Bar Cookies

• Use the pan size called for in a recipe. Bar cookies made in a too-large pan will be overbaked; those in a too-small pan will be underbaked.
• No choice about the pans you use? If it’s larger than called for, use a shorter bake time. If it’s smaller than called for, use a longer bake time and reduce the oven temperature 25°F.
• For easier cutting, cool bars completely and use a plastic knife or table knife.

Drop Cookies

• You may want to use an electric mixer to mix the sugars, fats and liquids together. Air incorporated into the fat acts like a leavening. Then just stir in the dry ingredients by hand. Too much mixing, especially if you have a heavy-duty electric mixer, will make cookies tough.
• Use 2 tableware spoons to drop dough onto a cookie sheet. Scoop dough with 1 spoon, then push onto cookie sheet with the other spoon. Or use a spring-handled ice-cream scoop to drop the dough.
• Drop dough about 2 inches apart (or as directed in the recipe) onto a cookie sheet to prevent cookies from baking together when dough spreads.

Rolled Cookies

• To prevent sticking, dust the rolling surface and rolling pin with flour, or you can use powdered sugar.
• A pastry cloth helps prevent sticking, too. Or you can roll dough between 2 pieces of waxed paper or cooking parchment paper.
• Roll only part of the chilled dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough refrigerated.
• Roll dough to an even thickness by rolling over wooden dowels or rulers.
• Cut cookies with a cutter dipped into flour or powdered sugar-baking cocoa for chocolate doughs–as close together as possible on rolled dough to avoid re-rolling (re-rolled dough will be a little tougher).
• Lift cookies to a cookie sheet with a wide metal spatula that’s at least as wide as the cookie so the cookie doesn’t lose its shape.

Hand Shaped Cookies

• You may want to use an electric mixer to mix the sugars, fats and liquids together. Air incorporated into the fat acts like a leavening. Then just stir in the dry ingredients by hand. Too much mixing, especially if you have a heavy-duty electric mixer, will make cookies tough.
• If dough is too soft to handle, cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.
• Cookie dough sticking to your hands? Try this quick trick: Wet your hands with cold water occasionally when shaping cookie dough into balls, and the dough won’t stick to your palms.
• For even baking, make sure cookies are the same shape and size.