Sally's Top 10 Cookie-Making Tips

From my kitchen to yours, here are my top 10 cookie-baking tips. Make your next batch the BEST batch!

1. Chill out! Chill your cookie dough. Chilling solidifies the fat, giving puffier, sturdier, thicker cookies, and the flavors have time to marry. If the dough is very hard after chilling, let it sit out 10 to 30 minutes so it's scoopable.
2. Butter is better. Use butter at the proper temperature. Most recipes call for room-temperature butter — pliable enough to take a fingerprint but not soft or greasy. Set it out 1 hour ahead, or slice into tablespoon pieces to soften faster.
3. Turn up the heat! Buy an oven thermometer. Ovens can be off by as much as 50°F (10°C); a thermometer placed in the center tells you the true baking temperature.
4. Switch it up! Rotate your baking pans top to bottom halfway through so each tray bakes evenly. Ovens have hot spots.
5. Leave breathing room. Don't overcrowd the sheets — usually 8 or 9 cookies per sheet so each has room to spread and cook properly.
6. Stick to the middle ground. Use the middle rack for the best results, baking one batch in the center.
7. Go with your gut. Use listed bake times only as a guide; all ovens differ. Cookies are ready when the edges are set and lightly browned; the center can look slightly underbaked and will finish while cooling.
8. Follow the 5-minute rule. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on the sheet to keep setting, then transfer to a wire rack so the bottoms get air.
9. Respect the mat! Bake on a silicone baking mat — it grips the dough and prevents excess spreading while promoting even browning; grease causes spreading.
10. Carbs rule. Store cookies with a slice of bread in an airtight container; the bread releases its moisture into the cookies to keep them soft and fresh.

How to prevent excess spreading: measure ingredients properly (spoon and level flour, don't pack it); use the correct large egg size; make no ingredient substitutions; use fresh leavening agents (replace baking powder/soda every ~3 months); use room-temperature ingredients; don't beat too much air into the dough; and always chill the dough and never place it on a hot baking sheet.

Make-ahead and freezing: cover the dough and chill up to 4 days, then bring to room temperature before shaping. To freeze dough, wrap tightly, bag and label; it keeps up to 3 months — thaw overnight in the fridge. You can also freeze rolled dough balls (chill 1 hour first so they stay solid); bake thawed or from frozen (add 1 to 2 minutes). Freeze cinnamon-sugar/sprinkle cookies without the topping and roll after a 30-minute rest. Baked cookies also freeze up to 3 months, layered between parchment; thaw overnight in the fridge.