How to Make Cookies

By Casey Barber

There's nothing more delicious than a good cookie from scratch, so it's an absolute must you learn how to make cookies at home! But before getting out the ingredients for a cookie-baking session, you first must ask yourself the all -important question: do you like your homemade cookies chewy or crispy?

Choose your fat accordingly for baking: butter produces a crispier, flatter cookie, while shortening makes a chewier cookie with a higher rise. Whichever you prefer, the first step in all cookie baking is to beat your fat with sugar until pale and fluffy. Add flour and baking powder for extra leavening, along with eggs to keep the dough together and liquid to keep the dough moist.

Mix-ins, like the eternally classic chocolate chip, nuts like walnuts or almonds or flavorings like cinnamon or Nutella make each cookie special and individual.

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp light corn syrup
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.

2. Mix together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer set on high speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, corn syrup, and vanilla. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to combine. On low speed, mix into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips, or reserve for sprinkling.

3. Drop tablespoons of the dough on the baking sheets, spacing them 1in (2.5cm) apart. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the cookies, if reserved. Bake about 15 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

Check out our slideshow above for more tantalizing cookie recipes!

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