Sarah Kieffer knows a thing or two about cookies. Her "100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen" cookbook is a must-have for bakers, and her "pan-banging" technique, which gives cookies a wrinkly effect, is now commonplace in kitchens across the globe — and is even featured in one of the winning cookies in the Minnesota Star Tribune's Holiday Cooking Contest.

We asked Kieffer, who is also the Minnesota Star Tribune's baking columnist, to share her Top 10 tips for holiday cookie baking. (She has a book for that, too: "Baking for the Holidays.")

  1. First and foremost, it is important to read the entire recipe through before beginning, so you are aware of all the ingredients, details, chilling time and timings. Don't skip this step!
  2. Make sure to beat the butter and sugar together as directed, and make sure they are well combined. It is also important to have the butter at the temperature the recipe calls for.
  3. The best way to get cookies in a consistent, uniform shape is to use a cookie scoop or a kitchen scale.
  4. After I am done mixing the dough in a stand mixer, I always take a spatula and give the dough a final mix, making sure that it is perfectly combined and there are no streaks of butter or pockets of flour.
  5. Make sure you have an oven thermometer to verify your oven is heating properly, and check for any hot spots. Baking a single test cookie is also a good idea to see how it turns out in the oven, and to test how long it takes to bake. Remember: Baking times are guidelines, and every oven bakes differently.
  6. To flatten cookies without the dough sticking to the bottom of the cup, gently grease a small square of parchment paper with cooking spray, and place that between the dough and the glass when flattening.
  7. Many holiday cookies involve nuts. I toast nuts as soon as I purchase them, and then store them in the freezer. To toast nuts: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the nuts in the prepared pan in a single layer. Bake them at 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes, until the nuts darken and are fragrant. Let them cool, then store them in a plastic freezer bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.
  8. It's often hard to wait to eat cookies, but letting them cool as called for will help them reach the right texture.
  9. Most cookies freeze well. Make sure your cookies are cool, then place them on a lined sheet pan in a single layer. Let them freeze for an hour or two, then once they are frozen solid, move them to labeled freezer-safe bags to store. They can be stored for 1 month in the freezer. Move them to the refrigerator the night before serving.
  10. If you are planning on mailing cookies as gifts, or taking them on long trips, pick sturdy cookies that will hold up during travel. Place the cookies in an airtight container, then pack the container in a mailable box filled with bubble wrap or other filler to keep them from bumping around.

Looking for more holiday baking ideas? Find more than 100 recipes at our cookie finder: startribune.com/cookies.