Popular Dishes You've Been Making Wrong Your Whole Life

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Holiday cookies

When baking holiday cookies, they often have fun shapes and forms. Make sure you don't cook them on the top rack in the oven so they retain their shape while cooking more evenly. Also, don't soften your butter in the microwave. If it gets warmer than 68°, it won't cream the way it should. Instead, grate the butter, and it will reach room temperature quickly. And if you have the time, test 1 cookie by baking it solo before baking the whole batch. This ensures you spread out the dough properly and gives you a better estimate of how long the cook time will be. Take them out when the bottoms—not the edges—are lightly browned.