Good cooking or baking tips for anything - what not to do or to do from past experiences?

Question

I have one first...

DON"T substitute chocolate chips for raisins or add chocolate chips to it in oatmeal raisin cookie recipes.

The cinnamon and nutmeg spices that go well with the raisins don't go as well with the chocolate chips... it's not gross, it's just not very good.

And oatmeal raisin cookies are usually better spread out rather than in lumps because they cook more evenly.

Any other cooking tips? mistakes good to know not to make?

thanks!

Answer 1

Do use the electric hand mixer to cream butter and sugars.

Do NOT use the hand mixer to blend in the flour...flat cookies.



Do toss the M&Ms on top of the cookies halfway through baking.

Do NOT try to mix them in the dough.



If your oven cooks unevenly (like ours at work) turn the pan around halfway through baking.



A smidge of lemon extract or zest adds a very subtle incredible flavor to those M&M cookies.  It works really well!