• Chefs shared some key tips and tricks to make the best holiday cookies every time.
• You can make multiple types of cookies from one batch of dough.
• Using high-quality tools can make your baking process easier and save you some time.

Whether baking for yourself or as a gift for family and friends, you may find that sometimes your oven can be your worst enemy when you're baking cookies.

To make your winter baking a breeze, Business Insider spoke with chefs to get their best tips and tricks for making holiday cookies.

The key is to rest the dough and let cookies set

Michael Wallace, culinary director at Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces, told BI that home bakers need to allocate time to let the dough and finished treats sit.

"First thing I like to tell people is the importance of resting the dough," Wallace said. "I like to let it rest for at least two hours before baking."

"Next would be to allow the cookies to cool after baking for five minutes before transferring from the baking sheet," he said. "This allows the cookie to 'set up.'"

Wallace also said that unless you're using gluten-free flour, be cautious of overmixing your dough.

You should freeze your dough before baking 

Chef Tricia Brennan Nally told BI that you should prioritize letting your dough firm up in the freezer or fridge. 

"Scoop and freeze your dough before baking," Nally said. "Chilled dough is always best, but it's difficult to scoop when it's cold."

Adequate chilling time can vary depending on the dough you're using and the cookies you're trying to make, so do your research and allocate that waiting period ahead of baking.

Remember that less can be more

Nally added that it may be worth your time to focus on nailing one type of cookie rather than tackling a bunch of varieties at once. 

"I'm also a fan of quality over quantity," Nally said. "I'd rather give people one or two or the same kind of cookie — or any pastry — and have them be really good than give them 10 subpar cookies."

If you've already made different batches of dough, you can always place them in the freezer to bake at a later date.

You can make different kinds of cookies using the same dough

Nally also recommends baking different cookie varieties with the same dough to keep things fresh.

"Try making multiple kinds of cookies with the same dough base, like a sugar or shortbread dough that can be turned into thumbprint cookies, sandwich cookies, rolled for cutouts, etc.," Nally said. 

In addition to mixing up cookie shapes, you can also vary the way you decorate and plate your holiday treats.

Having good tools can sometimes make a difference

As a chef myself, I'll share a few parting words.

Always be sure to chill your dough before rolling it out – particularly if it is sugar-cookie dough. It needs time to firm up so that cookie cutters are able to create the sharpest lines.

I'd also recommend purchasing a bench knife, which will help you slice dough, cut butter into flour, and more — having the right tools in the kitchen can make all the difference.

Other items I'd recommend you stock up on are different size cookie scoops, a small offset spatula, and a Silpat baking mat.

This story was originally published in December 2018 and most recently updated on December 19, 2024.

• I'm a pro baker, and I make these easy peppermint crunch cookies every holiday season.
• The ingredients for this recipe can be found at just about any grocery store.
• The recipe results in a soft, chewy cookie with plenty of holiday flavor.

When the holiday season hits, so do the invitations for cookie exchanges and festive parties.

And, as a professional baker and recipe developer, I'm always looking for creative spins on the classics.

So, every year, I make a big batch of these peppermint crunch cookies — and anyone who tries them asks me for the recipe.

Here's how to make them at home.

Grab all of your ingredients.

For these cookies, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup oats.
• 4 ounces of good-quality baking chocolate
• 14 mini or four regular-sized peppermint candy canes.

Before starting the dough, chop the chocolate on a cutting board and crush the candy canes into small, fine pieces.

You can crush up round peppermint candies instead if preferred.

Start by creaming the softened butter and sugars.

To make these cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl and set it aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until the mixture is well-combined and fluffy.

Then, mix in the egg and peppermint extract.

Add the dry ingredients to finish the dough.

Gradually mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until the cookie dough comes together.

Next, mix the oats into the cookie dough.

Mix in the chocolate and crushed peppermint.

To finish off the dough, mix in the chopped chocolate and the crushed candy canes until well incorporated.

Transfer the dough to the fridge and let it chill for 15 minutes. This quick step will help to produce the ideal cookie texture.

Scoop and bake the dough.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to ensure the cookies won't stick while baking.

If you don't have parchment paper, spritz your sheet with a light coating of cooking spray.

Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough. Roll enough balls until smooth, flatten gently, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

If you don't have a scoop, which helps create uniform balls of dough, eyeball it and grab sections with your hands.

Bake the cookies until the edges start to turn golden.

With 12 balls of dough evenly spaced out on the cookie sheet, place it in the oven. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges turn golden.

