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When deciding to bake cookies, a lot of questions
come to mind. How to use baking powder. What is corn starch? What do
I have to do if I don't find some ingredients? Etc. In this article
I will approach a few problems and give some easy answers and tips.
You decided to bake some cookies
and at the last minutes a lot of questions arise. Oven temperature,
chewy or crispy cookies, eggs size, and so forth. I tried in this
short article to address a few common problems and give a quick
solution or an explanation.
How to Make Chewy Cookies
The secret in making any cookie
recipe into a soft and chewy cookie is to use Butter flavored Crisco
instead of butter. If you want a crispy cookie use butter. Another
trick to have chewier cookies is to cut your baking time by about 2
minutes (baked at the temperature stated on the recipe. Your cookies
should be baked through but not yet crispy. You can also reduce your
oven temperature by 25 degrees and bake for the time stated on the
recipe. Always bake one batch according to the recipe the first time
you try a new recipe and then make the adjustments based on how it
came out. Make a note of your changes and keep your "customized"
recipe for the next time.
Baking Soda or Baking Powder ?
Baking powder is alkaline and needs to be mixed with acidic
ingredients in order to react. Baking powder is baking soda with an
added acidic ingredient, usually cream of tartar. In cookies, baking
soda tends to make them spread out more and baking powder tends to
make them rise and become puffy or more cake-like. If your recipe
calls for baking soda, simply try to reduce it a bit.
Make Chilled Dough for Better
Results
Make sure the dough is chilled and
the baking sheets are cool before putting them in the oven.
Otherwise the fat in the cookies will melt too soon, resulting in
flat cookies regardless of the leavener you are using. Note that
vegetable shortening (e.g. Crisco) melts a higher temperature than
butter. You can try then to substitute half the butter with Crisco.
Beware of nutritional information
You might one day read a recipe
that has, for example, 2 sticks of margarine or butter. The
nutritional information will read '0' cholesterol. Why so? It is
because the nutritional for recipes are calculated using the first
ingredient when two ingredients are given. For example, when it says
"margarine or butter", the nutritional are calculated using
margarine. If butter were listed first, it would be calculated using
butter.
Dark or Shiny Pan?
Remember the darker the finish on
the pan, the faster the sheet will heat and the longer it will hold
the heat. The shinier the pan you use, the longer it will take to
heat up. Dark absorbs heat, so your bottoms will be done more
quickly then the tops or centers. By the time your tops and centers
are baked, your bottoms will be crispy if not downright burnt. Shiny
reflects heat and your cookies will bake more evenly.
How many trays in the oven?
Don't try to crowd too many cookie
sheets into your oven at once.. Your best results will be one tray
at a time on the middle rack of the oven with plenty of room for the
warm air to circulate around the tray. Don't keep opening your oven
to peek. Every time you do that, you loose warmth and your oven will
have to struggle to maintain the correct temperature.
The tips and answers that you just
have read will give you a better reason to start cooking your own
cookies at home. You will find all possible recipes in the various
articles that are n the author's website. Before baking your cookies
check the website for new recipes and ideas.
About The Author
Dr. Freddy Maier owns a website specialized on cookies and baking.
He sells an e-book with only cookie recipes. His website can be
visited at :
http://thecookierecipes.info . |
