5 Links to Read Before Baking Cookies

Each week, we’ll be sharing a comprehensive list of links to help you master something new in the kitchen. Culinary greatness, here you come.

Today: How to make the best cookies ever.

We're pretty sure that How to Win Friends and Influence People is really just a book about cookies; nothing sparks admiration and love quite like a freshly-baked cookie. With all the potlucks, holiday parties, and cookie swaps of December, you'll have plenty of opportunities to shine. Just read these links before you get started.

• Baking the perfect cookie is a science. Better brush up on your chemistry! (NPR.)

• Only have two baking sheets and one oven? You can still make a zillion cookies. When they're done cooling, ice them with chocolate. (Food52.)

• Make sure to avoid these five common cookie mistakes. (Food and Wine.)

• The secret to better cookies? Letting the batter rest. (America's Test Kitchen.)

• A great time-saving tip: Freeze your cookie dough well ahead of time. (The Kitchn.)

What do you want to read about next? Tell us in the comments!