If you’ve ever wondered how to get that deliciously moist, chewy cookie consistency that you normally only find at your favorite bakery, all it takes is a bit of inside knowledge. Here are some expert tips that will help you to bake better cookies at home.

1. Use a high-quality cookie sheet. Although stainless steel cookie sheets are a bit pricier, they make all the difference when it comes to your cookies. Dark colored sheets may cause your cookies to burn on the bottom, which results in an overcooked, dry texture.
2. Be sure to use soft butter. Many at-home bakers skip this step and use cold butter to save time, but letting the butter melt a bit can work wonders when it comes to the texture of your cookies.
3. Know which ingredients to use for your desired consistency. If you like cookies that are thinner and crispier, add more sugar. For cake-like cookies you can add an extra egg, and for a coarse, crumbly texture, simply add baking soda.
4. Only bake one sheet at a time. Baking multiple cookie sheets at once can cause them to bake inconsistently, so try to use only one sheet at a time. If you’re short on time you can bake a few sheets at once, but be sure to rotate them frequently.

Cookie Tips – Secrets to Making Perfect Cookies [What’s Cooking America]
Tips for Baking Perfect Cookies [Macrina Bakery]
Tip: The Secret to Baking Perfectly Browned Cookies Every Time [The Kitchn]
Tips for Getting That Perfect Cookie Texture [Baking Bites]

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Veganbaking.net

Austin offers many outdoor parties and festivals at locations throughout the city, and Pease Park is one of those popular locales. This 42-acre park is part of the Shoal Creek Greenbelt, and it is home to Austin’s famous Eeyore’s Birthday party, a yearly festival featuring live music, food, and family activities.

The park features a very large area of playground equipment for young kids, and there’s also a splash park "sprayground" consisting of a few water features that gently spritz, dump, or spray water at gleeful children on hot Texas days. Pease Park’s many picnic tables and two large barbecue pits provide a picturesque setting for an outdoor barbecue, while the disc golf course, basketball courts and volleyball courts offer hours of outdoor sports fun.

Visit the Pease Park website for more information or to reserve facilities.

Pease Park
1100 Kingsburry Street
Austin, TX 78799
www.austinparks.org/our-parks.html?parkid=307
www.yelp.com/biz/pease-park-austin

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Steven Depolo

Owned by the same entrepreneurs behind the Grove Wine Bar, its neighbor just next door, Lola Savannah Coffee Lounge is a welcome alternative to the chain coffeehouse experience. That's according to the cafe's many glowing Yelp reviews, which laud Lola's relaxed ambiance and friendly service as much as the cafe's freshly roasted coffee beans.

Here, empty burlap coffee sacks are suspended from the ceiling, adding a rustic flair to the open, light-filled space below. There are plenty of tables arranged throughout the cafe, so you're likely to be able to find a place to sit, even during the morning rush. That's when Lola Savannah Coffee Lounge reaches peak activity; locals hurry in for freshly toasted bagels and to-go espressos before work, while some choose to sit and linger with a bowl of oatmeal, a latte, and the newspaper.

Arriving with your laptop in tow? Regular visitors say the free Wi-Fi is fast and reliable.

Lola Savannah Coffee Lounge
6317 Bee Cave Road
Austin, TX 78746
(512) 732-0093
www.yelp.com/biz/lola-savannah-austin

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Edsel Little