Easy Cookie Recipes - Florentine Lace Cookies ~ Easy Cookie Recipes | Chocolate Cookies | Peanut Butter Cookies | Sugar Cookies

Image : One Perfect Bite
Ingredients :-

1/2 cup ground almonds (about 2-oz.)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation Instructions :-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Position two oven racks in the middle and upper third of oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a food processor, grind almonds finely; measure out 1/2 cup and set aside.It is also possible to buy ground almonds for use in this recipe.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, heat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and corn syrup until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring often.
Increase the heat to medium high and, stirring constantly, bring mixture JUST to a boil. Immediately remove pan from the heat and stir in flour and salt until incorporated. Stir in ground almonds and vanilla extract.
Drop batter using a teaspoon, 3-inches apart, on prepared cookie sheets (about 1/2 dozen cookies per cookie sheet). Prepare all your pans of cookies at this time even though you are only going to bake 1 or 2 sheets at a time.
Bake cookies until evenly light brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes until cookies spread, become thin, and take on a deep golden color. If you are using 2 cookie sheets switch top to bottom and back to front at 5 minute mark to promote even baking. Cookies will begin to spread 6 minutes into baking time.
Line wire cooling racks with plastic wrap. When cookies are done baking, remove cookies from oven and, as soon as they're firm enough to lift off baking sheet (which will take just a few minutes), use a wide spatula to transfer them to prepared cooling racks to cool completely. Allowing cookies to cool slightly on cookie sheets will also cause them to flatten out more.
NOTE: If cookies become too cold and hard to remove from baking sheet without shattering them, replace pan in the oven to soften the cookies again. Bake remaining cookies; batter will have firmed up a bit, but that is fine. Store flat cookies between sheets of parchment paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.
Yield: 25 to 30 cookies.

Source : Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday

Easy Cookie Baking Tips

> Use soft butter

> Cream butter and sugar well

> Check expiration date on your leavening agents

> Flour should be measured properly

> Sift all the dry ingredients

> Pre-crack eggs into a separate bowl

> Mix eggs one at a time, mixing well in between

> Add dry ingredients slowly

> Mix in dry ingredients just until blended

> Hand mix in the chocolate chips and nuts

> Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to make cookies the same size

> Use parchment paper

> Bake just until cookie edges are brown

> Let cookies sit on cookie sheet

> Start over on cool cookie sheet

> Scoop cookie dough BEFORE freezing

> Buy a good oven thermometer

5 Essential Rules to Making Good Cookies:

1) Do not overbake. For those of you who have read my blog for a while you know this is a pet peeve of mine. I have a hard time leaving any cookie alone but if it's overbaked I can easily leave it. It ruins everything about the cookie when it's overbaked...the texture, the color, the taste...

2) Always use real butter. Some of you may argue with me on that but these are my rules so real butter it is. If it says to have your butter at room temperature, make sure it is. That makes a huge difference too when you have to cream the ingredients together.

3) Use parchment paper. I never make cookies without it. I've done tests, one batch with it and one without parchment paper and the ones with parchment paper always win. You can reuse it too most of the time.

4) Always use real pure vanilla...not extract. I can tell the difference in taste when extract is used so splurge a little and buy the good stuff.

5) Use large or x-large eggs. Most recipes don't specify but in general when they call for eggs in the recipe they assume you are going to use large or x-large eggs.