A guide to making the perfect batch of cookies

*Look, I may not be a pro-baker but I've made cookies more than enough times to know what I'm doing. (I hope so at least)**

Butter

In many recipes you will find people preparing butter in several different ways: double-boiled, creamed, melted, blended in a food processor, and the list goes on. Many of these techniques are time-consuming just for a simple cookie so I wouldn't recommend it. What I do recommend though is choosing between creaming butter, melting butter, or browning butter.

• Creaming Butter is taking your softened butter and sugar, then using a whisk or hand mixer to whip them up. During this process, you are incorporating your butter and sugar thoroughly. Additionally, as you whip, more air will be incorporated which will make your cookies light in texture. The only downside, in my experience, is that it doesn't allow the cookies to spread as much. But in terms of the texture it brings, this method is perfect.
• Melting butter is a much simpler, and less time-consuming (by like 3 minutes) method to make cookies. All you need to do is microwave the butter, add it to your sugar, and whisk away. Unlike the creamed butter, you won't be aerating it so the texture won't be as light, more towards a heavy texture. But despite that, it'll make your cookies extra chewy. So if you like your cookies to be more filling, I recommend doing this method.
• Browning butter is an even better method when it comes to incorporating butter into cookies. Out of the three methods, this is the most complicated one as it involves a stovetop and close inspection to make sure nothing burns. Though this is the "hardest" method, it adds so much more flavor to your cookies. The additional nutty flavor browning butter brings makes the cookies rich and delightful Genuinely, this method is a game-changer.

Sugar

Sugar is a vital ingredient in your cookies, as it is the most important sweetener throughout the whole recipe. Honestly, you only need around 40-50grams of sugar(per type), but I've seen some people use up to 100g. The two sugars you should be using in your cookies are brown sugar and white sugar, at a 1:1 ratio.

• Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar? From my experiences, dark brown sugar is better for cookies as it has more molasses. It adds a deeper flavor and has some acidity to it making it taste even better. However, It's pretty hard to find good dark brown sugar for a good price, so light brown sugar is a safer way out. 

Flour

I've seen people use a mixture of cake flour, almond flour, coconut flour, oatmeal, and many other substitutes, but nothing beats all purpose flour. You can use any flour you want in your diet, but preferably for me AP flour is simple and easy. What you don't want to mess up when incorporating your flour is adding too much. Too much flour will prevent the cookies from spreading and it'll turn into a biscuit like dessert. Moreover, it'll turn your cookies into a dense and dry cookie :(

Chocolate

You can add literally anything into your cookies, and you can customize it according to your favorites. A simple chocolate chip cookie only uses chocolate though. I recommend using if not all dark chocolate, then a half dark chocolate and half semi-sweet chocolate ratio.

Things to Remember

• To add additional flavor you should always add a tad bit of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
• ALWAYS REST YOUR DOUGH IN THE FRIDGE FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES
• When you incorporate your flour, be careful to not overmix your dough so they won't be weirdly crispy, and flat.

Cookies are simple and easy to make, but there are also many things to consider. With all the complication, it's important to have fun in the process and experiment with things you enjoy. Whether they are cookies for you, a family member, or friend, a cookie is a cookie, and there are many varieties. So don't be discouraged when your cookies don't turn out the way you wanted them to. It's all part of the learning process. :)

- Jan C.