TIPS : Perfect Preparation

Biscuits of all types, shapes and sizes are easy to make, providing you follow the recipes carefully. Here are some extra tips to help you bake perfect batches every time.

Equipment

Bake macaroons, biscuits, cookies, meringues and biscotti on flat oven trays with tiny sides.

• If the sides are over 1cm (1/2 inch) high, baking and browning of the biscuits will be inadequate and/or uneven. It's better to use the base of an upturned cake pan rather a high-sided tray.
• Some non-stick oven trays cause biscuits to burn on the bottom; reduce the oven temperature to stop this. Do a test run on new tray.
• Rectangular slice (slab, bar or lamington) pans vary in size, quality, depth and finishes and can have straight or sloping sides. There's not much difference in their capacities. If the pan is quite full of mixture, the slice will take longer to bake than if the mixture is spread more thinly.
• Know your oven well; make notes of the baking times and temperatures on the recipes. Most domestic ovens have hot spots, so turn pans around during baking. Start checking after a third of the baking time, you might have to turn trays several times for even baking and browning. If you are using two or three racks, switch positions of trays around.
• You'll also need an electric mixer, wooden spoons, plastic or rubber spatulas, a metal spatua, mixing bowls, fine wire racks and a sifter.

Preparing

You should always read every recipe right through before you start to do anything.

• Preparing all the ingredients before you start to mix is best, unless there are cooling or standing times involved, which would give you time to prepare the rest of the recipe.
• Check and adjust shelf positions in the oven before preheating the oven to the correct temperature. If you're unsure about the accuracy of the oven have its thermostat checked (you can do it yourself by leaving an oven thermometer in the oven so you can easily check).
• Non-stick pans usually need greasing, mostly a light coating of a cooking-oil spray is enough. If the pan is old or scratched use a heavier coating of spray, or grease with butter. Don't over-grease the trays; excess greasing will attract the heat of the oven and may burn the bottoms of the biscuits and anywhere, such as the corners of the trays, that isn't covered by biscuits.
• Baking paper (parchment paper) can be used instead of greasing, but the paper tends to roll up; a light spray of cooking oil will hold it in position. If we suggest using baking paper, hen it's for a good reason; often baking paper can be used more than once.

Measuring

Use the correct measuring spoons and cups for dry ingredients and jugs for liquids.

• Use the blade of a knife or metal spatula to level off dry ingredients in cups and spoons.
• When measuring liquids, check the jug markings carefully as some brands give metric, imperial and cup measures - it's easy to make a mistake by looking at the wrong measurement on the jug.
• Check the ingredient being measured at eye level for accuracy.
• If you are using kitchen scales, check them for accuracy using an unopened block of butter.
• Scales are more consistently accurate than cup measures, especially if making a large quantity of biscuits.

Mixing

For best results, the ingredients should be at room temperature, particularly the butter.

• The creaming process means the butter, sugar and egg(s) are beaten together using an electric mixer. Most biscuits recipes say 'beat until combined'. don't overbeat or the mixture will be too soft and the biscuits will spread too much during baking.
• To start, use low/medium speeds for mixing and don't let the mixture change to a lighter colour. The main exception is when you're making slices; at times a 'light and fluffy' creamed mixture is needed to achieve a lighter texture.
• Macaroons and meringues are made by beating egg whites until soft peaks. The beaters and bowl must be very clean (grease-free), the smallest speck of yolk will prevent the whites from beating to a foamy, soft peak.
• Place egg whites in a deep bowl, beat at medium sped until whites become foamy and start to hold their shape. Increase the sped a little and beat until the whites reach the correct stage.
• Add sugar, a spoonful at a time; beat the mixture until all the sugar is dissolved before adding the next batch. Test for sugar grains by feeling a little of the mix between your fingertips.

Testing

Use the baking times we suggest as a guide only.

• Baking times are affected by many factors : temperature of the room and ingredients, oven temperature, accurate measuring, the mixing of the ingredients, oven rack and tray positions, the material the oven trays and cake pans are made from, and so on.
• To test biscuits, check towards the end of baking time; use the side of your thumb to gently 'push' against the side of one biscuits on the tray, it should feel soft, if it slides, even slightly, the biscuits are done. Remove from the oven then follow cooling instructions.
• Some biscuits are cooled on the trays, or they could be fragile and need time to settle. More solid biscuits are cooled on wire racks.
• Meringues and macaroons are usually, baked slowly; they're done when they feel dry.
• Biscotti are baked twice, once in a log shape, which is cooled and sliced the dried out in the oven.
• Slices that are cake-like can be tested with a skewer. Some slices are a simple single layer of mixture; don't over bake these as they become dry and hard as they cool. They should feel slightly soft while in the oven and will firm as they cool. Most slices cool in the pan.

Storing

Unfilled biscuits and cookies will keep about a week in a n airtight container at room temperature.

• If unfilled biscuits soften they can be re-crisped in the oven. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Place biscuits in a single layer in the oven about 5 minutes or until they feel dry. Cool on wire racks.
• Filled biscuits soften during storage, but sometimes this makes them better to eat. Most butter, chocolate or cream-based fillings need to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Cream-filled fragile biscuits, like brandy snaps and macaroons, should be filled no more than 30 minutes before serving, depending on room temperature.
• Unfilled fragile biscuits, like meringues and macaroons, can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature about a week.
• Biscotti, once properly dried, will keep for months when stored in an airtight container at a cool room temperature.
• Slices will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature, depending on their ingredients, for about a week.
• Biscuits (except filled fragile biscuits, meringues and macaroons) and slices will freeze successfully for at least a month.