My Top Ten Tips For Making The Perfect Cookie

by Stephanie on May 19, 2009

cookieShown here is my favorite cookie recipe

My first few cookie baking experiments left me with a dry, crumbly and hard cookie. Homemade from scratch cookies are so yummy I had to figure out how to make them right. Here are a few tips I have picked up along the way for making sure my cookies come out soft and chewy every time!

::Butter, baby

Doesn’t butter make almost anything tastes good? Don’t use margarine, low fat, whipped or shortening in your cookies. A good ol’ stick of butter is the only kind you should use. Oh, and make that unsalted butter too

::Cream the butter and sugar

This is a necessary step! Make sure your butter is softened, not melted, and cream until light and fluffy

::The Flour

Make sure you are using all purpose flour. And make sure you are measuring it right too. Over or under measuring will change your cookie dramatically

::Mix Dry Ingredients

Before adding your dry ingredients to your wet mixture, combine your dry ingredients in a separate bow. This ensures that everything is evenly mixed and you don’t end up with a lump of baking powder in one cookie.

::Don’t over mix

Once you add the dry ingredients, mix until just blended. Over mixing makes one tough cookie!

::Chill the Dough

Don’t know why, but it works! Make sure you keep it chilled in between batches also

::Use a Baking Stone

It makes perfect cookies every time

::Or use a cookie sheet with parchment paper

If you don’t have a baking stone, use parchment paper on your cookie sheet. It makes the bottoms of the cookie nice and smooth and eliminates the need for oiling the pan (which can make the cookies spread too much and over brown on the bottom)

::Use an Ice Cream Scoop

You will get perfectly portioned cookies that cook evenly and look great!

::Take out 5-10 minutes early

I think this is the best way to have soft cookies. Under cooking slightly makes the cookie soft. Remember that they continue to cook a little even after taking them out of the oven. My rule of thumb is as soon as I can smell them, they come out, even if the middle is slightly undone. Let sit in the pan for a few minutes, and then cool on a wire rack .

There you have it, some simple tips for yummy cookies! My last tip: don’t eat them all in one sitting. You’ll get a belly ache. Ask me how I know ! Check out one of my very favorite tried and true cookie recipes : Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Top Ten Tuesday, and Blissfully Domestic, Tasty Tuesday, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

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May 23, 2009 at 2:02 pm

{ 21 comments }

Bears Decor March 2, 2010 at 4:13 am

I never thought of using an ice cream scoop. Good idea. I usually use Blue Bonnett stick for my cookies. I will try real butter next time. Great tips and thanks.
Bears Decor´s last blog: Timeless Country Small Nightstand

JanMary, N Ireland May 24, 2009 at 6:04 pm

Great tips – going to save this for future reference!

Thanks

JanMary, N Ireland’s last blog post..15 minutes of fame – but fortunately not mine!

moms on the go May 21, 2009 at 3:50 am

Now I want cookies! Thanks for the tips

Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam May 20, 2009 at 6:42 pm

oh my friend – you know I LOVE to make cookies. These are the tips I follow and I just LOVE my baking stones. They have saved many an otherwise burnt cookie batch. :)

Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s last blog post..Money Matters – free book for you (and Quizno’s too)

Annette Piper May 20, 2009 at 6:52 am

Great tips – I certainly don’t do all of those!!

Annette Piper’s last blog post..Blue Diamonds and less momentous things!

Julianne May 20, 2009 at 4:57 am

If you don’t mind, can I add something I use in my choc. chip cookie recipe? I add a small box of pudding mix- it’ll make your cookies chewy, and they’ll stay that way for alot longer too.
Just thought I’d share. Thanks!

Julianne’s last blog post..And my first mission is…..

AmyG May 20, 2009 at 1:23 am

I learned about the parchment paper during Christmas when I was making gingerbread men & women. I always thought it would burn. The best idea I ever got. Thank you for all the other tips! I plan to make more “from scratch” cookies this Christmas.

AmyG’s last blog post..Top Ten Tuesday

Heather @ Not a DIY Life May 20, 2009 at 12:35 am

Great post! absolutely agree on the butter and the baking stone. No other way to make cookies!

Heather @ Not a DIY Life’s last blog post..Enjoying Family Time

oh amanda May 20, 2009 at 12:29 am

I second the baking stone. It’s a miracle worker! So, where are those cookies now? I’m hungry!!

(thanks for linking up to the Top Ten!)

Heather @ Domestic Extraordinaire May 19, 2009 at 10:39 pm

Okay, do you have to smoosh the cookies, because I tend to but I am not sure if I should. My cookies come out about half of the time, so I will be using your tips.

Heather @ Domestic Extraordinaire’s last blog post..Giggles circa 1980something

Amanda @ Mommy's Idea Book May 19, 2009 at 9:45 pm

These are great tips. I make cookies often and pretty much follow these tips. I don’t have a baking stone, but I have been really wanting to get one. I believe it would be worth my investment if I would just buy it. Thanks for sharing these tips and the recipe. Looks and sounds yummy!!

Amanda @ Mommy’s Idea Book’s last blog post..Kids in the Kitchen: 11 Tips for Cooking with Kids

Lori May 19, 2009 at 9:17 pm

I’ve never thought to use an ice cream scoop; thanks for the tip. Also, I take my cookies out early, too, and my cookies are always soft and “perfect” as the husband would say.

Lori’s last blog post..Baby Sleeping Through the Night

Michelle May 19, 2009 at 9:14 pm

thanks for the tips!

Michelle’s last blog post..To Everything There is a Season…Part 1

Katie May 19, 2009 at 9:02 pm

I have the hardest time with cookies. Thank you for this!

Janna May 19, 2009 at 7:58 pm

I am not a baker, but I would like to try that cookie recipe! I’ll print our your tips when I make them.

Janna’s last blog post..Top Ten Summer Essentials

Ginger May 19, 2009 at 7:16 pm

These sound like some great tips, and I agree, real butter makes baking much better!
Ginger

Billie May 19, 2009 at 5:28 pm

I LOVE creamed butter and sugar. So not healthy, but I can’t help dipping in.

MNKristy May 19, 2009 at 4:23 pm

good tips….our friends just brought my husband over 46 homemade chocolate chip cookies for his 46th birthday and they are dry and crumbly. I don’t really enjoy them. I think that they could have used these tips. Thanks for sharing and I’m going to remember them myself.

mandi May 19, 2009 at 3:35 pm

Totally agree on the under-cooking … makes them perfect!! Reading this, I’m not sure if I usually mix the dry ingredients b4 adding the wet ones … but your reason makes perfect sense!!! Thanks for the tip … and all of them!!

jsprik May 19, 2009 at 3:26 pm

thnx for the great tips!! ;)

Phoebe @ Cents to Get Debt Free May 19, 2009 at 3:10 pm

I definitely needed this! I love homemade cookies–but I’m NOT a cookie maker! I’ve made perfect cookies once and I think that was a fluke. I get easily distracted, and while I never use a timer when I cook, I learned I must use it when making cookies or I burnt the tarnation out of them.

My paitence is also nonexistent, so I’ve never chilled my dough. I’ll try that next time. Thanks! : )

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