Holiday Cookie Magic: 10 Kitchen Tips for Baking Perfect Festive Treats
17th December 2024
The holidays are the ultimate season for biscuit baking—whether you’re filling up a festive tin for friends, leaving a treat for Santa, or indulging in your own sweet creations with a cup of hot chocolate. But baking cookies can sometimes be as tricky as catching a glimpse of Rudolph! Don’t worry—we’re here to help with these Top 10 Tips for Perfect Holiday Cookies.
And to make your baking even more magical, we’ve included links to 3 irresistible cookie recipes from our resident cookie aficionado at Dublin Cookery School, Cindy.
Perfect Your Dough
1. Mix the Dough Just Right
Dough mixing is a tale of two halves. First, the butter and sugar. Cream the butter and sugar means just that - you should be left with a uniformly smooth texture, with a much lighter colour than when you started mixing. Opposite to this, overworking cookie dough once you’ve added wet to dry can lead to tough cookies. Once the dry ingredients are combined with the wet, mix until everything is just incorporated. Even try folding the ingredients together using a spatula instead of a mixer to be safe! Your cookies will stay tender and delicious.
2. Start with Room-Temperature Ingredients
Butter and eggs mix more smoothly when they’re at room temperature, resulting in a softer, more cohesive dough. Forgot to take your butter out? Grate it or cut it into small cubes to warm it up faster.
3. Chill Your Dough
Refrigerating your cookie dough for at least an hour prevents spreading in the oven and allows flavours to deepen. This is especially important for recipes like Santa's Secret Wish Cookies, where a firm dough creates that perfect chewy texture.
Baking Bests
4. Use Parchment or Silicone Mats
Avoid sticking and promote even baking by lining your trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Bonus: easier cleanup!
5. Weigh Your Ingredients
For consistent results, especially with flour, use a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups. A little extra or too little flour can dramatically change the texture of your cookies.
6. Preheat the Oven and Use the Middle Rack
Cookies bake best in a preheated oven with consistent heat. Place your tray on the middle rack for even baking, and bake one sheet at a time if possible.
7. Watch the Baking Time
Cookies continue to cook on the tray after they’re removed from the oven, so take them out just as the edges start to brown. For delicate treats like Chocolate Madeleines, this step is key to achieving that soft, tender crumb.
8. Use a Cookie Scoop
For perfectly uniform cookies, invest in a cookie scoop. Not only does it make portioning easy, but it also ensures every cookie bakes evenly.
Finishing Touches
9. Decorate with Precision
If decorating your cookies, let them cool completely before adding icing or sprinkles. For intricate designs, use piping bags or squeeze bottles to achieve a professional look like on our Mrs. Claus' Christmas Eve Kisses.
10. Store Them Properly
To keep your cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container with a slice of bread or apple to maintain moisture. Planning to freeze? Place cookies in layers with parchment paper in between.
