Hello Cookie Lovers,
Hope that you all are well. Let us dedicate this issue of Smart Cookies to all fathers.
Summer is a great time for outdoor activities. If you choose to eat and play with nature, keep leaves of these flowers away from foods, especially chocolate. These leaves are very toxic.
Amaryllis | Azalea | Caladium |
Daffodil | Delphinium | Dieffenbachia |
English Ivy | Hydrangea | Jonquil |
Larkspur | Laurel | Lily of the Valley |
Mistletoe | Narcissus | Oleander |
Rhododendron |
Enjoy a safe summer!
Recently Posted Recipes
Tips for Crispy, Crunchy Homemade Cookies
Secrets to Baking Perfect Cookies
Orange Cranberry Cookies – Perfect for Picnics.
Featuring freshly-squeezed orange juice and dried cranberries, orange cranberry cookies are a great source of energy for outdoor activities.
Whoopie Pies – Searching for Their Origin.
Other interesting names, origin of, and recipes for whoopie pies.
Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Filling.
Ingredients and baking directions for chocolate whoopie pies.
Sweet Walnut Logs – Easy and Irresistible.
Ingredients and baking suggestions for irresistible walnut logs.
A Gluten Free Diet With Soy Flour.
Introducing a nutritious, protein rich ingredient in any gluten free diet, soy flour.
- Bake until cookies give only a little when touched, but don’t leave them in the oven until firm. They will sure be as hard as rocks.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets, not on wire racks.
- Use only granulated sugar or, at least, a higher ratio of granulated to brown.
- Add a little milk, if possible, to thin out cookie dough.
- Substitute oat bran for half of flour called for in the recipe. This is my favorite way to add a little crunch because I also benefit from getting some needed fiber.
You heard it all by now. Don’t overbake, don’t overmix, do use good quality ingredients. Well, here is one more “do” for your list – do use proper baking or cookie sheets. Reasons are:
- To encourage even baking. Heavy-gauge, aluminum cookie sheets promote even brownness by deflecting heat. They are the home bakers’ best choice. Dark sheets tend to brown bottoms of cookies excessively because they absorb all the heat.
- To minimize the possibility of overbaking. Use insulated, doubly-thick cookie sheets. However, stacking 2 single-layered cookie sheets of the same size together will also work.
- To allow proper air circulation. Cookie sheets should be at least 2 inches shorter in length and width than those of your oven. Therefore, make sure the size of your cookie sheets is not larger than 17 x 14-inch. If you have a choice, go for rimless sheets or those with only 1 or 2 turned-up edges.
- To prevent warping, hot spots that can produce undesirable cookies. A good cookie sheet should be at least 1/16-inch thick to ensure even heat distribution. Do this test before buying: hold a cookie sheet firmly at both ends and twist it. If it gives much or produces a bending-popping sound, move on to the next.
- To avoid greasing. Most cookie sheets are coated with silicon nowadays to prevent sticking. If you absolutely have to grease cookie sheets, use vegetable shortening instead of butter. Butter tends to brown as it melts in the oven.
Keep surface of cookie sheets as scratch-free as possible. Wash them in hot, sudsy water using a non-abrasive scouring pad. Remove cookies using a nylon spatula made for use with non-stick pans.
Finally, never place dough on hot cookie sheets because it will melt before even going into the oven. Bake one sheet at a time in the center of oven, and your homemade cookies will likely come out evenly baked.
Until next time ……..Keep on baking!
Published date: June 15, 2011
Copyright 2011 by Trinh Lieu. All right reserved