Cookie baking tips

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Tips for making the best holiday cookies:-- Unless the recipe states otherwise, all ingredients should be at room temperature before mixing the dough.-- Measure carefully.-- To warm up eggs quickly, put them in a bowl of hot tap water.-- If a recipe calls for softened butter, do not use melted butter. Melted butter won't blend properly with dry ingredients.-- Do not soften butter in a microwave. That will cause it to be too soft.-- If you need to soften butter quickly, put it between two pieces of waxed paper and give it a few whacks with a rolling pin until it flattens.-- In some recipes calling for oil, you can substitute melted butter.-- If the recipe calls for rolling the dough out before cutting it into shapes or slices, it will be easier if the dough is well-chilled.-- A stockinette on the rolling pin will keep dough from sticking to it.-- Use cool, shiny aluminum cookie sheets. They reflect heat and prevent over-browning.-- Use flat baking sheets without sides to allow better air circulation during baking.-- Avoid over-beating the dough after the flour has been added. Over-beating causes the cookies to be less tender.-- Allow cookie sheets to cool completely before baking the next batch; otherwise, the dough will spread too quickly and cookies will become distorted.-- Using parchment paper or silicone pan liners over cookie sheets will keep them clean and ready to use for the next batch.-- Use the best ingredients you can find, including fresh spices.-- Preheat the oven. If you haven't tested it recently, use an oven thermometer to check the accuracy of the thermostat.-- Place baking sheets in the center of the oven for best heat circulation.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)