http://www.monkeychocolate.com/cookies/baking-cookies/ Baking cookies is a favorite family pastime shared by mothers and their children. Most people have fond memories of baking cookies with their moms. en-us Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:25:22 EST Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:25:22 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 Baking cookies with your mom is probably one of your favorite childhood memories. The funny thing is, the memories are different the older you get. But one thing is certain--you don't have a bad memory about baking cookies (even if you mess them up). Baking Cookies: A Family Tradition Baking cookies is not only a tradition shared in most families, but almost a rite of passage. In some families, cookies are a rare and special treat. When you're really small, it can be exciting to stand on a kitchen chair and pour the chocolate chips in the dough for your mom. When you get a little older, your mom might let you crack the eggs and put them in the dough. The older girls get, the more they learn about it. Finally at about age 12 or 13 (sometimes even younger) girls attempt their first batch of cookies without mom's help. Sometimes they turn out to be really good, but many times, mistakes are made that turn into funny stories. Boys lose interest in baking cookies fairly quickly. (That is, until it's time to lick the beaters, sample dough or eat a warm cookie right out of the oven.) Cookie-Baking Tips Now, there are a few tricks when it comes to baking cookies. Some people in your family might like their cookies crispy, while others might like them soft, and others might like crispy edges with soft centers. Crispy cookies are the easiest to make. If you want to make a crispy cookie, don't take the cookies out of the oven until they start to change colors. When you take them out of the oven, don't leave them on the cookie sheet more than a minute though. Take them off right away and put them on a cooling rack. Making softer cookies is trickier, and it's all in the baking time. As a cookie bakes, it spreads and cracks on the top a little bit. When the cookie looks like it's almost done, but the dough in the cracks looks like it isn't done yet, take the cookies out of the oven, but leave them on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes longer. Although they are no longer in the oven, they will continue to bake, but they won't bake enough to get crispy. A cookie with crispy edges and soft centers can bake just a little longer than a soft cookie, but not much. Hopefully you can use these tips to make your cookies the way each member of your family likes them, while creating some family memories. Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:25:22 EST