Holiday Cookie Mistakes Everyone Makes

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8. Not Making the Sugar Work in the Right Conditions

Sugar work is often the undoing of talented chefs on popular cooking shows, but don't let that scare you. Like caramel, you need to be careful of sugar crystals forming during the cooking process, but you also need to watch out for humid air. Humidity turns sugar from glass into a sweet, wimpy mess. If you have been cooking all day, open a window to let out some of the heavy air and change the indoor atmosphere. Only make the sugar work a few hours before you serve the cookies, as it will draw moisture from the air and soon grow slack.

We don't recommend using sugar work while decorating cookies as a family, because hot sugar is extremely hot.