Baking Tips from Nestle - some really helpful ones right here.

TIP #1: BUTTER & CREAMING: The Nestle's recipe calls for creaming the room temperature butter and sugar. The goal is to end up with mixture where the butter is just light and fluffy, and stays cold.  In general, if you cream sugar with soft butter or do it too long, the butter can't form or hold air bubbles, resulting in a flat cookie. If at any time you get distracted or the dough is becoming too warm, place in refrigerator as is until chilled. Start with CHILLED butter right from the refrigerator versus room temperature. Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and chill again. Do not soften the butter to room temperature. Take from fridge and toss it in with the sugar.  Start creaming the ingredients together with a hand-held electric mixer, which is easier to control when making these cookies, rather than a stand one. Run the mixer over the butter lumps to break them up.   The butter lumps will not break up easily, occasionally stop the mixer and rub the butter and sugar together with your fingertips or a pastry blender until they do. Do so quickly and deftly to prevent the butter from melting. Resume creaming only until the butter and sugar mixture has just turned light in color and is still slightly grainy. Do not cream past this point. Refrigerate the mixture right after creaming for about 10 minutes before adding the eggs in the next step. I have found that this really helps. Or, use HALF BUTTER & HALF SHORTENING: The Nestle's recipe uses 100 % butter, which I prefer because of its taste. But, you can substitute it, 1 for 1 with shortening. Shortening produces a softer, thicker, chewier cookie. Butter's melting point is lower, at 92 - 98 degrees F. It melts in the oven before the starches in the flour have gelatinized allowing the cookies ample time to spread. Shortening  on the other hand, has a higher melting point of  98 - 110 F degrees, allowing for the flour's starches to set before the butter melts, resulting in a puffier one.   To get the best of both worlds, you can substitute half of the butter with (butter-flavored) shortening, both on the cool side of room temperature.

TIP #2: EGGS: The Nestle's recipe contains 2 large eggs. Mix them in THOROUGHLY, one at a time right from the refrigerator. Their slight chill helps to keep the butter as firm as possible through the final mixing stage. If you use room temperature ones, it will soften the texture of the dough.

TIP #3: The Nestle's recipe uses ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, but add in 1 to 2 tablespoons or 1/4 to 1/2 cup more than the flour called for in the recipe, making sure not to add too much; extra flour will make the cookies puffier. Use bread flour for a chewy cookie: since bread flour can absorb much more liquid than all purpose flour, more moisture will stay in the cookie.Bleached or chlorinated flours also reduce spread, but I don't use them.  I recommend you always mix in the flour by hand with a large spoon to as not to overmix and toughen the cookies.

TIP #4: CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Use 2/3 of the amount (SOB!!) of regular chocolate chips or use the full amount in mini ones, instead; it's helps to reduce cookie spread.There are way too many chocolate chips in the recipe which also causes the cookies to spread. (But, of course because Nestle's is in the business of selling chocolate chips, hence the large amount) .

TIP #5: Again, the Nestle's cookie-spread is also controlled through the TEMPERATURE of the dough. Keep the dough chilled at all times. It allows the butter to reharden so that the dough is firm and the cookies will spread less. After forming and before baking, if the room is warm, also chill the formed cookie dough on the baking sheet.

TIP #6: When baking the Nestle's cookies, the RIGHT PANS are essential. NON -insulated, non-stick and light colored cookie sheets, without rims are the best to use. The cookies bake the best on them.

TIP #7: DO NOT GREASE the cookie sheets; it will cause the Nestle's cookie to spread. Line them with parchment paper as it works best for preventing it.

TIP #8: PREHEAT THE OVEN and use an oven thermometer to measure accuracy. If the oven is too hot, the cookies will spread too much when put in the oven. Position rack in the center and preheat the oven. Place cookie sheets in the center of the rack. If using more than one, position a rack just above the center and one just below. Stagger the cookie sheets between the two. Rotate half-way through baking and switch the sheets on the racks.

TIP #9: Place the RECOMMENDED AND CONSISTENT SIZE of dough on the baking sheet for even baking. You don't want some cookies to over bake if larger than the others. Don't make the cookies too large because if you are trying to make them chewy and puffy, you won't be able to get them from the cookie sheet after baking. If you make them small, watch them carefully because cookies burn quickly. Some bakers use small ice cream scoops (#20 disher, to be exact) to help them keep a consistent cookie dough size. If you don't have one, use the tablespoon from your measuring spoon set.

TIP #10: It is better to SLIGHTLY UNDERBAKE the Nestle's dough for chewier cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven a few minutes before they are done, while their centers are still soft and not quite cooked through. The edges should be slightly golden but the middle will look even paler. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 - 10 minutes to harden a bit and remove to a wire cake rack to cool. If using parchment paper, simply remove the cookies on them to a cooling rack. Remove from paper when cooled.

TIP # 11: As with all cookies, make sure the baking pan has COMPLETELY COOLED before placing a new batch of dough on them. The fat in the recipe melts when placed on a warm sheet, causing an immediate spread.

TIP #12: And, always ENJOY YOUR HOMEMADE COOKIES, no matter how they turn out !!

Cooking Tips 1Baking Powder

To test the vitality of your baking powder, add a teaspoon of it to a third of a cup of hot water. If it foams and bubbles, it has enough oomph left. If it just sits there, it's time to run to the store or — here's a thought — you can make your own. Combine a tablespoon of baking soda with 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar and 1-1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. It may not have the same potency as a good store-bought double-acting baking powder, but it will serve in a pinch.

The Best Trifle Ever

Description:
I've never been a huge fan of trifle, but when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it.....well I wasn't disappointed & judging by the number of helpings Lee has had he didn't find it too shabby! It was on the menu last christmas and I believe it will make a repeat performance this year.

Ingredients:
* 500 gm box frozen mixed berries
*2&1/2 cups water
*1 cup caster sugar
*1 tsp vanilla bean paste
*300 ml thickened cream
*1/2 cup icing sugar
*250 gm mascarpone
* 18 salvolardi biscuits
* Extra berries and chocolate curls, to decorate (use your favourite chocolate)

Moscato Jelly
*1&1/2 tblsps powdered gelatine
*1/4 cup of water
*750 ml bottle pink moscato sparkling wine

You will also need a large 3 litre serving bowl.

Directions:
To make the moscato jelly sprinkle the gelatine over the water in a small heatproof jug. Sit the jug in a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until dissolved.
Meanwhile in a second saucepan stir the moscato over a medium heat until warm. Combine the gelatine & then pour into the large glass bowl you will serve the trifle in. Refrigerate until the jelly is set.

Once the jelly is set place the berries, water, sugar & half of the vanilla in a saucepan. Cook, stirring until the sugar is dissolved then bring to the boil. Strain & reserve the berries. Refrigerate the syrup and the berries until cold.

Beat the cream with icing sugar & the remainder of the vanilla until soft peaks form. Stir the mascarpone in another bowl until smooth and then fold into the cream.

Dip 1/2 of the biscuits, one at a time, into the berry syrup and arrange in one layer over the jelly.Sprinkle with 1/2 of the reserved berries. Then add 1/2 of the cream/marscapone mixture. Repeat.

Decorate the top with the extra berries and chocolate curls.