Helpful Tips

Check out these crunchy bits of information including helpful tips and tricks for creating your own perfect cookies. If you have tips, ideas, and photos to share, please send to baker@myperfectcookie.com

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Butter

I like 1 or 2-stick butter recipes. Having odd quantities of butter left over from a recipe is a pet peeve. 2-stick is the standard in the My Perfect Cookie® recipes. 2-sticks is 8 oz or 225 grams. You may purchase your butter in the 2 or 4 stick packs. Or, you may buy a large block and cut it into half for 8 oz or 225 grams.

Domestic butter is what I have been using. Sometimes, I use imported butter -  French, Irish, Finish, New Zealand. They have a higher fat content which makes the most amazing tasting cookies, especially sablés. Be careful, imported butter sticks are not equivalent in volume to domestic.

Silpat vs Parchment

I love using Silpat liners as they are reusable and so easy to wash.  Baking time needs to be increased by about 2 minutes for most recipes using Silpat. With parchment, the baking time is shorter.

Measuring Method

I use measuring cups and spoons for all my recipes. I know using a digital sale is the preferred method now. I may provide these measurements in the future.

I measure my flour by scooping the flour and sugars directly with my measuring cup and levelling with a knife. I do not fill my measuring cup by spoonful, which gives a looser volume. There is a volume difference. I do not sift my dry ingredients either.  It would be a nice step.

24-Hour Dough Method

There are bakers who "age" their dough in the refrigerator for 24 to 72 hours to produce cookies with better colour and flavour. Ingredients have time to develop, blend, and mature.  There are many bakers who have experimented with this method. My Perfect Cookie® is perfect for this method.  It also keeps the cookie dough log fresh, protected from food odour and shaped in the refrigerator.