About Cookies and Mothers

A house should have a cookie jar for when it's half past three

And Children hurry home from school as hungry as can be,

There's nothing quite so splendid as spicy ginger cakes,

With a glass of milk and great big smile, from loving hands that bake.

A house should have a mother just waiting with a hug,

No matter what a boy brings home a puppy or a bug!

For Children only loiter when the bell rings to dismiss, If no one's

Home to greet them with a cookie and a kiss.

-Author unknown

Today I am a mother and a nurse.  Home with an ill little girl.  She'll be fine as soon as this little bug runs it's course.  But in the mean time she is laying in my lap, hugging my arm so sweet while she sleeps.  With that said, there will be no baking today, I would much rather sit and cuddle my baby.

Instead how about some cookie tips.

Did you know that the best pan to use for cookies are light weight, and shiny?  They warm faster, conduct the heat better and more evenly than the heavy dark non-stick ones.  Something like one of these works great. Airbake Ultra by T-Fal Insulated 20 x 15.5-Inch Mega Cookie Sheet or Wilton Recipe Right Cookie/Jelly Roll Pan, 17-1/4 by 11-1/2-Inch.  And just so you know, I put the little linkies in just to show you what I'm talking about, not to try to get you to order the product.  Though I do love Amazon.

And for the best baked cookie they should all be as close to the same size as you can get them and the same thickness.  I know the thickness can be tricky especially on cut out cookies, but you can either buy the silicon bands that slip on your rolling pin, like these Regency Wraps Rolling Hills Rolling Pin Rings or do what I do, add rubber bands on top of one another until I get the thickness I want.

Some cookies call for a greased pan, other's call for non-greased pan.  Well I do neither I use parchment paper.  You can use the same sheet several times during a batch of cookies. Like I said before, who wants to scrub a pan when you can just toss the paper? So go ahead and buy a roll it will last you a while and has so many uses.  Now just because I use parchment doesn't mean I don't occasionally burn the bottom of a pan of cookies.  Okay you got me EVERY time I bake cookies I get one pan a little done black on the bottom. Well I have a fix for that little problem.  You know that grater in your pantry pull it out and rub it across the bottom of the cookies a few times and wa-la a perfectly edible cookie.

And here's my last tip for today and it has nothing to do with cookies....But did you know that if you put an apple in your potato bin your potatoes wont sprout eyes???

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.  Now go put that apple in your potatoes I know you want to test it out.