• Make sure your cookie sheets aren't too thin.  The heavier your cookie sheet, the less likely your cookies are to burn.  If you can't afford heavy-duty cookie sheets, you can cover your thin ones with layers of aluminum foil.



• Experiment with the temperature of your oven.  My oven is always hotter than what I set it for. I set my oven 25 degrees cooler than what a recipe calls for.
• Always place your cookie dough on cold cookie sheets.  If you don't let the cookie sheets cool, your cookie dough will spread too much from the heat of the cookie sheets.
• Don't bake the cookies for too long.  They should be light brown around the edges.  Keep in mind that the cookies will continue to cook from the heat of the cookie sheet after you remove them from the oven.  I always let my cookies bake too long because I didn't think they were done yet.  Your cookies should look a little underdone when they come out of the oven. 
• Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet until you can lift them with a spatula without breaking them.  Cool them completely on wire racks, if you have some, otherwise you can cool them on paper towels or waxed paper.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com