COOKIES

Cookies and pies, like cakes, are served as Bar cookies are
desserts. Rich in calories, they will satisfy your made from a soft dough
appetite at the end of a meal. Both desserts that is spread evenly in a
originated in other countries. pan and baked. You may
Cookies came to us from many lands. For cut them into any shape
instance, Scotland contributed its thick, rich (square, rectangle or
shortbreads, while Finland gave us nut-studded triangle) after they are
butter strips known as finska kakor. In our own baked. Brownies are
country, in colonial times, the early settlers probably the most
made a large, flat chewy molasses cookie. popular bar cookies. Bar Cookies
Pies, too, came from other countries, Rolled cookies are
notably ancient Greece and Rome, and made from a stiff dough that has been rolled
England, where "pyes" were baked in deep pans into a thin sheet. You may
called "coffins." An American development cut the rolled dough into
was the round, shallow pan, which by 1790, various shapes with a
was lined with pastry, filled and baked to cookie cutter. When you
become one of our most traditional desserts. roll the dough, use only a
small amount of flour on
Types of Cookies the board so that you will
not have a hard cookie. Rolled Cookies
The stiffness and the method of handling You may find it easier to roll cookie dough that
the dough make it convenient to classify has been chilled. Roll only a small amount of
cookies into six basic types: drop, bar, rolled, cookie dough at a time so that you will avoid
refrigerator, pressed and molded. The dough for over handling, which causes toughness. Leave a
bar cookies and drop cookies is softer than the small amount of space between the cookies
dough for the other types of cookies. when you place them on the cookie sheet.
Drop cookies are made from a dough that is For refrigerator cookies, a stiff dough is
pushed from a spoon onto a cookie sheet. You pressed with the hands
should allow about 2 inches (5 cm) of space into a long, smooth roll
between the cookies to and chilled before
keep them from slicing and baking. The
spreading into each fat in the cookie
other. Use the same hardens, making it easy
amount of dough on to slice the cookies
the spoon each time so from the roll. If you
that the cookies will be slice the cookies thinly,
uniform in size. It is Refrigerator Cookies
they will be crisp and
best to use a cool crunchy. The refrigerator cookie dough may be
Drop Cookies
cookie sheet so the stored in the refrigerator for several days before
dough will not spread before it is placed in the baking.
oven.

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 Pressed cookies have a rich, stiff dough. The fat or shortening is
The dough is packed into a cookie press and often used to contribute
forced out through flavor as well as richness to
cookie discs the cookie. Butter or
(cutters) onto an margarine is used to give a
ungreased cookie pleasing flavor to the
sheet. The dough cookie. Margarine can
will stick to the usually replace butter in
Flour
cookie sheet as you most cookie recipes.
lift the cookie press Vegetable shortening is
from it. Leave a bland, so other ingredients,
small amount of Pressed Cookies such as brown sugar, honey
space between the cookies as you squeeze them and molasses, are used to
onto the sheet. provide flavor. Chocolate,
Butter
Molded cookies spices, coconut, nuts, fruits
are made from a stiff (usually dried or candied)
dough. A small and extracts (natural or
amount of dough is artificial flavor essences,
shaped and molded usually dissolved in
with the fingers to alcohol) are also used for
form the desired flavor.
Vanilla Extract
shape (such as, Milk is the liquid most
crescents, rolls or Molded Cookies often used in cookies. It
balls). As you form may be sweet milk, sour
the molded cookies, milk or buttermilk.
space them evenly Occasionally cream is used
in rows on the for some of the liquid and
cookie sheet and at the same time it
allow a small contributes richness (fat)
amount of space and a pleasing flavor. Some
between cookies. cookies require no added Milk
liquid.
Ingredients and Preparation
Mixing Cookies Cookies are usually
Cookie doughs require the same basic mixed by methods similar to those used for
ingredients that are used in cake batters, but the cakes. Most cookies are mixed by the
proportion of ingredients is different. You use conventional method or a slight modification of
flour, salt, leavening agents, sugar, shortening, it. Because a crisp, crunchy or chewy texture is
eggs and liquid to make cookies. Cookies need characteristic of cookies, rather than a light,
less liquid and leavening and may need more delicate texture, cookies require less creaming
fat than is used in cakes. Cookies have a crisp than cakes. The flour may be added all at once,
texture rather than the light texture of cakes. instead of in four parts as in cakes.
Each ingredient serves the same purpose in Cookies such as macaroons and meringues
cookies as in cakes. do not contain fat and are mixed in much the
same way as foam cakes.
Ingredients in Cookies All-purpose The following steps will show you how the
flour is suitable for all cookies unless cake flour conventional method can be modified and still
is specified. Flour provides the structure for produce perfect cookies.
cookies.

