COOKIE BAKING HINTS Back to Cookie Recipes |  Home Supplies - Colored sugars, sprinkle candies, asst. cookie cutters, Holiday cutters,  cookie tools

The Basics
Ask each guest to bring a big batch of cookies: estimate 1 dozen multiplied by the total number of guests. Provide guidelines to each baker so that you get a good cookie assortment: rolled cookies, bar cookies, drop cookies, decorated cookies. Your friends may have family recipes they wish to share.
.
Each guest should also bring copies of their cookie recipe and containers to take cookies home. Heavy duty plastic freezer bags will work for sturdy cookies, but decorated cookies and more delicate shapes should be packaged in tins or sealable plastic containers. Provide waxed paper or parchment for separating layers of cookies.

To make your Cookie Exchange Party extra-special.
.
1. Extend Your Circle of Sharing
.
Have guests to bring an unopened package of store-bought cookies or canned food. You can then collect the packaged food and bring them to a homeless shelter or food pantry.
.
2. Share Cookie Stories
.
During the actual cookie-swap segment of the party, tell stories. It could be a story about the cookie's origin, where the cook learned the recipe, or just holiday baking memories.
.
3. Create Cookie Recipe Booklets
.
Ask your guests to mail (or e-mail) their cookie recipes to you, or collect the recipes on the day of the party. Assemble a booklet of recipes for everyone to take home with them.

And never over-bake cookies for the exchange. Your reputation is on the line ;o)

Once pictures have been taken and you’ve had some fun, it’s time to swap. Each guest will get to take one dozen of each cookie. Don’t forget containers for taking cookies home! (Have extra take-home containers on hand for guests that may have forgotten to bring one.)

To sample or not? There’s no rule here, it’s up to you. Some cookie swaps encourage tasting, others are all about taking cookies home. Be sure, though, to provide light snacks such as raw vegetables, apple slices, or grapes. Coffee and tea are fine, but homemade beverages provide a special touch: Hot Mulled Cider and Spiced Cider Punch are the essence of holiday cheer, while Citrus Sunrise Cooler makes refreshing use of seasonal citrus fruits.
 A Cookie Swap can typically involve close friends or family, but it’s also a great way to gather with others that you might not get to see during the busy holiday season. It’s also a nice alternative for exchanging gifts!

COOKIE SWAP HOTESS IDEAS

The Office Cookie Swap:
Gather with co-workers one day after work to celebrate the holidays, or if you work from home, turn your cookie swap into an informal networking party.

A “Block Party” Cookie Swap:
Invite just the neighbors on the block for a cozy winter gathering.

Class Parents:
A Cookie Swap is a nice way to get to know other parents from school, dance class, or the soccer team.

Your Book Club, Knitting or Theater Group:
A Cookie Swap is easy to organize when you have a group you already meet with regularly.

A Kids Cookie Exchange:
A fun, creative activity to get the kids involved. Have the kids in class, or a scout group, exchange festive cookies instead of store-bought gifts.

Just Mothers & Daughters:
A great way to share special memories for moms and their daughters, especially if you don’t get to see each other often.

Step up the fun at your Cookie Swap with contests and prizes for things like:

Best Decorated Cookies

Best Cookie Display

Best Holiday Dressed

Most Original Recipe

Best Tasting Cookies

Funniest Cookie Story

COOKIE SWAP THEME IDEAS

You may want to select a theme for the Cookie Swap that guides guests on how to decorate or display their cookies:

Winter Wonderland Cookie Swap:
Lots of cookies in snowflakes, snowmen or sparkling like icicles. Everyone can dress in warm winter whites!

Country Christmas Cookie Swap:
Think cozy and cute with lots of gingham and wicker baskets for display.

Oh Holy Night:
Cookies of angels, candles and stars will add just the right sentiment to the season.

Babes in Toyland:
In addition to a parade of toy-inspired cookies, have each guest bring a small wrapped toy to donate to a local children’s hospital. Another nice way to have fun and give to the community.

COOKIE SWAP DISPLAY IDEAS

Think outside the platter to display your cookies at the party:

Set out cookies in holiday wrapped gift boxes.

Use pretty jewelry or keepsake boxes to highlight your prettiest cookies.

Create a cookie bouquet.

Add height to your display by using tiered platters or stacked boxes.

Baskets sprayed with silver or gold make for a stunning showcase.

Think high-class by arranging your cookies on a piece of rich velvet or on silver trays.

Use beautiful holiday ribbon for added color if your cookies are simple.

