Top 10 Baking tips

• First and foremost secret to best Cookie baking is testing. If you try any new cookie recipe, alway bake a single cookie first. Note the baking time required. All ovens behave differently. Adjust the temperature if needed.
• This tip is applicable to any new cookie recipe that you bake. That is bake 1 cookie first adjust and then go ahead with baking another single cookie to see result. Bake whole batch only when satisfied with results. This will save you from wasting your ingredients and help you learn quickly.

This is another important ingredient , if your butter is warm or too cold, it will not be creamy when you mix it with sugars. So your butter needs to be at room temperature so it can be whisked easily. But not to warm that it turns into greasy mixture when mixed with sugar. It should be creamy. The butter at cold room temperature will also rise well. So, If you keep butter on the counter around 30-45 minutes in advance. It works best. In other case, just heat butter in microwave for 15 seconds. And rest it for few minutes before you begin. You can replace butter for margarine. (I've tried it so I know you can make cookies with margarine but use butter for best taste and texture.)

• DO NOT dig your cup in flour and fill it! You'll pack your flour tightly and add extra flour in recipe. Always spoon the flour in the measuring cup for correct measurement. A single extra spoon can make your cookie comparatively tough.
• Another tips is always add ¼ cup less flour than called in recipe. Feel the dough and see if more flour is needed. If you are still not sure bake one cookie with less flour and see how it turn out. If it’s too flat than add remaining flour.

• All cookie doughs do not require chilling so you can skip it sometimes. But when your recipe calls for it or your cookie dough is soft and greasy, chilling is a must. Or you will end in flat crispy cookies. They won’t be as soft as you would want.
• Another reason to suggest chilling is the cold centre of chilled cookies cooks slowly compared to outside. Giving you chewy outside and super soft inside.
• This step is also important because it gives flour and other ingredients time to merge together, and hence provide heightened subtle flavor.
• Chill dough overnight for best result. If you are in hurry, scoop cookie dough baking sheet and keep in fridge for 30 minutes. They'll chill quickly.
• Lastly, if you chilled dough overnight and it is very cold, allow it to rest on counter for about 10 minutes so it is not very cold when it reaches the oven. If you don't the bottom of will be golden and center will be still undercooked.

8-10 minutes works best most of the time for me. But ovens behave differently. So, set your timer to 6 minutes and then look for visual sign of completion of baking. Visual signs win always. I keep staring at my cookies when they bake and it's so satisfying. You need light brown edges and centre will be under cooked for soft cookies. When you lift the cookies from baking sheet and transfer to wire rack, they’ll be very soft but they’ll firm up as they cool. For chewy cookies, you edges will be brown and center will be set.