Holiday Cookie Tips
Roll sugar cookie dough out while it’s soft and pliable and then chill it.
You definitely want to bake chilled sugar cookies, but rolling the dough while it’s soft is much easier than struggling against a hard disc of dough. Place dough between sheets of waxed or parchment paper to keep things neat- and non-stick. Chill according to your recipe once the dough has been rolled out.Use confectioners’ sugar instead of flour to roll out cookies. Dust your waxed or parchment paper with confectioners’ sugar for a non-stick surface that adds flavor, too.
For a perfectly round slice and bake cookie, shape the dough into a log on a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the log, then twist the ends of the plastic wrap tightly (like a hard candy) and watch a perfect cylinder of dough appear.
Cool baking sheets in the fridge or by running under cold water in between batches. Adding cookie dough to hot baking sheets causes the butter to melt and can impact the texture of your cookie. This simple step makes a big difference.
Don’t overbake! Take cookies out of the oven a minute early to account for carryover cooking. You do want to make sure the edges are set and browned, but the cookies will continue to “bake” for a minute or two as they cool.
