Spoiler: The secret to making cookies is actually not a secret at all. Perfect cookies are the result of good technique, which you can learn from Carrie Franzen of the Betty Crocker Test Kitchens! (Carrie’s the pastry chef and recipe developer responsible for creating our Christmas cookie recipes and many other irresistible desserts).

In this article, we’ll finally explain why it’s important to spoon your flour into the measuring cup, why softening your butter really does make a difference and the reasons we think cookie scoops and cooling racks are worthwhile investments!

Most any baking project will be more seamless if you take these steps before beginning.

1. Read your recipe at least once, to ensure you understand each step.
2. Gather all your ingredients.
3. Collect your tools, so everything is within arm’s reach.
4. Preheat the oven.
5. Measure out your ingredients—or “mise en place,” which translates from French to “putting everything in place,” and is a step chefs and bakers take to make putting together a recipe quicker and smoother.

Want to dig into more details about the tools and cookie baking ingredients the Betty Crocker Test Kitchen’s recommend? We’ve collected all their tips and tricks for your perusal.

Too little flour can make a cookie flat and too much flour can make a cookie hard or crumbly, so learning to measure accurately is one of the keys to successful baking. Here’s how to measure a few key cookie ingredients.

• How to measure flour: Stir the flour, spoon it into your measuring cup until heaping, sweep the excess off the top with the flat edge of a butter knife.

• How to measure sugar: Granulated (white) sugar is measured just like flour: Spoon it into the cup until heaping, then sweep off excess with the flat edge of a butter knife. Brown sugar is packed firmly into the cup with the back of a spoon.