Holiday Baking : Let the Baking Begin! Visit us each day starting December 1st and watch as the Cookie Countdown Calendar fills up with recipes for holiday fun! As we mark off each day before Christmas, a new cookie recipe will appear. So warm up your ovens, tie on your aprons, and try out these scrumptious favorites. Also, visit our Ultimate Guide to Holiday Cookies. |  |  | Top 10 Cookie Baking Tips | -
Chill dough for cut-out cookies. Soften it up at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling out. -
Leave 2 inches of space between cookies so they don’t spread into each other. -
Adjust baking times to achieve the cookie texture you crave. A little less time produces chewier cookies; a little more time makes them crispy. -
Bake bar cookies in the pan size indicated in the recipe. -
Cool cookies completely before decorating. - Vanessa Greaves We’ve got even more advice on baking, freezing, wrapping and sending cookies. | -
Use the best quality ingredients. They’ll produce the tastiest cookies. -
Always use large sized eggs, unsalted butter and nuts, and pure extracts of vanilla or almond. -
Successful baking relies on the correct ratio of ingredients so be sure to measure accurately. -
Most cookie recipes call for all-purpose flour. For the best results, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Do not sift unless the recipe specifically says to do so. -
Unless you are baking with non-stick pans and cookie sheets, use parchment paper for stick-free baking and easy clean up. | |  | Over 1,500 Christmas Recipes! | | Christmas Recipe Search <FORM style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" action=http://search.allrecipes.com/recipe/quick.asp method=get><INPUT type=hidden value=4 name=siteid><INPUT size=22 name=q1> <INPUT type=submit value=GO name=Submit></FORM> |