Part of the fun of making cookies is trying out a new cookie recipe.
Experimenting with different cookie types can also add to the enjoyment of baking
cookies. Some basic cookie types are drop, molded, pressed and rolled cookies.
These cookie types differ in the amount of preparation required, the
consistency of the dough, and the method of forming the dough into a cookie.??
Drop cookies have a relatively
soft batter that is dropped by the spoonful onto a baking sheet. When making
drop cookies, you want to use a tablespoon to put the dough on the baking
sheet, and space the dough about two inches apart. This will allow the cookies
to spread and flatten as they bake. Chocolate chip and Oatmeal Cookies are
examples of drop cookies.
Molded cookies are made using a little
bit stiffer dough than drop cookies. The dough is molded by hand into balls or can
be shapes like into objects like a wreath or canes. Sometimes the formed balls
are flattened by hand, or with the bottom of a glass, or fork to make the
cookie shape. An example would be Peanut butter cookie.
Pressed cookies are made from
soft dough that is then pushed out of a cookie press or pastry tube into
various shapes. Butter cookies are great examples pressed cookies. Some tips to
keep in mind when making cookies with a cookie press are to test the dough for
consistency before adding all the flour specified in the recipe. To do this,
put a small amount in the cookie press and squeeze it out. The dough should be flexible
but not crumbly. You can add an egg yolk if the dough is too stiff or one to
two tablespoons of flour if the dough is too soft. Dough should be chilled only
when specified in the recipe; otherwise, use at room temperature. Be sure the
cookie sheet is cool and do not force the press down heavily on the sheet or
raise it before enough dough has been turned out to form the cookie. It is
sometimes necessary to wait a moment to allow the dough to adhere to the sheet
before lifting the press.
Rolled cookies are made with
stiff, sometimes chilled, dough that is rolled out thin with a rolling pin. Some
examples are Sugar cookies and Gingerbread cookies. They take some preparation,
but they are especially fun to make because they are in different shapes and
are fun to decorate. Roll lightly and evenly to ensure that cookies bake
evenly. (The thinner you roll, the crisper the cookies.) The dough is then cut
into shapes by using a knife, pastry wheel or cookie cutter.
