Half-Baked

I am not a baking genius. To be a baking genius, you must adhere to the ethics of the scientist…and I am an artist, dammit!

But there are some things that I have learned to make the cookie onslaught easier.

Butter
Use real butter, holiday cookies deserve it. Not whipped, not margarine, not oleo, not I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, just Land O’ Lakes or Hope Creamery. And stick to unsalted, it’s sweeter and lighter and doesn’t mess with the salt content of the recipe. I’m not usually omniscient enough to pull the butter out of the cooler ahead of time, so the whole “room temperature” thing usually escapes me.

Sugar
Powdered sugar = confectioners sugar
Granulated sugar = table sugar
Splenda/Equal = the Grinch

Flour
All-purpose flour will yield the best cookies. If you are on a big whole wheat kick, be aware that whole wheat flour usually makes for a heavy, chewy cookie. BUT…King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat flour gives you all the nutrition of whole wheat without the hippie-chick branding.

Also, melting a Rolo onto a pretzel is NOT a cookie.