For The Best Homemade Cookies, Stop Opening Your Oven Door

For some reason, figuring out how to make the perfect cookie is actually quite difficult. Those little circles (or fun shapes) of absolute yumminess are a tough egg to crack when figuring out what is going wrong. From flat cookies that are overbaked, to cakey cookies with no flavor, it's hard to nail down what you could possibly be doing wrong during the baking process. That is why we are giving you the 411 on how to get that perfect cookie so you can bake all season with less stress.

According to a 2015 survey, Americans love to get their bake on during the holiday season (but we don't need a survey to know that). In fact, 73% admit a higher level of excitement for baking when it's during the holidays. And with that, four out of five Americans tend to bake cookies out of all other baked goods during this time of year. So with the holiday season here, and cookies being the best host gift or stocking stuffer to give, let's set the stress aside and figure out how to get decadent, soft cookies every time. Here's one of the biggest mistakes everybody makes when baking cookies.

While there may be a lot of those aforementioned mistakes happening during your baking process, the one that is easy to remember, and even easier to solve, is not opening your oven while the cookies are baking. When you open your oven you let a rush of cold air into it, giving your cookies a bit of a chill and making them think they're done baking (via Betty Crocker). You set your oven at a specific temperature for a reason, don't let the chilliness of the outside world get to them and ruin all the progress they've made.

If you're eager to check on the cookies while they're in the oven, our advice to you would be to use the oven light. This will keep your pride and joys safe while you can stare at their baking process. Picture contestants on the "Great British Baking Show" staring at their bakes — that could be you. Now that you have that trick up your sleeve, take a look at these 50 cookie recipes, pick your favorite, and get baking. You have a whole holiday season ahead of you and many loved ones to give cookies to (just don't forget to save some for yourself).