Various colored tissue paper is also an inexpensive way to add a special touch to your display.
 

Cookie Fats and Leavening
Selecting the Right Fat
Several types of fat are used in cookie baking. Butter is often used because it gives good baking results and excellent flavor. Salted and unsalted butter may be used interchangeably. If you use unsalted butter for cookie baking, you may want to slightly increase the amount of salt in the recipe. Use the convenient marks on the butter wrapper for measuring.
.
If you choose to use margarine for cookie baking, use one that contains at least 80 percent vegetable oil. If you can't tell from the front of the margarine package, check the nutrition label. The margarine should have 100 calories per tablespoon. Those margarines with less than 80 percent vegetable oil have a higher water content and can result in tough cookies that spread excessively, stick to the pan, and don't brown as well. Margarines also have convenient measurements on the wrappers.
.
Shortening is sometimes called for in cookie recipes. Shortening now comes packaged in sticks which are marked with measurements, just like butter or margarine. Shortening also comes in cans. To measure shortening from the can, press it firmly into a dry measuring cup and level the excess off with a straightedge.
.
Cooking oil is occasionally called for in special recipes. However, don't try to interchange oil for butter, margarine, or shortening.

If you buy evaporated milk by mistake instead of sweetened condensed milk called for in your recipe, better make another trip to the store. They are not interchangeable.

Eggs
All of the recipes that you will find on our Web site were tested with large eggs. Use fresh eggs for best results.

Leavening
Baking powder and baking soda are both important when making cookies. They are chemical leavening agents that produce carbon dioxide to help cookies rise. Double acting baking powder produces gases in two stages: first, when liquids are added and then during baking. Baking soda creates carbon dioxide instantly when it is mixed with acidic ingredients such as buttermilk, sour cream, or fruit juices.
.
Any recipe that uses only baking soda as leavening should be baked immediately, before all those bubbles deflate.
.
Store baking powder and baking soda in a cool, dry place. For best results, replace every 6 months or check the "use by date."

Measuring

Using the right utensil to correctly measure recipe ingredients is important for consistent results.
.
Measuring Liquids - Use this type of measuring cup for liquids.
To measure liquid ingredients, such as milk, use a glass or clear plastic measuring cup with a spout plus a rim above the last mark that guards against spilling. Set the liquid measuring cup on a level surface. Then, bend down so your eyes are level with the marking on the cup. For measuring liquid, such as vanilla, in a measuring spoon, fill the spoon to the top, but don't let it spill over.
.
Measuring Dry Ingredients - Level off a dry measure.
To measure dry ingredients, such as flour and granulated sugar, use nested metal or plastic measuring cups. The top edge of the cups are flat to allow excess dry ingredients to be leveled off. To measure flour, stir flour in the canister to lighten it, then spoon into the cup. Use the straight edge of a metal spatula or knife to level the top. Don't pack the flour into the cup or tap it with the spatula or on the counter to level.
.
Granulated and powdered sugar are measured the same way as flour. However, to measure brown sugar, press it firmly into a dry measure so it holds the shape of the cup when it's turned out. If 'sugar' is simply listed 'sugar' the recipe requires granulated sugar. Other sugars are defined.

Spreading too much
   Using a vegetable oil spread with less than 80 percent vegetable oil may cause cookies to spread. Putting the dough on hot cookie sheets will cause them to spread and brown too much around the edges.
   When recipe calls for greased cookie sheets, use only a slight coating of shortening. Too much may cause excessive spreading.
   Excess flour toughens, so use as little as possible while rolling out the cookies.
   Dip the cutter in flour to prevent sticking.

Cut-out Cookies
This dough is commonly chilled first according to your recipe instructions. Chill as directed then take out only half the dough at a time to work with in order to keep it cold. The cookies hold shape better when chilled before baking.

   Either lift off using a wide metal spatula onto the baking sheet, or place parchment sheet directly on cookie sheet and cut ready to bake leaving spaces between.
   Always leave enough space between the cookies so they won't run together while baking. If they do run together, cut immediately after removing from oven. Reroll leftover dough using as little flour as possible.
   Bake similar sized cookies together so they will brown evenly.

