Cakes & Cookies
CONVENTIONAL or STANDARD
Mixing Method
1. Measure all ingredients accurately.
2. Cream fat and sugar together (resembles
whipped cream).
3. Beat in eggs usually ONE AT A TIME.
4. SIFT dry ingredients together.
5. Add the dry ingredients and liquid
ALTERNATELY to the creamed mixture. Begin
and end with the DRY ingredients.
6. Mix until well-blended (NOT incorporating air,
just mixing!)
What’s the difference?
• Cookies and cakes use very similar
ingredients and proportions.
• The main difference is that COOKIES
have very little LIQUID
– Gives them a more substantial texture
Six Major Groups of Cookies:
• REFRIGERATOR
• ROLLED
cookies
cookies
• MOLDED
• DROP
cookies
cookies
• BAR cookies • PRESSED
cookies
ROLLED COOKIES
• Use a stiff dough
• Roll out the dough
and cut with cookie
cutters
• EX: sugar cookies
*Rolled cookies are
easier to roll and
shape if the dough is
CHILLED before
ROLLING!
DROP COOKIES
EX: Chocolate
Chip Cookies
• Made with a soft
dough
• Leave 2” between
cookies to allow for
SPREADING while
cooking
• Should be UNIFORM
in size so cookies
bake evenly
BAR COOKIES
• Use a soft dough
• Dough is spread into
a pan (maybe 9x13),
baked, and then
sliced
• EX: Brownies
Rice Krispie Treats
REFRIGERATOR COOKIES
EX: icebox
cookies, any sliceand-bake premade
cookies
• Also known as ICEBOX
cookies
• Contain a high proportion
of fat
• Dough is shaped into a
long roll, refrigerated for
several days, sliced, and
baked
• Is SOFT before it’s
chilled!
MOLDED COOKIES
• The dough is shaped
with the hands or
fingers
• Usually flattened with
a fork or glass before
baking
• EX: peanut butter
cookies
PRESSED COOKIES
• A very rich, stiff dough
that is packed into a
cookie press
• A cookie press has
perforated disks
through which the
dough is pushed
through onto cookie
sheets
Choices, choices…
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Butter vs. Margarine?
What kind of baking sheet?
Greased or ungreased?
How many sheets at a time?
How long do they bake?
How much time in between batches?
BUTTER vs. MARGARINE
• Butter adds a sweet,
delicate, rich flavor to
cookies!
• Use butter if possible for
baking cookies unless the
recipe specifies otherwise
• Unsalted butter is the
preferred choice
– Salted butter can be used,
but it’s difficult to control
the amt. of salt in the
recipe if used
What kind of baking sheet?
• Shiny aluminum is best!
– Promotes even browning and a light brown
crust
– Dark finishes absorb heat quicker and may
cause the cookies to over-brown
• The baking sheet should have low sides, or
no sides!
• Baking sheets with a cushion of air
between 2 layers are desirable as they help
prevent over browning
Greased or ungreased?
• When a recipe calls for a greased baking sheet,
lightly grease with vegetable shortening or a
nonstick cooking spray
• An alternative to greasing is to cover the baking
sheet with either parchment paper or a non-stick
baking pad
– eliminate adding extra fat to the cookies,
and also make cleaning the baking sheet easier!
• When a recipe states to use an ungreased
baking sheet, the cookies can be placed directly
on the baking sheet
– they should not stick after they are baked!
How many sheets at a time?
• Cookies bake better if you bake just one
sheet of cookies at a time!
• If the cookies are baking unevenly, try rotating
the baking sheet 180 degrees half way through
the baking time
• If you need to bake two sheets at a time, reverse
the position of the sheets half way through the
baking time, and rotate each 180 degrees
How long do they bake?
• Bake the Minimum Time!
– Check for doneness at the minimum time length
stated in a recipe, then bake a little longer if needed
– Cookies can easily overbake; watch for visual clues
for doneness such as brown edges
• Baking times given in a recipe are only
guidelines; each oven is different!
• Use a clean toothpick to check for doneness in
bar cookies
– If just a few moist crumbs cling to the toothpick, they
are probably done
How much time in between
batches?
• Let the Baking
Sheet Cool!
• Otherwise the dough
starts to soften and
the cookies lose
shape (spreading)
before they are
placed in the oven!