High Altitude Recipes for an Old Fashioned Christmas Cookie Box - Curly Girl Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

How do you bake cookies at high altitude? ›

Reduce the amount of leavening (baking powder and baking soda) by about 15% – 25% if you are between 3,000 to 7,000 feet above sea level. Decreasing baking powder and baking soda will keep your cookies from going flat fast. Use extra large eggs instead of large eggs to make up for the drier atmosphere.

In general, baking and cooking times at higher altitudes may need to be adjusted to account for these changes. Some common ways to do this include: Lowering the oven temperature by 25°F for every 5,000 feet above sea level. Increasing the cooking time by 10-15% for every 5,000 feet above sea level.

Using the above suggested adjustments, when baking cake at high altitude, consider adding an extra egg to increase the liquid in your recipe, as well as decreasing the sugar to avoid a cake with a sunken center. You can also use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour and decrease the leavening and the fat.

Air pressure is lower, so foods take longer to bake. Temperatures and/or bake times may need to be increased. Liquids evaporate faster, so amounts of flour, sugar and liquids may need to be changed to prevent batter that is too moist, dry or gummy. Gases expand more, so doughs rise faster.

Add different flavors.

Dig around in your pantry or explore the baking aisle and pick out different flavor add-ins that can change up your cookie mix. You could use peppermint, lemon, or almond extract instead of vanilla, dump in plenty of rainbow sprinkles, or even mix in chopped nuts or dried fruit!

5'' Box Can Easily Fit 5 - 6 Average Sized Cookies or Dozen Small-Medium Cookies. Hope this helps.

How many cookies should I put in a cookie box? ›

I recommend choosing about 5 to 7 for variety, but you certainly don't have to do that many! To bake up those cookies, you'll need a stand mixer, cookie cutters, a rolling pin, a wooden spoon, and any other baking equipment that your cookie recipes call for.

You'll find that most of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes can be made anywhere from a month to six months before the 25th of December. (Consult this handy how-to guide to the matter.) Generally, most recipes will be best if baked and then frozen.

Air pressure is lower, so foods take longer to bake. Temperatures and/or bake times may need to be increased. Liquids evaporate faster, so amounts of flour, sugar and liquids may need to be changed to prevent batter that is too moist, dry or gummy.

At altitudes below 1,000 feet, boil foods for 10 minutes. Add an additional minute of boiling time for each additional 1,000 feet elevation (for example, at 3,000 feet, boil for 12 minutes). Spinach and corn should be boiled for 20 minutes at all altitudes. This is due to the high density of these vegetables.

Since most recipes are designed for sea level, high-altitude success requires a few clever adjustments. Low air pressure has two main effects on baked goods: They will rise more easily, and lose moisture faster; liquids evaporate more quickly since water boils at lower temperatures at high altitude.