Make sure cookies cool completely before storing. Store them at room temperature in an air-tight container, like Tupperware. Store different flavors separately. Over time, strongly flavored cookies like molasses or mint will seep into other cookies, so if possible store each flavor in its own container.
Thanks! Dry the cookie out either using a food dehydrator if you have one or in a room where it won’t be attacked by ants or hungry houseguests for about a week. If you dry it out in a room, having a dehumidifer in the room will work especially well.
To turn decorated cookies into ornaments punch a hole through the top of the cookie with a chopstick before baking. When they’re baked, string a ribbon through the hole and you‘ve got an edible ornament.
Storage and Packaging For Decorated Cookies
If you don’t have a heat sealer or cello bags, an airtight container will keep them fresh for a few days. Store the cookies in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight (not in the refrigerator!).
Make Ahead Tips
You can store the dough in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days before baking. When ready to bake, scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons and follow the recipe baking instructions.
Can sugar cookies be left out overnight? Yes. Sugar cookies can be stored in a cookie jar at room temperature for 2-3 days or in a cool, dry, airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Bake your cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of your cookie. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.
Dried or drying royal icing should not be refrigerated. How do I store royal icing? Royal icing made with meringue powder or powdered egg whites can be stored at room temperature. To keep the royal icing from crusting, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the royal icing.
Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn’t enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.
For most cookies, there’s enough fat in the dough to keep them from sticking to your baking sheets—no greasing required. If you grease the pans unnecessarily, the dough will flatten too much as it bakes. Related, reusing baking sheets for multiple batches of cookies can be another cause of flat cookies.
Parchment Paper or Silpat
Baking your cookies on a baking sheet that has been greased may make sugar cookies spread. Use a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat when you bake and it can help the cookies hold their shape.
One of the most common reasons why cookies didn’t spread out in the oven is because you added too much flour. Cookies rely on the perfect ratio of butter to flour in order to spread just the right amount when baked. It’s very easy to over measure flour when using cup measurements.
1. Unless you want cakey cookies, avoid using baking powder: The cookies made with both the single- and double-acting baking powders were just too darn cakey. 2. Baking soda helps cookies spread more than baking powder.
Why Do Cookies Get Hard? Like all baked treats, cookies are subject to getting stale. Over time, the moisture in the cookies evaporates, leaving them stiff and crumbly. The longer they sit, the more stale they become.
The heat of the oven will only dry them out more and make them hard as rocks. Microwaving them. If you cover your cookies with a wet paper towel and nuke them for a few seconds, they should soften up enough to eat.
A secret baker’s trick is to rest your cookie dough in the fridge. You can rest it for at least an hour, which will evaporate some of the water and increase the sugar content, helping to keep your cookies chewy. The longer you allow your dough to rest in the fridge, the chewier your cookies will be.
Use Cornstarch in Dry Ingredients: Cornstarch, a thickening ingredient, is the secret weapon in this cookie recipe. 2 teaspoons give the cookies extra lift and leave them extra soft. You can’t taste it! You also need all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
The dough needs a little extra flour, which makes it stiffer. The stiff dough spreads less, less liquid evaporates, and the cookies are thicker. Mass also helps cookies stay moist–big dollops of dough make softer and chewier cookies than tiny spoonfuls of dough.
Baking soda is strong. In fact, it is about 3-4x stronger than baking powder. More baking soda in a recipe doesn’t necessarily mean more lift. You want to use *just enough* to react with the amount of acid in the recipe.
David Nilsen is the former editor of Fourth & Sycamore. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. You can find more of his writing on his website at davidnilsenwriter.com and follow him on Twitter as @NilsenDavid.