The 12 days of cookies
The traditional song "The 12 Days of Christmas" recounts geese a-laying, lords a-leaping, gold rings, hens, swans and a partridge in a pear tree. Celebrate with 12 different kinds of deilicious cookies: make-ahead and mellow cookies, snappy thins, voluptuous drop-and-mould cookies, glazed and sugar-coated treats, spicy nibbles and more. They're all easy to make, and perfect for entertaining, exchanging with pals, and giving as gifts of love and caring.
Measure for measure
Careful measuring of ingredients is the key to baking success. Follow either the imperial or metric system throughout a recipe -- never a combination.
Dry ingredients: Lightly spoon dry ingredient (for example, all-purpose flour and granulated sugar) into measure, filling until heaping. Level off by running straight edge of knife across top. Do not pack or tap measure when filling. Brown sugar, however, should be packed down until it holds the shape of the measure when turned out.
Liquid ingredients: Place liquid measure on counter; pour in liquid to desired level, bending down to check measurement at eye level and adjusting as necessary.
Fat ingredients: For soft fats, press firmly into dry measure, then level off top. For butter and other firm fats, use package markings as guides to slice off amount called for. No markings? Use the displacement method: If a recipe calls for 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, fill measure with 1/2 cup (125 mL) water; submerge enough butter to make water level rise to 1 cup (250 mL).
