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cookies
Sticky, unworkable dough: Chill the dough until
it's firm enough to handle, usually about 1 hour. Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons all
purpose flour into the dough if still soft after refrigerating.
Dough is too dry and crumbly: Work in an
additional 1 to 2 tablespoons water or milk (or another liquid from the recipe)
or softened butter.
Dough sticks to the board and rolling pin: Use a
pastry cloth and a cloth-covered rolling pin. Rub flour evenly onto the rolling
pin cover and pastry cloth. Roll dough lightly and evenly.
Overly flat thin cookies: Make sure to begin with
a cool baking sheet. Do not overgrease the baking sheet. Do not melt the butter
or margarine for the recipe if it calls for softened butter or margarine. If
cookies are baked immediately after mixing dough that is supposed to be
chilled, cookies will spread out more.
Baked cookies stick to the pan: Return the pan to
the oven for about 30 seconds to rewarm and loosen the cookies. For the next
batch, lightly regrease the baking sheets, or start over with a clean sheet.
Cookies run together on cookie sheets: Drop
spoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart. Let cookie sheets cool between bakings.
Dough made with all butter also may cause the cookies to run together; use part
butter, part shortening.
Tough rolled cookies: Handle the dough gently and
use as little flour as possible on the rolling pin and work surface. Do not
reroll scraps more than twice.
Soft cookies: Increase the baking time slightly.
Cookies are brown on bottom, pale on top: Use a
silver-colored rather than dark-colored baking sheet, and watch cooking times.
Dark sheets absorb more oven heat and can cause cookies to overbrown or burn.
Overbaking or an overly hot oven can also cause excessive browning on the
bottoms of cookies.
Unevenly baked cookies: Bake only one sheet at a
time, in the center of the oven. Allow enough room for air to circulate between
the edges of cookie sheets and the oven walls. Do not use a pan with sides
which reflect heat back down on the cookies around the edge of the pan.
Cookies fall apart when removing them from the pan:
Wait a moment or so until they firm up before transferring them to a cooling
rack.
Soggy cookies: Make sure cookies are completely
cooled before storing or they will sweat and get soggy.
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