The Dough Diaries: I'm New to Making Cookies

• Your butter should be softened, never melted. Usually an hour on the counter works. You want it to be soft enough to be able to dent it with your finger, but not so soft that your finger would feel no resistance.
• As you cream together the butter and sugar, mix just enough to be well incorporated. The goal is not to make anything "fluffy." If you cream too much you are adding air into your dough that can cause bubbles in your baked cookies.
• Once you start adding flour to your dough, gluten begins to build. Overmixed dough can result in tough cookies, so only mix long enough for the ingredients to be fully combined.
• Always roll your cookie dough to an even thickness. This will ensure even baking, and a flat surface for decorating.
• If you will chill your dough, roll it out first, and chill it on a baking sheet in "flats" of dough. Don't chill in a ball and then roll out, as many recipes say. Who wants to try and roll out a cold hard lump of dough?! Save yourself the trouble by rolling out first. This also helps your cookies keep their shape as your cut them out and move them onto the baking sheets.
• When baking, don't place your cookies too close to each other on your cookie sheets. I know the temptation is there to bake as many as you can at a time, but if your dough spreads at all, you'll suddenly have frankencookies that are joined at the hip. Alternatively, it can affect the bake time required for your cookies to be done.
• Bake similarly-sized cookies on the same tray. Baking mini cookies on the same tray as 4" cookies is a recipe (har har) for disaster, as they won't be done at the same time.
• Thicker and/or larger cookies will require more time in the oven.
• If placing two trays in the oven at the same time, rotate them halfway through baking for an even bake.
• Keep in mind that if you chilled your cookie dough, but it has been out of the fridge for a while as you cut your cookies, baking time may vary from the beginning to the end of the process. 

As your cookie baking empire grows, you may want to add some extra tools to your arsenal that can help make your process even better. Especially if you turn your love of cookie decorating into a small business! The right tools can help you save time and we all know decorated cookies take a lot of time. So anything to make the process more streamlined and efficient is worth it. Here are some great additional tools that are definitely worth adding to your kitchen.

Just like a home, decorated cookies have to start with a solid foundation. You need a recipe that is consistent, doesn't spread and tastes great! With some practice you will be able to bake like a pro and get to the fun part... decorating your cookies! Stay tuned for part 2 of our Dough Diaries series. Happy Baking!