Baking holiday cookies is a family tradition, but have you ever been disappointed with how they turned out? There’s nothing worse than making a batch of cookies for Santa that turn out burnt or broken. But with a few small tweaks, you can have cookies that are even better than the store-bought ones.
Ice Cream Scoop for Consistent Cookies
We’ve all had this happen to us—a recipe said there would be 12 cookies, but we ended up with nine. It’s important that all of your cookies are the same size, so they cook at the same rate. To solve this problem, use an ice cream scooper to make sure the cookies are the same size.
Flour the Board, Dough, and Cookie Cutters
When using cookie cutters for fun shapes like candy canes, snowflakes, and reindeer, make sure you flour the board, dough, and cutters. This will help the dough come off the cutters easily without them sticking or falling apart.
Soften Brown Sugar
Texture is a key component in baking and when it comes to brown sugar, it should be softened. If the brown sugar is hard, place it in a bowl with a moist paper towel on top and microwave it for 15 to 20 seconds.
Wait to Bake the Cookies
Instead of baking your cookies as soon as you finish your dough, let them sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. This makes the dough thicker and a better consistency.
Keep Frosting Fresh
For sugar cookie frosting, keep it in a glass bowl with a damp paper towel over it. This prevents the frosting from drying out, especially when you are adding lots of details with different frostings to the cookies.
