Cooling and Storing Cookies

If you make cookies that you have to cut into bars when they have been baked, you know it can be hard to get them cut neatly. You can have perfectly cut bar cookies with no jagged pieces if you score the cookie dough as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let it cool completely and then cut the bars along the lines you made.

Always let your cookies cool completely before you put them in a container. If you seal them away while they're still warm, they will sweat and become soggy. (You'll notice condensation on the inside of the container.)

Instead of using a wire cooling rack when you are making cookies, try using paper bags. They absorb excess grease, and when you are finished they can be thrown in the trash.

Store your different types of cookie separate from each other.

• Store your fragile cookies in a shallow dish so the layers of cookies above them don't break them.
• Store your soft cookies with a slice of apple (throw away and replace the apple slice every few days—it will start to rot if you leave it too long) in an airtight container to keep them moist.
• Store your crisp cookies in a cookie jar or tin in a dry area. Make sure the lid doesn't seal in excess moisture. (If you live in a humid area, keep your cookies covered tightly.)
• Store your cookies with cream fillings in the refrigerator so the filling doesn't go bad.
• Store decorated cookies in single layers, if possible, to avoid messing up the decorations. If you must stack them, use a piece of wax paper between each layer.

Use the crumbs at the bottom of the cookie jar as a tasty topping for ice cream or yogurt.

If you want to save your cookies for more than a few days, put them in a freezer bag, press out all the air, and freeze them. Most cookies will last several weeks in the freezer.

Need to soften hard cookies? Put them in an airtight tin or jar with a piece of fresh bread, an apple wedge, or a wet paper towel wrapped in aluminum foil.

Need to crisp soggy cookies? Put them on a clean baking sheet and into the oven for a few minutes at 300°F.

When you're in the mood for homemade cookies but you've run out of them, fake some in a jiffy by baking bits of marshmallow on graham crackers or other plain store-bought cookies. Make them even better by adding some chocolate chips or pieces from a chocolate bar (like an indoor s'more).