Take the cookies out of the oven and let them sit on the hot baking sheet on top of the oven for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

This will help to create a wonderfully chewy center.

The finished cookie is delicious.

These cookies are great to bring to any holiday gathering.

They're soft, chewy, and incredibly flavorful, thanks to the chunks of chocolate and crushed candy canes.

Plus, you can always play around with the fixings to make a custom cookie that's perfect for you.

• I tried three kinds of packaged ginger cookies from the grocery store.
• Tate's gluten-free ginger zinger cookies impressed me with bits of crystallized ginger.
• The best store-bought gingerbread cookies were Little Debbie's iced gingerbread cookies.

Nothing says the holiday season like a ginger cookie for dessert.

Many brands release seasonal versions of their most popular items during the holidays, from peppermint Milano cookies to Reese's peanut-butter Christmas trees.

I tried three kinds of ginger-flavored cookies, all of which can be found on most grocery store shelves and pack just the right amount of spice for the holiday season.

Here's how store-bought gingerbread cookies ranked, from worst to best.

My least favorite brand of cookie was Tate's Bake Shop's gingersnap cookies.

The bag cost $5.79 at my local Key Food Marketplace.

The bag came with 14 cookies.

This is comparable to other brands of packaged cookies I usually buy.

The cookies were very crispy, but they were not hard to bite into.

Sometimes I find ginger snaps can be a little tough, but these ones crumbled easily.

The cookies were a touch too spicy for my liking.

I thought the cookies tasted strongly of spices like cinnamon and molasses but were slightly off-balance in sweetness.

These cookies were borderline spicy, which I'm personally not a huge fan of. However, I did enjoy the texture.

Next up were Tate's gluten-free ginger zinger cookies.

These cookies, the most expensive of the ones I tried, cost $5.99 at my local Key Food Marketplace.

This package also came with 14 cookies.

However, unlike the ginger snaps, these cookies supposedly contained pieces of crystallized ginger. I was excited to see how the flavors would measure up.

The cookies were about the same size as the ginger snaps but slightly thicker.

I could also see the pieces of ginger on the surface of the crispy cookies.

These cookies were sweet, with just the right amount of ginger flavor.

I loved the texture of the crispy cookies and the crystallized ginger and thought these were just as good as any non-gluten-free cookies I've ever tried.

My favorite of the three kinds of ginger cookies was the Christmas gingerbread soft cookies from Little Debbie.

At my local Stop & Shop grocery store, a box of eight cookies cost $3.59. They were the least expensive, but the box also contained the fewest cookies.

Each cookie came individually wrapped.

I thought these cookies would be a really cute touch for a festive school lunch or snack on the go.

The cookies were sweeter than the other two kinds I tried.

The icing and smattering of red and green sprinkles upped the sweetness, but I also preferred the softer texture of these gingerbread cookies compared to the other two kinds.

Aesthetically, I also thought these were the most festive for the holiday season.

The cookies brought me back to my childhood with their perfect balance of sweetness, spiciness, and soft texture.

While I enjoyed all of these cookies, I would choose the classic gingerbread cookies for a sweet, festive treat.

• As a baker with over 10 years of experience, I've learned some great cookie-baking tips.
• Properly creaming the butter and sugar is key for achieving great texture.
• For soft, chewy cookies, let them cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.

Whether you're baking for one or a whole party, homemade cookies are always a hit.

After working at a grocery store and owning my own bakery, I have several tricks I use every time I make cookies.

Cream the butter and sugar properly

Creaming butter and sugar is the first step for countless cookie recipes.

Simply mixing softened butter with granulated sugar or brown sugar until combined isn't enough. It's important to really whip the ingredients together for several minutes to create air bubbles in the mixture.

Those bubbles play a key role once the dough is in the oven by creating steam, which ultimately results in a great texture.

Proper creaming typically takes three to five minutes, depending on your mixer. The final product will be pale and fluffy and ready for room-temperature eggs.

Use pure vanilla extract

Most cookie recipes call for vanilla extract — especially chocolate-chip and sugar cookies.

However, the flavor will only be as good as the ingredients you add.

Vanilla extract is used to enhance the flavors of other ingredients and add its own distinct flavor, so it's best to stick to a pure, high-quality option. Artificial extract won't achieve the same incredible results.

Pay attention to chilling time

Not all recipes call for chilling time, but if your dough does, be sure to follow it. It's a crucial step to preventing cookies from spreading too much while baking.

Part of what controls the spread is the butter.

At room temperature, it's quite soft. Chilling the dough gives the fat time to solidify again, which ultimately takes longer to melt in the oven.

