Classic cookies

Wed., Nov. 23, 2005

Lorie Hutson Food editor

Here are some basic tips from the "King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion" and "A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies" by Dede Wilson to help you get started:

“ Read the recipe instructions and gather all the ingredients and equipment you will need to prepare the recipe.

“ Use the ingredients called for (for instance, do not substitute extra-large eggs for large.)

“ Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are current and that use-by dates have not expired.

“ Measure ingredients correctly. Use clear glass or plastic cups to measure liquid ingredients and use stacked cups to measure dry ingredients. Measure the flour carefully and as directed in the recipe. Spoon it lightly into the appropriate size of dry measuring cup and level the top off with the flat edge of a spatula or knife.

“ Check your oven's temperature with an oven thermometer and adjust accordingly. To avoid overbaking, check the cookies a few minutes before the minimum baking time. Bake cookies on the center rack in your oven for even browning. If you use more than one rack to speed up the baking process, make sure to rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking time front to back and from one shelf to the other.

“ Do not run hot baking sheets under cold water. Abrupt temperature changes may cause them to warp.

“ Never put cookie dough on a hot baking sheet or the cookies will spread out too much.

“ Be sure to cool cookies properly before storing.

Readers of The Spokesman-Review turn to tried-and-true recipes for their holiday baking.

There’s something about seeing those familiar treats on the cookie tray that just make it the most wonderful time of the year.

Whether you’ve already started baking cookies for the season or you’ll wait until the turkey and pumpkin pie leftovers have settled, we’ll have something in the series you might like to try. Readers shared recipes clipped from magazines in 1952, recipes handed down through families and recipes from favorite cookbooks. They include Chocolate Crinkles, Candy Cane Cookies, Kifli, Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing, Linzer Cookies and Russian Tea Cakes.

You can find one recipe inside the Home section in today’s paper along with tips from the cook. Between now and Christmas, a new recipe will run each week in the Home section on Thursdays.

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Classic cookies

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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