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Baking 101: Solutions for Flat Cookies, Cracked Crusts and More!

Think you're no good at baking? All it takes are a few expert tips to release your inner pastry goddess. We'll show you the best way to make fluffy cakes, chewy cookies, perfectly golden pie crusts and more! (11 Photos)

Esther Carlstone on Sep 14, 2012 at 8:29AM

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Baking 101: Solutions for Flat Cookies, Cracked Crusts and More!

Andy Crawford/Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images

Problem: Burnt Cookie Bottoms

Anticipating a tray of deliciously moist cookies, you end up with hard rocks with black bottoms.

Solution: Often the solution can as simple as buying a new cookie sheet. “A dark, thin cookie sheet will absorb more heat than a light-colored, thick sheet, and cause your cookies to bake much faster than the recipe suggests,” says Paula Shoyer, author of The Kosher Baker. Another tip: turn the oven temperature down. Our experts unanimously agreed that an oven temperature that's set too high is the likely culprit. Use an oven thermometer to ensure that your temperature is accurate. If all else fails, The New Food Processor Bible author Norene Gilletz suggests doubling up on your baking sheets by placing one on top of the other. This insulates the top baking sheet and helps to disperse the heat more evenly throughout.You may have to add an extra minute or two of baking time, but the end result will be burn-free cookies.