Cookie Sheets
Choose cookie sheets with very low sides or no sides at all. The pan should be dull finished and of a heavy-gauge aluminum. Use lighter colored cookie sheets since dark colored ones sometimes cause the bottoms of cookies to over brown. Cookie sheets with a nonstick coating let you skip the greasing step, although the dough might not spread as much, giving you thicker, less crisp cookies. Only grease the cookie sheet when the recipe instructs you to, otherwise the cookies may spread too much and become too flat.
.
Use rectangular and square cake pans to bake bar cookies and brownies. Other types of cookies won't bake as evenly in a pan with an edge.
.
Cookie sheets that are insulated often will give you pale cookies with soft centers. If you are making cookies with a large amount of butter, such as sugar cookie cutouts, the butter may melt and leak out before the dough is set. And, if you bake cookies on an insulated cookie sheet long enough to brown them on the bottoms, the rest of the cookie may get too dry.

Parchment paper or other sheet liners
You may line the cookie sheet with grease resistant parchment sheets to be used several times before discarding. This helps speed cooking since you can slide the baked cookies off the cookie sheet immediately. Then cool the cookie sheet under cold water before reusing.

Professional bakers now use the new silicone sheets for baking. These rubber-like baking/freezing mats are great for a pan liner. Made of food grade woven silicone. It's thermal shock resistant from -40 degrees to 600 degrees F. and is reusable up to 3000 times. Its ultimate non-stick properties are suitable for sugar, chocolate, viennoiserie and confectioner work, as well as cookies and cakes. It's preferable to roll the mat rather than to fold it for storage. No greasing or special maintenance is necessary. Clean with a sponge under warm tap water.

Mixer choices:
Cookie dough may be prepared using either a handheld electric mixer or a standard mixer. Portable (handheld) electric mixers are perfect for light jobs and short mixing periods. If you use a handheld mixer, you may need to stir in the last amount of flour by hand because the dough is too stiff for the mixer to handle easily.

Baking the cookies
Bake on the center rack of your oven. Regardless of length of baking time recommended, watch closely. Overbaking of cookies will ruin them. Overbaking causes hard tasteless hard cookies. Most cookies are not intended to brown. And brown only very slightly if browning is recommended at all.
.
Use a freestanding oven thermometer to check your oven temperature unless you know your oven.
It's a good idea to check your oven temperature occasionally. A temperature that's too low lengthens the baking time, causing cookies to have a coarse texture and be dry. A temperature that's too high will cause cookies to brown too quickly. The oven should be preheated at least 10 minutes before baking cookies.
.
To check the accuracy of your oven temperature, set the temperature at 350 degrees F and let it heat at least 10 minutes. Place an oven thermometer near the center of the oven. Close the oven door and let it heat at least 5 minutes. If the thermometer registers too high or too low, reduce or increase the setting by the number of degrees difference. If the oven is more than 50 degrees off, have the thermostat adjusted.

Storage
.
Cookie Dough
Most cookie doughs, except bar cookie batters and meringue-type mixtures, can be refrigerated or frozen before baking.
.
Just pack your favorite dough into freezer containers or shape slice-and-bake dough into rolls and wrap. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months. Before baking, thaw the frozen dough in the container in the refrigerator. If it is too stiff to work with, let the dough stand at room temperature to soften.

Decorating after thawing is recommended.

Cool Your Cookie Sheets
It's important to allow cookie sheets to cool between batches. A hot cookie sheet may cause the cookies to spread too much. And, the cookies may brown too much around the edges. For spritz cookies, it's very important to cool the cookie sheet to room temperature before pressing the dough onto it. If the sheet is warm, the cookie press won't release the dough properly.
.
Use cookie scoop, (see more below) not a measuring spoon, to make drop cookies more uniform sizes.
Using Spoons
When making drop cookies, use a spoon or cookie scoop, not measuring spoons. The deeper bowl of a measuring spoon makes the dough difficult to remove. Push the dough off of one spoon with another spoon or a small spatula. For even baking, keep the dough mounds even in size using a cookie scoop. (more below)

A food scoop is another option. Using a Food Scoop
For evenly shaped, evenly baked drop cookies that are all the same size, use a food scoop. They work like ice cream scoops and come in various sizes. The higher the number, the smaller the scoop.
.
Removing Bar Cookies from the Pan
To make it easier to remove and cut bar cookies, line the baking pan with foil. Here's a simple tip: Tear off a piece of foil that's large enough to extend over the edges of the pan. Invert the baking pan on the countertop and shape the foil over the baking pan until it fits. Turn the pan upright, then place foil inside, smoothing it to fit inside the pan. If your recipe says to grease the pan, grease the foil lining instead.

