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.

Increase baking temperature by 15 to 25 °F to help “set” the batter before cells formed by the leavening gas expand too much. Note that baking time may be reduced so check during baking. Excessive evaporation of water at high elevation leads to high concentration of sugar, which weakens the cell structure.

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.

For all altitudes, add up to 2 tablespoons more flour per cup called for in the recipe.

At high altitudes: 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.

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 do you put in a cookie box? ›

Choose recipes that have a yield of at least 24 cookies, especially if you have many boxes to fill. For example, if you bake six different cookie recipes that all yield 24 cookies, you can pack six gift boxes with four of each cookie. Each box will make a bountiful gift of two dozen assorted cookies.

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.

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.

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.