Biting into a warm cookie is pure bliss whether you prefer soft, melt-in-your-mouth treats or those that crunch and crumble. And thankfully, they’re easy for home bakers of all levels to make. Cookies range in flavor, shape and size, and there are hundreds of recipes circulating online as well as in cookbooks. That means you can easily find one that aligns with what you’re craving and how comfortable you are in the kitchen.
We talked to professional bakers about the steps involved in making homemade cookies and the tools they recommend using throughout the baking process. With their guidance in mind, we put together a list of highly rated items, expert picks and products we’ve used ourselves. Experts also shared tips about how to know when your cookies are done baking, how to store them and why the freezer can be your best friend.
SKIP AHEAD Make the cookie dough | Shape the cookies | Bake the cookies | Let the cookies cool | Cookie decorating | How to store cookies
Our top picks
Step 1: Decide what type of cookie to make
The type of cookie you’re making impacts the ingredients and tools you’ll need, plus it gives you an idea of how long the process will take. Some of the most common cookie types include:
- Drop cookies: As the name implies, you make drop cookies by dropping balls of dough onto a sheet pan. The dough spreads in the oven, giving the cookies a round shape once baked. Drop cookies are the easiest cookies to make, experts told us, and popular types include chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookies.
- Cut out cookies: The star of any holiday cookie box, cut out cookies are made by rolling out dough and using cookie cutters to create shapes. They are also a great option for beginner cookie bakers. People traditionally make cut out cookies from sugar or gingerbread cookie dough, but the flavor possibilities are endless.
- Spritz cookies: Spritz cookies are made using a cookie press, a tool that pushes dough through a patterned disc. The…
Read the full article here