Bake meringues on parchment paper. Meringue Cookies
Here's a simple tip that allows you to easily remove delicate meringue cookies from the cookie sheet: Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use the food-safe parchment paper instead of brown paper grocery bags because they may contain recycled materials. After baking, transfer the meringue cookies to a wire rack for cooling.
.
Cookie Doneness Test
Check cookies for doneness at the minimum baking time called for in the recipe. A kitchen timer is a helpful reminder. When the cookies are done, remove them from the cookie sheet immediately unless directed otherwise in the recipe. Some cookies are left on the cookie sheet for a specified amount of time to let them set.
.
Use a cookie spatula to transfer hot cookies to a wire rack for even cooling. Wire racks can be easily cleaned. Let the cookies cool completely before storing.

Application
.
Frost cookies with a pastry brush, small metal spatula, or by simply dipping the cookies into a shallow bowl of icing: hold the cookie by its edges, dip into the icing, and lift up with a twisting motion to let the excess drip back into the bowl.
.
   Use a knife or spatula to spread icing over any bare spots.
   Set the freshly frosted cookies onto a tray or waxed paper to dry.
   Once the first coat of frosting is dry, you can pipe another color of frosting over the top to add details such as stripes, spirals, polka dots and names.
   Disposable plastic pastry bags work well and give you control over your piping, or you can improvise by filling a small plastic baggie with frosting and cutting off the corner to make the pastry "tip."
   If you have decorating tips, cut about 1/2 inch off the end of the bag and either use a coupler or drop the tip directly into the bag. If not using a coupler, remember, you must empty the bag to get the tip out and cannot exchange tips for other decorations.
   Smaller children can press pieces of candy into the frosting before it hardens, or sprinkle the cookies with different colors of sugar or edible glitter.

Decorator Frosting (More recipes)
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2/3 cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Super red red food coloring
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, confectioners' sugar, and milk until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and food coloring. Spread on or between cookies.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies
SUBMITTED BY: Jill S
"Whenever you make these cookies for someone, be sure to bring along several copies of the recipe! You will be asked for it, I promise!!! NOTE: I make icing with confectioners' sugar and milk. I make it fairly thin, as I 'paint' the icing on the cookies with a pastry brush. Thin enough to spread easily but not so thin that it just makes your cookies wet and runs off."
.
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
.
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Chocolate
There is nothing quite as enticing as a chocolate-dipped cookie. Darker chocolates generally need to be tempered to keep them shiny and firm. If you don't want the mess and process of tempering, get "Merckens coating chocolate. Designed to maintain a shine without tempering, coating chocolates contain a different type of fat in addition to the cocoa butter found in good chocolate. (Most coating chocolates are of a lower grade and may not taste as chocolaty as couverture.) Many bakers add a few drops of vegetable oil or melted paraffin to warmed chocolate as an alternative to tempering. Paraffin is NOT food and can be dangerous to ingest.

Dipping
Working from right to left, dip cookies halfway into the chocolate, and scrape the excess off of the bottom using your finger or the side of the bowl. (Decorator gloves will keep your hands clean and the cookies chocolate fingerprint-free. Then give the cookie a gentle shake and once again, scrape the excess chocolate off. This will keep the chocolate from forming a puddle around the cookie while it sets up. Place the cookies onto the waxed paper starting at the farthest end and working inward. This prevents you from dripping onto the finished cookies.

Get Creative
Dip one end of each cookie into ground pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans or other nuts while the chocolate is still wet.
.
When the first coat has set, apply another color of chocolate. Try dipping one half of each cookie in dark chocolate, and the other half in white. (You can even color white chocolate a nice pastel color: use candy coloring pastes from craft stores or kitchen supply stores.)
.
Use a pastry bags to drizzle stripes on cookies for an elegant touch.

Decorating Before Baking
.
For pretty cookies that don't require an all-day production, add a garnish before the cookies are baked. Rolled cookies can be shaped into logs, chilled, cut and baked. Roll logs in colored sugar, finely chopped nuts, coconut, sesame seeds, sprinkles or jimmies before baking Even a light dusting of confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder will give any cookies an elegant finish. Dust the cookies again, right before serving, to freshen their appearance. For more elaborate cookies, try pinwheels or checkerboards.
.
Chocolate Pinwheels
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate
.
DIRECTIONS
Cream the butter or margarine with the sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.
Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler or in a bowl in a microwave oven. Stir until smooth. Let cool. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir well. Divide dough in half. To one half add the melted chocolate and stir until well combined.
.
To Make Pinwheels: On waxed paper roll out each half of the dough into 12x10 inch rectangle. Brush one layer with milk and place the other layer on top. Peel off waxed paper and roll up like a jelly roll. Chill dough thoroughly.
To Make Half and Half: Make two rolls, 2 inches thick. One plain and one chocolate. Wrap in waxed paper and chill. Cut each roll in half lengthwise. Brush cut edges with milk. Press plain and chocolate halves together to make rolls. Wrap in waxed paper and chill again.
Slice cookies thinly and bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes

Shipping - Mailing Cookies

Everyone loves to receive packages in the mail, especially the edible variety.

