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Who would not want to see warm, freshly baked cookies awaiting him or her in the morning?

However, like everything, perfect cookies have their own little secrets as well and experts agree that the key to the most delicious cookies is to use the best ingredients and proper method.

If we change a single ingredient (e.g. if we use soda instead of baking powder) or if we fail to follow the exact method of preparation, we can obtain a different result.

We have collected the most important and easy tips on how to prepare and bake the most delicious cookies, and all you have to do is follow them.

Homemade baking powder

Homemade baking powder is pure and contains no preservatives, which means that it has a good flavour and helps the preparation of the most delicious cookies. To make it, mix 2 parts of cream of tartar with 1 part of baking soda and add cornstarch to blend the two components better.

Use cold butter or oil

Regardless of what the recipe specifies, make sure that the oil or butter is cold before you start mixing the ingredients. This will make the cookies puffy and more delicious.

Flour

Universal and hard flour will make your cookies more thin and crispy whereas soft and pastry flour will make them rise even more.

Knead gently  

Do not make any sudden moves when kneading and be gentle. Use a very light pressure and do not knead the dough long. The warmth of your hands will melt the butter or oil and if the dough is very warm, the cookies will be very hard.

Use cold milk

If you have to add milk, make sure it is cold in order for your cookies to become puffy.

To avoid honey sticking

If the recipe uses honey or molasses, brush the baking dish with oil to remove the sticky syrup more easily.

Keep the cookies fresh

Store the cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh. If they become very soft, you can put them back in the oven for a while or put some rice in the storing container to absorb moisture.

Decorate them ... tasty

Before you bake the cookies decorate them and dust them with plain or coloured sugar, or use nuts and raisins. You can also make a small hole in the middle and fill it with jam or chocolate chips.

Mistakes you should avoid

Avoid mixing the butter and sugar not as long as required. The butter mixture should be soft, fluffy, and yellow in colour, which requires no more than three minutes. This helps towards forming microscopic air bubbles that expand during baking and help the cookies become puffy.

Avoid mixing the butter and sugar longer than required. Stop mixing when the mixture becomes pale yellow and fluffy, otherwise all those bubbles that you have just made will burst and the cookies will remain hard and will not be puffy.

Avoid putting the cookies very close to one another in the baking dish. Give your cookies enough room to become puffy and do not bake all of them at once.

Avoid burning the cookies. Check the cookies after the time stated in the recipe has passed and remove them from the oven when they are slightly golden on top and bottom and hard in the edges. Even just a few minutes longer in the oven can make your cookies too hard or dark when cool.

Types and recipes

You can make cookies filled with jam or chocolate, with cocoa cream or candies, and many other types to your liking.