What Makes a Great Cookie?

!±8± What Makes a Great Cookie?

Do you want to make a great cookie? Using quality ingredients and quality bake ware are probably the two most important elements. A lot of bakers will purchase brand x ingredients like chocolate chips, coconut, oatmeal, raisins, butter and other important cookie ingredients. Any one of these cheap ingredients could ruin your cookies. Think about what you are doing. What would you enjoy more, a cheap brand x chocolate bar or an expensive top brand chocolate bar?

Like all lessons in life, you reap what you sow. Cheap ingredients make a boring cookie. Why waist your valuable time and energy baking cookies no one will like, not even yourself. You can taste the difference. Cheap tastes cheap and quality taste like quality. When you purchase brand x Oreo knockoff cookies, do they taste as good as the real thing? I don't think so.

Your gifts of cookies are a reflection on your baking abilities and I've tasted a lot of really bad cookies in my lifetime. these treats are usually given as a gift from a neighbor with good intentions. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays our house fills up with goodies from neighbors and friends. Most of the goodies are cookies. Generally 50% of the cookies we get are not fit for human consumption. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the thoughtful gift, but let me make a point. If you take the time to follow a tried and proven cookie recipe and use quality ingredients, how much more enjoyment will come out of your gift.

Not only do quality ingredients play a part in delicious cookies, but the quality of your baking supplies play a part. A good quality cookie sheet will give you an evenly baked cookie, unless you didn't follow the baking instructions. The best cookie sheets are the heavy commercial ½ sheets. Take all your thin cheap cookie sheets and give them a toss in the garbage. You will always have a struggle realizing a perfect cookie from one of those devices.

Other devices used in baking cookies may or may not have an effect on the outcome of your cookie. However, if your time and effort is of any value, quality appliances and accessories can play a big part in an enjoyable baking experience. I don't want to name names, but KitchenAid by far has the best stand mixer. The 5 quart or 6 quart mixers make mixing ingredients a breeze. They also have a great array of attachments and accessories.

Using a scoop, like a small ice cream scoop to measure out your cookie dough will give you professional looking results. There are many sizes and makes of scoops on the market. Buy a couple of different sizes; you will probably find a use for all the sizes.

Finally, let use put what I've said to practice. I may not be a professional chef, but I know my cookies. So if you will follow these simple rules and advise your next batch of cookies should be a success. In fact try this recipe, which by the way is my favorite, and see and taste the results for yourself.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 3/4 cups butter

1 3/4 cups brown sugar

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Cream together thoroughly and then add:

3 cups old-fashioned oats

3 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. soda

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup pecan or walnuts

1 cup coconut

To keep your cookie from spreading out too much place the cookie dough in the refrigerator of a couple of hours before baking. I like to make these cookies big. Scoop out by spoonful onto a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375°. Place the cookie sheet on the middle oven rack. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. All ovens bake a little different so keep an eye on your cookies.