Not All Cookies Travel Well

Certain cookies tend to ship better than others do. We recommend that you do not mail cookies with custard or custard-like fillings or toppings, including cheesecake bars or Nanaimo bars. The custard could spoil, making a very unwelcome gift. For that matter, any cookie that requires refrigeration is not a good candidate for the mail. Another type of cookie that doesn't hold up well for mailing is one with a delicate, cake-like texture such as Madeleines. And now, on to the kinds of cookies that can be mailed all over the world.

These Cookies Are Going Places!

Cookies that have a crunchy or hard texture such as biscotti, Mexican wedding cakes, crisps, Springerle, and shortbreads make excellent choices for mail delivery. They tend to be fairly sturdy, so you don't have to worry too much about breakage. And since they already have a fairly dry texture, drying out isn't much of an issue.

Good cookies to ship include (you can find online):
Biscotti
Chocolate and Almond Biscotti
Gingerbread Biscotti
Mexican Wedding Cakes II
Anise Cookies (Springerle)
Traditional Springerle
Scottish Shortbread IV

Cookies that have a slightly chewy texture, like chocolate chip, oatmeal, snickerdoodles, and white chocolate-cranberry cookies also ship well. These cookies tend to dry out if they are in the mail for more than a week, so if their destination is a long way off, you might want to ship them by express mail to ensure that they arrive just as tasty as when they were baked.

Macaroons and pignoli mail beautifully. Their chewy, moist textures only seem to improve after they've aged a few days.

Dense bar cookies such as fudge brownies, blondies and peanut butter bars travel well too. Be sure to individually wrap each one with plastic wrap to keep that moist, dense crumb from drying out.

Good Things Come in Secure Packages

Once you've baked and cooled your cookies, you're ready for the next step: packing them. There are a few guidelines you should follow when it comes to preparing cookies to be mailed. Follow these and your special packages should arrive fresh, in one piece, and great-tasting.

Don't pack crisp and soft cookies together-the moisture from the soft cookies will seep into the crisp cookies, making them lose their delightful crunch.
Don't overstuff your container. Your cookies may be damaged. Likewise, don't undertake your container. The cookies should fit snugly. If you have too much space, crumple up a bit of tissue paper to fill the holes.
Pack cookies in a sturdy tin or airtight container. On the bottom of the container place a piece of bubble wrap, then line the container with parchment paper or cellophane, leaving enough to tuck over the top once the container is fully packed. Place one layer of cookies in the container. Cover with parchment paper. Arrange another layer of cookies, followed with more parchment paper, and continue this layering until the container is full. Tuck the cellophane or parchment paper over the top, then place another piece of bubble wrap on top, and seal your container.

More Packing Pointers

Pack your tin or container in a heavy-duty cardboard box that's large enough to allow a two- to three-inch cushion between the tin and the wall of the outside box.
Place a layer of shipping peanuts, airspeed popcorn, or crumpled paper on the bottom of your shipping box. Set your cookie tin on this bottom layer. Then fill in the sides and top with more shipping materials.
Seal the shipping box with heavy-duty shipping tape. Place a mailing label on the box, and you're ready to send those treats on their way.

I have layered cut-out cookies using cake cardboard's and bubble wrap. I shipped them overseas and had only 2 broken ones. I layered them 3 high.

    Plain, sturdy cookies, such as drop cookies like Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin, make the best travelers.

    To insure that cookies arrive in the best possible condition, carefully pack them between layers of waxed paper in a rigid tin. Use crumpled waxed paper to fill in any extra space. Then pack this tin in a larger, sturdy shipping box. Pad the area around the box with crumpled paper or other packing material, seal and address.

    If you're using cookie cutters to make cut-out, decorated cookies, smaller designs are less likely to break in transit than larger cookies.

    Cool cookies completely before storing or they will get soft and sticky.

    When storing soft or decorated cookies, separate layers with sheets of waxed paper so they don't stick together.

    Soft cookies will stay fresher, longer if they are stored with a slices of apple or a slice of bread (change the apple or bread slice every day).

