Cookies!!!

I can still remember the scent of my mom's cookies luring me into the kitchen when I was a kid. Gingersnaps, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter... mmm!!! I'm now a cookie freak and I blame it on my childhood. ;)

Since I launched The Cookie Jar initiative a few months ago I've had the opportunity to make A LOT of mistakes, and therefore the opportunity to learn a lot the hard way. Here are a few tips to help save you the trouble.

Even the best cookie recipe can be butchered by poor ingredients. So always use a good quality butter, fresh eggs and real vanilla. And even if the recipe doesn't call for it, after the butter, sugar and vanilla have been creamed, and just after incorporating the eggs, I always use a whip attachment for 5 - 6 minutes to create a fluffy consistency. This guarantees a nice crust and a soft, chewy center every time. Even though most recipes call for mixing dry ingredients, I usually sift everything directly in and always

incorporate the flour last, giving it just a few turns with the mixer and then finish carefully mixing by hand. If you over mix at this point you'll end up with a dry and crumbly cookie, so be careful.

Sift everything and anything that can be sifted. A clump of baking powder is a huge turnoff.

Ever been frustrated with unevenly shaped and oddly sized cookies? You can ensure the same size every time by weighing each individual cookie ball. I shoot for 100 gram cookie balls for monster cookies, and 25 grams for minis, and always roll them into a clean round shape.

I SO WANT TO KISS THE PERSON WHO INVENTED THE SILPAT! It not only totally eradicates frustrating sticking cookie problems, but also gives a shiny finish to the underside of the cookies and keeps them from spreading too much during baking.

Oven temps and rack positions really do make a difference. Placing the rack in the upper portion of the oven helps to evenly brown desserts and keeps things from burning on the bottom. I wish I had two oven racks. If I did, I'd use them at the same time and rotate halfway through.

Get creative! Don't be afraid to rummage through the pantry, the refrigerator, and especially the garden, and experiment a bit. Pretzels and milk chocolate, dried fruit and white chocolate, dried chillies and dark chocolate, even fresh basil and lime make amazing flavor combinations. So why not put them into a cookie? If things taste good to you on their own, chances are they'll taste even better in a dessert. Herb infusions like lavender, basil, mint or lemon grass can be boiled into milk "tea" and strained, then added into mild flavored (sugar cookies, shortbread or Russian teacakes are nice neutral pallets) cookie dough for a soft hint of flavor, or you can even chop some herbs and add them directly for more punch. If the cookie you're working with absolutely can't handle added liquid, consider a flavor infused icing to top it off... like a zingy lemon peel sugar cookie with lemon grass "tea" icing, or plain shortbread with a lavender "tea" glaze, or chocolate shortbread with dried chile de arbol... or... ooooh! caramelized ginger... or....

Happy baking!