The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book - Camilla V. Saulsbury [10]
Measuring Liquid Ingredients
Use a clear plastic or glass measuring cup or container with lines up the sides to measure liquid ingredients. Set the container on the counter and pour the liquid to the appropriate mark. Lower your head to read the measurement at eye level.
Measuring Syrups, Honey, and Molasses
Measure syrups, honey, and molasses as you would other liquid ingredients, but lightly spray the measuring cup or container with nonstick cooking spray before filling. The syrup, honey, or molasses will slide out of the cup without sticking, allowing for both accurate measuring and easy cleanup.
Measuring Moist Ingredients
Some moist ingredients, such as brown sugar, coconut, and dried fruits, must be firmly packed into the measuring cup to be measured accurately. Use a dry measuring cup for these ingredients. Fill the measuring cup to slightly overflowing, then pack down the ingredient firmly with the back of a spoon. Add more of the ingredient and pack down again until the cup is full and even with the top of the measure.
Measuring Butter
Butter is typically packaged in stick form with markings on the wrapper indicating tablespoon and cup measurements. Use a sharp knife to cut off the amount needed for a recipe.
¼ cup = ½ stick = 4 tablespoons = 2 ounces
½ cup = 1 stick = ¼ pound = 4 ounces
1 cup = 2 sticks = ½ pound = 8 ounces
2 cups = 4 sticks = 1 pound = 16 ounces
Measuring Cream Cheese
Like sticks of butter, bricks of cream cheese are typically packaged with markings on the wrapper indicating tablespoon and cup measurements. Use a sharp knife to cut off the amount needed for a recipe.
Measuring Spices, Salt, Baking Powder, and Baking Soda
Use the standard measuring spoon size specified in the recipe and be sure the spoon is dry when measuring. Fill a standard measuring spoon to the top and level with a spatula or knife. When a recipe calls for a dash of a spice or salt, use about 1/16 of a teaspoon. A pinch is considered to be the amount of salt that can be held between the tips of the thumb and forefinger, and is also approximately 1/16 of a teaspoon.
Measuring Nuts
Spoon nuts into a dry measuring cup to the top. Four ounces of whole nuts is the equivalent of 1 cup chopped nuts.
Measuring Extracts and Flavorings
Fill the standard measuring spoon size specified in the recipe to the top, being careful not to let any spill over. It’s a good idea to avoid measuring extracts or flavorings over the mixing bowl because the spillover will go into the bowl and you will not know the amount of extract or flavoring you have added.
MAKING, BAKING, AND STORING
Preheating the Oven
For perfectly baked cookies, preheat the oven, which takes about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on your oven.
Center of the Oven
If baking just one sheet or pan of cookies at a time, place it on a rack set in the center of the oven and change from back to front halfway through the baking cycle. Leave at least 2 inches of space on all sides between the edge of the sheet and the oven walls for proper air circulation.
Foil-Line Your Baking Pans
Lining baking pans with aluminum foil is a great way to avoid messy cleanup whenever you bake bar cookies and brownies. Doing so also makes it easy to remove the entire batch of brownies or bars from the pan, making the cutting of perfectly uniform squares and bars a snap. When bars are cool or nearly cool, simply lift them out of the pan, peel back the foil and cut. Foil-lining is also a boon during holiday baking seasons, allowing for the production of multiple batches of bars and brownies in no time, with virtually no clean-up.
Foil-lining is simple. Begin by turning the pan upside down. Tear off a piece of aluminum foil longer than the pan, and shape