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1. Blend the softened shortening, sugar are done when almost no imprint remains after
(including molasses or syrup if used), eggs they are touched lightly. Be careful that do not
and melted chocolate (when used) under bake or over bake cookies. Over baking
thoroughly. will cause cookies to dry out and become too
2. Stir in the dark; under baking will leave the cookies
liquid and doughy and pale. Properly baked cookies are
flavoring all at delicately browned.
once. (In a few You should remove cookies from the sheet
recipes, the as soon as you take them from the oven, unless
liquid and flour the recipe instructs otherwise. As the cookie
may be added Mixing Cookies cools, it becomes hardened, sticks to the pan
alternately.) and may break as you remove it. Use a wide
3. Sift the flour, salt and leavening (including spatula to remove the warm cookies onto a
spices) together and stir them into the cooling rack.
shortening-sugar-egg mixture.
To bake two sheets of cookies at the same
Baking Cookies Baking sheets are best time, position the racks in the oven so that the
oven is divided into thirds. Why should you
for baking cookies because there are no sides to rearrange the sheets during baking?
interfere with the circulation of heat.
The shiny and bright cookie sheet will give
your cookies a delicately browned crust. You
should not use cake pans because their deep
sides will interfere with distribution of heat and
the cookies will remain pale. However, you
may turn a cake pan upside down and use the
bottom of it for baking cookies. Because most
cookies will spread a little as they bake, spacing
is necessary to prevent them from running
together. You should arrange cookies on cool
baking sheets to avoid excessive spreading.
Rolled cookies spread less, so spaces between
them can be smaller. Drop and refrigerator
cookies spread more and require greater space –
usually about 2 inches (5 cm) – between them. Microwaving Cookies
When you arrange cookies, space them evenly
and try to get as many cookies as you can on Drop cookies and refrigerator cookies are
the sheet. not suited for baking in the microwave because
Bake the cookies in a preheated oven set at they bake very unevenly. In addition, there is
the temperature indicated in the recipe. When no savings in time because they must be cooked
you bake one sheet of cookies at a time, place it in very small batches.
on a rack near the center of the oven. When you Bar cookies and brownies, however, bake
want to bake two sheets of cookies at the same well in the microwave. Because of their high
time, place the oven racks so that the oven is sugar content, though, timing is crucial to avoid
divided into thirds. During the last few minutes overcooking. Cookies prepared in rectangular
of baking, you may need to change the cookie or square pans should have shields over the
sheets from one rack to the other so that the batter at each corner to keep from overcooking.
cookies will be browned evenly.
You should check for doneness of cookies
when the minimum baking time is up. Cookies

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Nutrient Contributions mixes come in several varieties and usually
require only the addition of the liquid and
Flour, sugar and fat are the ingredients that sometimes an egg. To some cookie mixes, you
you will use in the largest amounts in cookies. may add flavor ingredients such as coconut,
Their chief contribution is in calories or energy. nuts and extracts. For best results, follow the
Because all other ingredients are used in rather directions on the package and display your
small amounts, you can count on cookies to creative ability in shaping and decorating the
contribute only to your energy needs. You need cookies. You can throw cookie formulas out of
to include milk, fruits, cereals and meats in balance when you add any extra amounts of
your daily eating pattern to meet your needs for basic ingredients such as flour, sugar and
vitamins, minerals and protein. shortening.
Cookie doughs from the refrigerated case
Storing Cookies require only to be shaped (cut or sliced and
To keep the perfect eating quality of your spread in a pan) and baked. The ready-to-eat
cookies, store them in covered containers. Bar cookies are found in all grocery stores and
and drop cookies are made from soft dough and bakeries. They are ready for immediate use
usually will have a soft texture. Cookies made without any further preparation.
from stiff dough, such as rolled and refrigerator The advantage in the use of these products
ones, are crisp. In order that soft cookies remain may come from the time saved, but you should
soft and crisp cookies remain crisp, store each consider which of these items are really good
separately in the proper containers. buys and which are luxury items. You can
Soft cookies keep best in airtight create your own "cookie convenience" by
containers. A slice of fresh bread or slices of preparing a double batch of cookies, part for
apple or orange in the jar with the soft cookies immediate use and the rest to be frozen for later
will help to keep them moist. The fruit will use.
need to be changed frequently. Crisp cookies As with most other convenience products,
should be kept in a can or container with a no clue to quality is given on the label. The
loose cover. reputation of the manufacturer and your
When you open a package of ready-to-eat experience are your best guides in their
cookies, retain their texture and flavor by selection.
folding the protective wrap tightly around the
remaining cookies or store the cookies in For Review
covered containers, as you do home-baked
cookies. 1. List and describe the six basic types of
cookies.
Convenience in Cookies 2. List the basic ingredients for cookies.
3. What are three guidelines to follow when
Cookie convenience comes in several baking cookies?
forms: (1) ready-to-eat, (2) refrigerated or 4. How should you store soft cookies? Crisp
frozen and (3) as a mix. All of these can be cookies?
ready to serve on a moment's notice. Cookie

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