For the best-ever cookies, follow these simple tips:

• Preheat oven 10 to 15 minutes before you begin baking cookies
• Use good ingredients: Jif Peanut Butter, real vanilla extract, good quality chocolate and cocoa
• Read the recipe completely before gathering all ingredients and equipment
• Unless otherwise specified, all baking ingredients should be at room temperature
• Measure carefully and accurately
• Don't over mix the dough too much after adding the flour, or cookies will be tough
• Place cookie dough on cold cookie sheets
• Leave space, generally about 2 inches, between cookies in case they spread
• Rotate cookie sheets, from top to bottom and front to back, halfway through baking time
• Check cookies before the minimum baking time- even a minute can make a difference
• Since cookies will have carryover cooking when they're out of the oven, they should still look a little underdone and barely light brown around the edges
• Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets set on wire cooling racks for just a minute or two, or until you can lift them with a spatula without breaking them. Cool completely on wire racks.