Baking cookies is a much-loved American
tradition. The first American cookies were brought to this country
by Dutch, English and Scottish immigrants. The word cookie
originally came from the Dutch keokje, meaning "little cake." The
very first cookie was the drop cookie — a small spoonful of cake
batter, baked before the cake was. The cook could then judge the
oven temperature, the flavor and texture of the batter.
Before starting read your recipe all the way
through. Assemble your ingredients to make sure you have everything
you need.
Especially for bar cookies, use the pan size called for in the
recipe.
Measure ingredients correctly. Use a glass measuring cup for
liquids. Lightly spoon dry ingredients into the correct cup size.
Be sure to pack the brown sugar into the cup with the back of a
spoon.
Sift the flour if the recipe calls for it.
Remove cookies immediately from the baking sheet to racks to cool.
They will continue to cook if left on the hot cookie sheet.
Do not bake cookies on a pan with high sides, they will not brown or
bake correctly.
