Cooling and Storing

Learn why bakes cool on a wire rack, why cookies firm up as they cool and how to keep treats fresh in a tin or the freezer.

Waiting is hard, but cooling is part of the recipe. It lets bakes finish setting, and storing them well keeps them tasty for longer.

You will learn

• Why bakes cool on a wire rack
• Why cookies firm up as they cool
• How to store and freeze treats

What you need

• A wire cooling rack
• A flat spatula
• An airtight tin
• Freezer bags and a marker
• Your grown-up

Steps

1. Rest on the trayYour grown-up takes the tray out of the oven. Many recipes say to leave cookies on the tray for a few minutes, because hot cookies are soft and can break. The tray stays hot, so keep your hands off it until your grown-up says it is cool.
2. Move to a rackA cooling rack is a wire grid with little legs. Air flows all around, so steam escapes and bottoms do not get soggy. Your grown-up moves the hot bakes onto it.
3. Watch them firm upHot cookies are soft because the butter and sugar inside are warm and melty. As they cool, the butter firms up and the sugar sets.
4. Cool completelyWait until everything is cool all the way through. Frosting melts on warm cake, and warm treats in a closed tin make steam that turns them soggy.
5. Store airtightWash your hands first. Airtight means air cannot get in. Keep cooled cookies in an airtight tin, and keep crisp and soft cookies apart, or the crisp ones go soft. Treats with cream cheese frosting or fresh fruit on top go in the fridge, and your grown-up decides how long each treat keeps.
6. Freeze for laterMost cookies, muffins and quick breads, like banana bread, can be frozen. Put them in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air and write the name and date on it.

Try it

• 
  Junior Bakers

  Chocolate Chip Cookie

• 
  Junior Bakers

  Vanilla Brown Sugar Cookies

• 
  Junior Bakers

  Vanilla Brown Sugar Muffins

Check yourself