Okay. Maybe not. But I'd like to be.
Baking has always been something I enjoy. My parents have a photo of the first time I made cookies all by myself - no help from mom. During my teenage years I prided myself on the fact that my cookies were better than my mom's (HI MOM) - and she agrees. :)
Here is how to make better cookies than your mom.
1. Chill the dough. The more patient you are (when I'm trying to make a really impressive batch I keep the dough in the refrigerator for 36 hours) the better they will be. I discovered this by accident in high school when I started a batch late at night and realized if I kept going I'd be taking cookies out of the oven at 2 am. I swear by it.
2. Use bread flour and cake flour. All purpose flour is the enemy of "best ever" cookies. I stumbled upon this tip in this blog post from For Me For You. (And by the way, her recipe is literally the bomb.)
3. Stoneware is the only way to go. We have one piece of Pampered Chef stoneware we received as a wedding present and it so great. I really need to ask for more. The thing is...you don't use any nonstick spray. You cook something greasy on it the first time and presto! Nonstick for life, yo.
3. Don't overcook. I have discovered there is no tried and true temperature or time in the oven that works every time. Ovens are like relationships. Or fingerprints. Each one is different. My oven gets hotter the longer it's on so after the first batch I have to decrease the temperature. And always err on the undercooked side of life.
4. Leave them on the pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. If your cookies are slightly undercooked (remember - that's the goal), they need to sit on the pan a few minutes longer. After that, put them on a cooling rack so the air circulates around them and they cool evenly.
Take your cookies seriously, folks. This is a science.
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