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Holiday Baking Tips and Classic Sugar Cookies

‘Tis the season for baking! It’s time to drag out the big mixer and whip up those treasured family favorites. Enlist the help of your children or grandchildren and share holiday traditions and the love of baking. Let our time saving tips and helpful hints make your baking experience successful and fun so the memories created will last long after the last holiday goody is eaten!

Time Saving Tips

  • Bake in quantity and freeze whenever possible
  • Prepare cookie dough when you are able to steal a little extra time
  • Prepared dough will keep at least 3 days in the refrigerator or several weeks in the freezer
  • Gather all your ingredients and equipment before beginning the recipe
  • Cut down on clean up by lining your cookie sheets or cake tins with parchment paper
  • Prepare other cookie sheets to go in the oven while cookies are baking


Cookie Troubleshooting

Cookies spread too much:

  • Place cookies on a cool baking sheet
  • Replace part of the butter in the recipe with shortening
  • If you’re using margarine, check the label and make sure it contains 80% vegetable oil


Cookies don't spread enough:

  • Use all butter instead of shortening or margarine
  • Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid such as milk or water
  • Let dough stand at room temperature before baking


Cookies are tough:

  • The dough was over handled or overmixed; use a light touch when mixing
  • Too much flour was worked into the dough
  • Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more of shortening, butter or sugar

Crushing Cookie Baking

Who doesn’t love cookies? Trays of cookies seem to be all around during the holiday season, and we know Santa is a big fan!  Do you ever wonder why some people consistently make the best cookies while yours sometimes are too thin, dry, overbrowned, etc.? The secret is in following these simple tips:

  • Have ingredients (like butter and eggs) at room temperature before using so they mix in better and aerate faster
  • Do NOT melt butter
  • Measure ingredients carefully using the right utensils, as baking is a science and not “a little of this or a little of that” 
  • Don’t overmix dough or you’ll end up with “one tough cookie”
  • Chill dough well if the recipe calls for it so the dough will be easier to work with
  • Cut out as many cookies as possible on the first rolling when making rolled cookies
  • More flour is worked in each time the dough is rolled resulting in a dry, hard cookie
  • Allow at least 2 inches of space between cookies when placing on cookie sheets so air can circulate
  • Use bright, shiny aluminum cookie sheets rather than dark colored cookie sheets to prevent over browning
  • Bake cookies on the middle oven rack for the most even heat and air circulation
  • Don’t over bake - a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when a cookie is baked
  • Cookies will continue to bake after they are removed from the oven
  • Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely: 3 to 5 minutes for chewy cookies, and 1 minute for crispier cookies

Classic Holiday Sugar Cookies

When holiday baking comes to mind, so do sugar cutouts, and this recipe will quickly become a family favorite with its rich, buttery goodness. Gather the kids and some holiday cookie cutters for an afternoon of baking and decorating fun! 

Storing Cookies

  • Always cool cookies completely before storing them
  • Store crisp cookies separately from soft
  • Cookies may be stored in the freezer for 6 months in heavy duty freezer bags or airtight containers
  • Freeze fragile cookies on cookie sheets and once frozen, pack in airtight containers
  • If shipping cookies, wrap them individually and use popcorn to cushion the package for mailing
  • Place waxed paper between layers of cookies to keep them crisp and prevent them from sticking together


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