Basic Cookie Baking Procedures

Throughout Christmas Cookie installments, 

you can return to this page to view the basics. 

We start with room temperature butter. Whip it up well. Light and fluffy is the name of the game. It isn't written into the recipe, but air is a big part in any baking good recipe. You want airy and light baked goods. Whipping air in is important.

    

           Adding sugars. Whip... This is after sugars have both been added and whipped up. See how the mixer has pushed some up the sides? Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and whip a bit more. Get everything incorporated well. Also, do not try to push the stuff down the sides with the mixer running. You could ruin your mixer, your spoon and your face if it through the spoon up into your eyes. It's not worth it. Just turn it off.

All whipped and beautiful! Now add dry ingredients (except flour), mix well. I like to mix dry and wet separately so that everything is well incorporated. No one wants a clump of salt or spice in their dough. 

 

We often need egg yolks. There are fancy gadgets out there to separate egg whites from yolks, but honestly, the egg shell is the best tool. Back and forth between the shell halves and the white falls into a bowl. Yes, I save the whites. I have other recipes that call for whites. Royal Icing also is made from whites. Egg white can even be frozen for use later. Add the yolk to the mixer and blend well.

After the wet ingredients, all that's left is the flour. Add flour slowly so it doesn't fling out of the mixer. Here's the finished dough.

After it's done, I put it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and into the fridge to chill. :) The chilling is a necessary step. If you dipped out spoonfuls now, the cookies would spread farther and maybe burn, but surely have less loft and would not hold their shape. There are only a few cookies that need to be used with room temperature dough. They are clearly stated as such. Basic chocolate chip cookies can be done immediately. I'll show the difference in my white chocolate chip cookies in a later installment.