Some women are endlessly frustrated because they can't cook...anything, let alone cookies. Part of the secret to cooking, is not to put pressure on yourself to meet any expectations, especially your own. Never mind that your grandmother made shortbreads that melted in your mouth, or that your mother can make date filled cookies to die for. Start out with something that has simple ingredients and preparation, and take your baking one step at a time.

One good tip, is to buy quality cookie pans. If you purchase the Teflon type, you don't need to worry about greasing them, even if the recipe calls for it. And if your oven has a tendency to darken things on the bottom, even when baking on the middle rack, you can get special cookie pans with a double bottom that will stop this. However, do watch your cooking times, because a single bottom pan may require slightly less time to fully bake a cookie than the double. Your best bet, is to try the new double pan with just a couple of cookies in the center and towards the edge, to see how long they need to bake, without being overdone.

For your first attempt at cookies, the simpler the preparation, the better. That means no cookie cutters, no rolled out doughs, and nothing that has to be sliced to exact dimensions. Choose a simple recipe such as peanut butter cookies, where the dough is made into a small ball in your hand, and flattened with a floured fork. And watch your cooking times! This is probably the biggest downfall for inexperienced cooks.