    With the exception of meringue based cookies or those with very thin batters, most cookie dough's can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator (for a few days) or the freezer (for up to 3 months). Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap for the fridge or plastic wrap and aluminum foil for the freezer. Bake when convenient.

    When making drop cookies, make a large batch, form into balls and freeze on cookie sheet. When frozen put into zip lock bags and store in freezer. Later, just remove amount needed from freezer, place on cookie sheets and bake while still frozen. This way you will always have a variety of cookies on hand.

    Wrapped, frozen logs of cookie dough, packed with baking instructions, make wonderful gifts.

    Most baked cookies and brownies can also be frozen , well sealed in airtight containers. Decorated cookies, or those low in fat, unfortunately, do not freeze well.

    Store fragile cookies in a shallow tin instead of a deep cookie jar or crocks as extra weight will brake the delicate treats.

    Brownie or cookie crumbs make a great ice cream topping.

    If you live in a dry climate, store crisp cookies in a loosely covered container.

    If you live in a humid climate, store crisp cookies in an airtight container.

    Cookies with a high butterfat content will usually stay fresh for a week or longer in a tightly covered container.

    Empty coffee cans make perfect storage (or transporting) containers for cookies.

    Use a stencil or even a paper cutout doily to quickly decorate cakes and cookies. Simply put stencil on baked goods and sift powdered sugar or cocoa powder over. Carefully remove stencil and you'll have a beautiful design left.

    For rich vibrant food colors, use paste, rather than liquid colors for decorating dough's and icings.

    Here's a fun way to let the kids "paint" their own cookies. Make cookie paint by mixing food coloring with egg yolks. Let the kids paint pictures on the cookie, before baking. After baking, the colors will come out bright and glossy.

    For small, quick piping jobs, when you don't want to dig out the pastry bags, use a small zipper top plastic bag. Fill with icing, remove excess air, seal the top and snip off a tiny bit of one corner. You're now ready to pipe away!

    For soft chocolate chip cookies, bake at 325 degrees F until golden brown. For crisper cookies, bake the same dough at 350 degrees F (again until golden brown).

    Unless a recipe specifies otherwise, drop cookies should be removed from the baking sheet soon after coming out of the oven.

    If you want the chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies to retain their shape better, freeze them before adding to your cookie or cake batters.

    Small ice cream scoops are perfect for making uniformly sized drop cookies.

    When re-rolling scraps of cookie dough, dust the surface with equal parts flour and confectioner's sugar. This will help keep the dough from getting tough.

    Be careful not to over mix cookie dough after adding flour as this can over-develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in one tough cookie.

    To keep cookie cutters (especially plastic ones) from sticking to cookie dough, lightly coat them in some vegetable oil.

    Cookies made with corn oil or corn oil margarine are softer than cookies made with butter or other types of margarines.

    Make your own custom shaped cookie cutters by using a cardboard cutout pattern and a sharp knife to cut around the cookie dough.

    It's easier to transfer shaped cookies to cookie sheets, if you remove the scraps from around the cut out shapes first.

    For fewer scarps and less rolling when making cookies, start cutting on the outside edges and work your way in towards the center.

    When making sandwich cookies, make sure to only cut the cookies half as thick as you normally would.

    When slicing cylinders of ice box cookies, be sure to roll the dough every other cut so the bottom of the cylinder doesn't flatten out.

    Be sure to rotate baking sheets from the top to bottom shelves mid cycle when baking cookies to insure even browning. Even the best ovens can build up hot spots in certain areas.

    To avoid breaking and crumbling, cool bar cookies and cakes completely before cutting.

    To put an end to the chewy versus cake-like brownie debate - the more eggs in a batter, the lighter and more cake-like the brownie will be. Less eggs means, denser, chewier brownies.

    To get confectioner's sugar to stick to cookies, sprinkle while they are still warm.

    A fun cookie project for kids is "Cookie Pizzas". Make large round sugar cookies, then let the kids top their own "pizzas" with various toppings: chocolate chips, tinted coconuts, jelly bean or other candies.

    Need a fun activity to keep a group of kids occupied? Have a cookie decorating party. Bake large cookies in advance. Cover a worktable with a plastic disposable cover, lay out various bowls of colored icings and various topping and candies for decorations. The kids will take it from there and everyone goes home from the party with a souvenir.

    Want to make chocolate chip cookies, but are out of chocolate chips? Get creative and raid the pantry. Some tasty alternatives that will usually work well mixed into any chocolate chip cookie recipe include: raisins, dates, coconut, nuts, chopped candy bars, toffee bits and dried fruits.