Making Your Best Cookies Better

1. Always start baking with the cookie sheets at room temperature. If the cookie sheet is warm, your dough might melt and spread out.
2. To soften crisp cookies, store in an airtight container with a slice of apple.
3. Freeze drop cookie dough by placing dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets and freezing until hardened, and then transferring to a freezer bag. Dough can be baked straight from the freezer; just add a few minutes of baking time.
4. Use small ice cream scoops to make uniformly sized drop cookies.
5. Short on cookie sheets? Remove your oven rack before preheating the oven, cover the rack with foil, and use it as a baking sheet.
6. Transfer slightly overbaked cookies immediately to wire cooling racks to prevent further cooking.
7. Refresh slightly stale cookies by microwaving them for 10 to 15 seconds.