About Cookies
Where do cookies hale from?
• Attributed to the Dutch
• “cookie” means “little cakes”
What does each ingredient do?
• Flour—forms the structure of the cookie
• Egg—binds ingredients together and adds
flavor
• Fat—creates the texture and aids in
consistency of flavor
• Sugar—flavor and color (browning)
• Spices and flavoring extracts—add flavor
• Leavening ingredients—add “lift” to the
cookies
Types of Cookies
• It may seem that there are hundreds of
different kinds of cookies, but really there
are only six basic types:
– Bar
– Drop
– Pressed
– Molded
– Rolled
– Refrigerator
Bar cookies:
• Baked in a square or rectangular pan and
cut into bars, squares, or diamonds;
• Made from a batter or a soft dough that is
pressed into the pan;
• Textures vary from cake-like to chewy;
• Usually cooled in pan and then cut;
• Brownies are a popular example.
Drop Cookies
• Made from a soft dough that is
dropped onto a cookie sheet;
• Dough spreads during baking to
make a thick cookie, so allowing
space for cookies to spread without
touching is important;
• Most chocolate chop cookies are drop
cookies
Pressed cookies
• Made by pushing the cookies through a
cookie press, which can make the cookies
different shapes;
• Spritz cookies are made this way.
Molded Cookies
• Formed by shaping the dough in your
hands
• Can be rolled in toppings before baking, or
flattened with a fork or the bottom of a
glass;
• Peanut butter cookies are examples of
these.
Rolled cookies
• Made from a stiff dough;
• Rolled out with a rolling pin and cut into
shapes before baking;
• Gingerbread cookies are examples of this
type of cookie.
Refrigerator cookies
• Made by forming a soft dough into a long
roll and refrigerating it;
• When chilled and firm, cookies are sliced
and baked;
• Dough keeps for several days in the
refrigerator or up to 6 months in the
freezer.
Guidelines for making great
cookies
• Make cookies the same shape and
thickness so they bake evenly;
• Start baking cookies on a cold cookie
sheet;
• Bake in a preheated oven;
• Prepare pan according to the recipe
instructions;
• Avoid overbaking cookies