Use a cookie-dough scoop

Want cookies that are uniform in size and shape? Use a cookie-dough scoop to evenly divide the dough.

They look like mini ice-cream scoops and can be found in multiple sizes.

Just scoop the dough, roll it into a ball, and place it on your baking sheet.

Always line your baking sheets

The key to preventing cookies from sticking is lining your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Many recipes suggest greasing the sheet, but that can often impact the way the cookies spread.

Parchment paper on its own prevents sticking without affecting the dough. Plus, it can be reused multiple times while baking several sheets of cookies.

Give the cookies some space

It varies depending on the type of cookie, but pretty much every dough will spread while baking — even if it's just the slightest amount.

When you're placing dough on a baking sheet, give each cookie 1 ½ to 2 inches of space to ensure they don't merge together while baking.

Keep an eye on your cookies in the oven

Even set to a uniform 350 degrees Fahrenheit, every oven will bake a bit differently.

It's important to check your cookies a few minutes before the recipe's baking time is up.

Cookies are usually done when the edges are lightly golden brown, which may be several minutes before or after the timer actually goes off.

For softer cookies, let them finish baking out of the oven

If you're a fan of soft, chewy cookies, the key is to pull them out at the right moment.

Once the edges of the cookies have just started to brown, remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it on the stovetop.

Allow the residual heat from the baking sheet to finish off the cookies for two to three minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

This story was originally published in December 2022 and most recently updated on December 9, 2024.

• Culinary pros shared their tips for making cookies from premade mixes and doughs taste homemade.
• They recommended adding salty mix-ins like pretzels, chips, or nuts to the dough.  
• Rolling the dough in spices or a fun garnish can elevate your cookies.

Not everyone has the time or skill to bake fresh, homemade cookies. Fortunately, using premade dough or mixes doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality or flavor.

To help you step up your baking game, Business Insider asked three chefs to share their tips for making store-bought cookie dough and mixes taste homemade.

Add spice to your dough.

You can upgrade your cookie dough by adding spices to it, said Tracy Wilk, lead chef at the Institute of Culinary Education. .

To do so, combine ground cinnamon, ginger, and sugar, and then roll your balls of cookie dough in the mix before baking. This can result in a warm, spicy cookie.

If you're feeling bold, you can even spice up your cookies with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper, said Jackie Newgent, chef and author of "The Clean and Simple Diabetes Cookbook."

Punch up the flavor of your cookies with extracts.

To add depth to your cookies, add a few drops of a pure flavor extract to your dough, Newgent said.

This is a simple way to personalize the cookies to your liking or give them a unique twist each time you bake them. Some extracts to try include peppermint, lemon, vanilla, coffee, almond, or coconut.

Before baking, roll the dough in a garnish of your choice.

Another way to add flavor or texture to your cookies is by rolling the balls of dough in your garnish of choice, Jennifer Hill Booker, chef, cookbook author, and culinary educator, told Business Insider. 

To start, you can try using chopped nuts, sanding sugar, miniature chocolate chips, cocoa powder, or sprinkles. 

Stir nuts into the dough for an added crunch.

For added texture, crunch, and color, stir nuts into your cookie dough.

Newgent said pecans, walnuts, and macadamia nuts can work — but, if you want a real homemade feel, you may want to use nuts that aren't commonly found in store-bought cookies, like pistachios. 

Add in your favorite savory snacks, like chips or pretzels.

Mix-ins are another great way to add a unique flavor to a cookie and make it seem like you spent a lot of time making them.

"Plop in a surprise ingredient that you love, like crushed pretzels, potato chips, roasted chickpeas, or popped popcorn," Newgent told BI. 

Top your cookies with flaked sea salt.

Try topping cookies with a pinch of flaky sea salt before you put them in the oven, Newgent said.  

"Salt helps to balance sweetness, providing a more well-rounded taste and bonus deliciousness," she told BI.

Dip your cookies in chocolate or drizzle it on top.

Use a bit of melted chocolate to give your cookies a high-end look and homemade flavor, Wilk said. 

"Once the cookies are baked and cooled, dip them into chocolate or drizzle them with it," she said. "This will give a finished and fancy look without a lot of extra work."

Add citrus zest to your cookies to give them a fresh taste.

Newgent told BI that if you really want to impress, you can use freshly grated citrus zest as a cookie topper.

She said orange pairs well with many chocolate cookies and lemon can elevate vanilla ones. 

"It'll make the cookies seem extra special and kind of fancy," she said. 

This story was originally published on May 15, 2020, and most recently updated on December 5, 2024.