Robin's Cookie Baking Tips 1) Always use the freshest ingredients available. I prefer using real butter. Buy new baking soda & baking powder. They tend get weak and ineffective so why waste valuable time & money by having less than perfect cookies? 2) Follow recipe directions to the "T". I often hear: "These cookies didn't turn out the way I wanted."   I ask what they did. They always reply that they added a little of this and left out a little of that. Be prepared before you bake. A level tsp. means LEVEL. One extra pinch of salt can make them too salty. Not enough sugar, bland. Don't run out of ingredients. A recipe is like a scientific experiment. I encourage you to make up your own recipes....... just don't do it for my party!  :) 3) Line Cookie Sheets to Speed Up Baking Use Reynolds®Parchment Paper to line your baking sheets, as cookie will not stick to it! Reuse each sheet until they are slightly browned. (I've been using parchment paper to bake with since 1980!) To speed up cookie baking, line cookie sheets with Reynolds® Parchment Paper. Drop dough onto parchment and bake first batch. Meanwhile, drop dough onto second sheet of parchment. Slide parchment with baked cookies off cookie sheet. Slide second sheet onto cookie sheet and bake. Toss parchment paper sheets when done for easy cleanup! Roll Out Cookie Dough With No Sticking: Lightly flour sheets of Reynolds®Parchment Paper or Reynolds® Cut-Rite® Wax Paper. Cut out cookies with cookie cutter. Transfer cut-out cookies to parchment-lined cookie sheets to bake.     Make A Disposable Pastry Bag Fold a square of Reynolds®Parchment in half diagonally to form a triangle. Form the triangle into a cone, fold down and secure the top with a paper clip. Drop in your choice of pastry tips. Fill pastry bag two thirds full with frosting or other ingredient to be piped. 4) Bake the cookies 2-4 days before exchange. The most common reason for not attending the cookie exchange is waiting until last minute to bake and not having the time! Who has extra time in December? (The cookies should sit out over night anyway.) 5) Allow the cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least one minute before transferring them to cooling racks to keep them from breaking. 6) Some people tend to over bake their cookies. Follow the recipes time for baking, you can't tell just by looking at them. Sometimes the cookies look under baked in the center, but they're not. Set the timer for a minute earlier, it's easy to bake them some more, impossible to undo over baking. Realize that the oven will be hotter towards the end of your batch. Either lower the temp or pull them out early. The cookies will continue baking for one more minute before you transfer them to the cooling rack. The color of the underside of a cookie should be the same color as the top. A cookie that is crunchy right after baking is over done. They should be moist & chewy and then firm up after sitting out over night. 7) Stack cookies in groups of 6-8, cool on racks overnight. Lay a sheet of wax paper loosely over them. Do not seal cookies for at least 8 hours to let all moisture out. If you seal freshly baked cookies they will crumble. This method allows cookies to remain fresh for at least 3 weeks. Store in cookie tins, layered with wax paper. Keep tins in cool, dry place. 8) Give away small paper plates (Christmas motif, of course!) of cookies, wrapped in plastic wrap and topped with a bow to: friends, relatives, coworkers, bosses, daycare providers, etc.... and remember......... broken cookies have fewer calories!! Happy Baking! ~Robin (**Please ask for permission if you wish to use my material for other than your personal use. Such as re-posting to the web, or other media including: TV, magazines, newspapers, newsletters. This material is copywrited, Thank you!) How I learned to bake Robin's Cookie Exchange Page- Link back to: http://www.robinsweb.com/cookies/