.

Bake ginger snaps -- well done. When they are under baked they will be soft, but maybe that's ok. They are still delicious.

CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Be careful about over baking chocolate cookies. Since they are already brown, it's hard to tell when they are done.

Time your first batch and then add or take away from that time.

Add a little black pepper to your chocolate cookies. Sounds strange, but black pepper makes for a new taste twist.

Use Dutch Process Cocoa instead of regular cocoa in your chocolate cookies for a new look and taste.

VANILLA WAFER COOKIES

Bag out Vanilla wafer cookies as soon as you have finished making them. This batter will not tolerate sitting around.

Vanilla wafer cookies must have a good bake. They should be medium brown all over. When Vanilla wafer cookies are over baked, they will be hard and crispy, but when they are under baked they will not be good at all.

NOTE - It is important to make notes and attach then to each cookie recipe that you make. Next time, you'll have the notes to refer to and your processes will flow much smoother. A sign post of great baking is consistency in every thing you bake. Notes will help keep the things you bake consistent time after time.