The Sweet Life! with Christine Kropp; 7 Tips to Baking the Perfect Christmas Cookies

Christine Kropp

Tis the season to be baking Christmas cookies. Does the thought of spending the

weekend in the kitchen baking make you sweat? Here are a few tips from the pro to

help make this holiday activity a bit sweeter!

1) Use Room Temperature Butter

Butter should be soft to the touch, creating a light indent when pushed with your

finger. If you forgot to take out the butter, cut the butter into chunks and leave out

the counter for a ½ hr to soften

2) Measure Dry Ingredients Correctly

The best way to make the perfect cookie, is to accurately measure the dry

ingredients. Yes, there are dry measuring cups and liquid measuring cups. Dry

measuring cups allow you to level the top for an even measure. Spoon the flour

loosely into the measuring cup, don’t SCOOP! Ultimately the most accurate way to

measure is with a scale.

3) Add Flour in Batches

Adding the flour all at once can cause you to overmix your batter, creating a dense

dry cookie. Adding dry ingredients in batches along with liquids allows easier mixing,

incorporating all the ingredients quicker with less mixing.

4) Line the Pans with Parchment Paper

Lining your pans with parchment paper help to keep cookies from spreading more

than they should. The cookies will slide off the paper easily, and when cutting bars,

leave an overhang of parchment to use as handles to remove the bars from the pan

for cutting. All said and done, parchment makes clean up a breeze.

5) Use a Cookie Scoop

A cookie scoop creates uniform portions of cookie dough. This will help with even

baking, prevents the cookies from spreading, and will keep all your cookies the

same size.

6) Space Cookies Evenly Apart

Space cookies about 2 inches apart so they don’t spread into each other as they

bake.

7) Know your Oven

All ovens are different. Some are too hot, some not hot enough. Always have an

oven thermometer in your oven to ensure you know the exact temperature. Some

ovens have hot spots. Rotating your pans halfway through the baking with ensure

event baking.

I hope these Tips from the Pro have encouraged you to get back into the kitchen and

bake a batch of cookies. Share your photos with us!