Cookie Baking Tips and Tricks

I love both cooking and baking, but baking is my favorite if I really, really, really had to pick one.  These are just some tips and tricks I've come about from experience, eating, and reading way too many cookbooks for my own good (Yes...it is my favorite book genre).  Baking is a science, if something goes a little wrong, a lot can go wrong.  For cooking, you can chop up and mix anything together and the extra teaspoon of olive oil, or running out of black pepper doesn't really matter...but for baking, it really does.  The first time I ever made cookies with my lovely sister, we put 3/4 c of baking soda in our cookies instead of teaspoon...okay that's a really exaggerated example, but that's sort of the gist of it.  So here's some tricks that I use when I bake cookies:

MEASURING:

-Flour: Don't dig with the measuring cup you're using!  Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, and then level it off with the flat side of a knife.  (To ensure there are no holes left out, you could use the knife to make criss cross motions against the cup)

-Brown sugar:  Pack that sugar!  Not loosely put it in, but pack it!  since I prefer to wash as little things as I need to when I cook, I usually just put the cup in the entire bag of sugar and press in with my hand from the outside.  then simply level it off with the flat side of the knife.

TEMPERATURE:

-Eggs:  Room temperature.  Leave them out for a couple of hours.  Or if you forget (aka 80% of the time for me), I'll just hold them in my hands as I watch a TV show (Yes, I'm a strange one)

-Butter:  Not too cold.  I like it a little colder than room temperature for cookies.  

MIXING:

-Depending on the recipe, but when asked to beat the butter and sugar together, if not specified, make sure to beat it on medium for a minute or two until the sugar is blended into the butter so the consistency almost feels the same.

Alright, that's pretty much all I have to say about cookies.  Following these points, I have found, make soft, chewy cookies with crispy edges.  YUM.  Especially when they're warm and right out the oven...

If you are looking for tips and tricks on how to just eat one cookie and not 10 at once...I have no answer to that...please let me know or comment if you do...that would be fantastic!

I hope you found this somewhat helpful.  Please keep in mind that it would also depend on the recipes!

Here's a picture of a glorious platter of cookies I made a couple of days ago.  Butter was a little too warm, but they turned out nicely regardless!

Also, as you may see in the picture, another tip otherwise known as common sense (but apparently I didn't follow...) is to make sure you mix all the chocolate chips EVENLY throughout the batter.  Or else you get some cookies that have way too many chocolate chips (no one's going to complain...but just saying...) and a sugar cookie in the end. :)