8 Common Cookie Baking Mistakes To Avoid This Holiday Season

While Loren takes into consideration the fact that people have different cookie taste preferences, she stresses the importance of watching the clock after the oven door shuts. "Remember not to over-bake your cookies, unless you like them crispy. The second they have risen and there is a little crust on the outside, they’re done." Seems simple enough, right? Professional tip: "Cookies always bake a little more as they cool on the hot baking sheet."

If baking cookies for a holiday party where you'll be transporting them out of the house, don't make the mistake of going all out with icing or baking a thin, easily breakable cookie. Loren suggests "making sure you bring a cookie that’s easy to transport and doesn’t need to be heated up, that way it’s easy to serve and there’s no fuss or mess involved so you can just enjoy the party." Because that's kind of the whole point, right?

Courtney Cowan, founder of Milk Jar Cookies, told Insider, "Cookie dough likes to rest a bit so all the ingredients have time to mingle, so letting it chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking allows for this to happen." One extra note: "Be sure to plastic wrap it tightly to keep the dough from drying out."

The team at Sweet Loren's recommends that dough not be overly soft prior to rolling out. "Dough should still have a little bit of coldness, but be pliable to work with." After taking your dough out of the fridge, they suggest leaving it out for about 25 minutes before beginning.

I know this is a mistake I've made countless times, mostly due to being impatient. Tessa Arias of Handle the Heat wrote, "Perfect room temperature butter should give slightly when pressed with your finger, but still hold its shape and be flexible without breaking or cracking. It’s better for the butter to be too cool than too warm."

When rolling out your dough, the Sweet Loren's team advises using parchment paper as opposed to just rolling out on your counter top. The parchment paper secret? "It will easily lift up the flour and help with an easier clean up."

Cowen also told Insider about another cardinal mistake that bakers can make: the art of the over-mixing (raises hand). "Over-mixing your dough will result in flatter, crispier cookies. If you over-mix the dough, you will end up aerating the dough (adding air) which causes the cookies to rise and then fall, leaving you with flat cookies."

Lindsay of Sprinkles for Breakfast had a couple suggestions to avoid a burnt cookie bottom or, even worse, when they're stuck to the pan. "Do not bake your cookies on the bottom rack," she wrote. "Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper."