I've spent a good part of the day in the kitchen mixing up cookie doughs and even baking a few cookies. Thought I'd share with you some helpful little secrets that make it all a bit less hectic and a little more enjoyable, especially this time of year when we have SO many other things keeping us busy! I'm always looking for ways to simplify my life. You know, a little less hectic and a little more organized.
First of all I choose which recipes I want to use and I prepare all of my ingredients. My island is the perfect workspace for getting it all set up, measured and mixed.
You'll notice in these pics that I also get out several measuring cups and spoons. I have so many partial sets but I refuse to toss any of them because they all come in so handy when I'm on a baking spree! It's always good to have different cups for wet and dry ingredients.
Another little thing that will make your life easier is to be sure you have plenty of Reynold's Non Stick Foil on hand. As you can see, I had NONE. Not good. Reynold's Non Stick makes your life so much easier! Typically I cover my cookie sheets and just wipe them off with a paper towel in between batches. You can reuse it many, many times!
*And a question for you: If any of you know why they changed the name from Reynolds Release to Reynolds Non Stick, please let me know! I noticed the change a little while back and just can't figure it out. It still has 'Reynolds Release' imprinted on the foil itself, but the name is changed on the packaging. Go figure.Pretty much all the cookies I make have basically the same directions:
Combine your dry ingredients.
Combine your wet ingredients.
Add the dry to the wet and mix well.
Add chips, nuts, candies, raisins, etc.
Bake and cool.
Because the two doughs I mixed today have the same basic directions, I'm not going to break them down separately. Complete instructions will be included in the printable version for your convenience.
The Scotchies are the Nestle recipe off of the butterscotch chips package. Been around for years and years and I've never met a person who didn't love these cookies. :) They're pretty doggone good.
The Oatmeal Raisin recipe I got from my childhood friend, Kay. I had tried many recipes but they were either too crispy/crunchy or too cakey to suit my taste. I like my oatmeal raisin cookies to be crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
That, my friends, is a little bite of perfection. :)
This:
becomes this:
And this:
will soon become this:
If you like your cookies to bake up a little flatter, just press down the dough gently with damp fingers. Alter your baking time accordingly. A cookie that isn't as thick doesn't need to bake as long. And if you like a crunchy cookie, simply let them bake a couple of minutes longer.
Just click on the name of the cookie to print the recipe! :)
Oatmeal ScotchiesOatmeal Raisin Cookies*Tips and Tricks*
*Be choosy when it comes to the sugar you use for baking. I'm not saying you have to buy the most expensive sugar on the shelf (I use my store brand more often than not) but be aware that many generics or store brands are a mixture of regular granulated sugar and super fine sugar. This combination is fine for sweetening tea or coffee, or even in some recipes that don't require baking. But I have learned the hard way that it isn't always the best choice for baking. My cookies and cakes never turn out very well when I use it.
*Don't use whipped margarine. In many recipes it is not a good idea to use a reduced fat margarine, but it is never a good idea to use whipped when baking, unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
*I love my Pampered Chef cookie dough scoops. I have two in different sizes and they are wonderful, especially when the dough has been refrigerated. Just scoop up the dough, squeeze the handle and out pops the perfect little ball onto your baking sheet. I'm not endorsing Pampered Chef brand with the expectation of being compensated in any manner. Pampered Chef just happens to be the brand I own and I like their durability, therefore I'm passing that info on to you, my dear reader. :)
*Mix up your dough days or even weeks early. If you want to prepare it as much as 8 weeks ahead of time you absolutely can. Especially if you have a vacuum sealer! Brie just tried this out with a few recipes (including Snickerdoodles and a variation on a chocolate chip cookie recipe) and it worked beautifully! Just mix it up, make a packet with your sealer, spoon in your dough then seal the packet. Mark it with the name of the cookie, oven temperature and how long it needs to bake and then pop it in the freezer. When you're ready to bake, simply take the dough from the freezer, thaw it in the fridge for a day, then shape and bake as directed. You can make it up to 2 weeks ahead of time and simply store it in the refrigerator in airtight containers. I often do this so we can have hot, homemade cookies any day of the week.
If you don't have a vacuum sealer, I would assume you could put it in freezer safe, airtight containers. I've never done this because we use our vacuum sealer any time we are freezing foods.
This is how I store it in the fridge short-term:
Just write the oven temp and baking time on the Ziploc bag and you're set!
Remove from skillet and drain. In same skillet, saute peppers and onions in additional olive oil until crispness is lost but not soft.
Sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired. Serve with garden salad and hot bread. YUMMY! : )
