It’s that time of year again… a time when my kitchen is an utter disaster, but the house smells utterly delicious. A time when even self-professed non-bakers fire up the oven, roll up their sleeves and start sifting flour and separating eggs with a vengeance.
Ah, yes, Christmas time. The cookies, the bars, the fruitcake and pies… it’s enough to make your teeth twinge. And if you make it an annual ritual to bake your very best once a year (during the holiday season like me) then you might benefit from the following baking reminders… just in case:
Don’t Forget to Read the Recipe: I’ve tried very unsuccessfully to make some of my favorite childhood dishes without a recipe. I figured that I had seen my mom prepare snowball cookies so often that I could whip up a batch without the aid of her notes. It was a disaster. Bottom line: Gather all the ingredients and equipment you will need, read the recipe and then start.
Check Your Ingredients: It’s a good idea to check your leaveners before you start baking. Test your baking powder and baking soda to make sure they are still good. It’s a good idea to check the expiration dates on all of your ingredients.
Watch Your Measurements. Unlike cooking, baking is a precise science. As such it is critical to use the exact amounts of ingredients called for in a recipe. Use clear glass or plastic cups to measure liquid ingredients and stacked cups to measure dry ingredients.
Test Your Oven’s Temperature. Before getting started on a holiday cookie bake-a-thon use an oven thermometer and adjust your appliance accordingly. I make a habit of checking my cookies a few minutes before the minimum baking time is up. Some people frown on this method because it causes the oven temperature to drop, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Also, bake cookies on the center rack for even browning.
Timing is Everything: Try not to get overanxious and let cookie dough sit on a hot baking sheet. Doing so will make the cookies spread out too much. Also, no matter how technologically advanced your oven is (I don’t have a fancy oven) you’ll get the best results if you bake one sheet of cookies at a time. If you must double-up, make sure to rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking time, front to back and from shelf to shelf.
Protect Your Pans: Never run hot baking sheets under cold water. I learned this one the hard way. The abrupt temperature change causes warping and I have the pans to prove it.
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