All About Cookies

• Cookies are small, sweet, flat cakes.
• Cookies come in varied shapes, flavors, and appearances.
• Cookies can be thick, thin, dark, or light in color

Classification of Cookies

• Dropped cookies are irregular and uneven in shape, made by dropping cookie mix from a teaspoon onto a baking sheet.
• Rolled cookies are made by rolling out dough and using a cookie cutter to form shapes.
• Pressed cookies, also called festive cookies, are made by passing dough through a cookie press/pastry bag onto baking sheets.
• Molded cookies are usually round and made by rolling dough with hands or using cookie molders.
• Bar type cookies are similar to cakes and are baked in square pans before being cut into squares or bars.
• Refrigerator cookies are prepared by molding and forming cookie dough into long rolls, chilling, slicing, and then baking.

How to Mix Cookies

• Cookie toughness is caused by improper mixing and gluten development.
• Mix and cream fat, sugar, and eggs before adding flour and other ingredients.

Methods of Mixing Cookies

• Creaming: Cookies need sufficient creaming for the sugar, shortening, and other ingredients to be creamed well.
• Mixing: Flour should be mixed lightly to prevent over mixing, which makes the cookie dough tough.
• Blending: Mix shortening, sugar, and liquid for better dough formation and flour absorption.
• Rolling the Dough: Usually done with refrigerated cookies to flatten and smoothen the dough before shaping.

Decorations & Garnishes for Cookies

• Granulated sugar, plain, or colored, can be used
• Very small candies in assorted colors can be used
• Small pieces of candied cherry or ginger can be used
• Nuts or raisins sprinkled on the surface can be used
• Chocolates can be used for flavor
• Meringue can be used for topping

Proper Ways of Placing Cookies on a Cookie Sheet or Pan

• Dropped cookies and cookie bars are placed on a greased sheet or pan.
• Rolled and refrigerated cookies are placed on an ungreased sheet or pan.
• Ensure a distance of at least one inch between cookies.
• Baking time ranges from 10-20 minutes based on the kind, size, and shape of the cookie.

Characteristics of Good Cookies

Outside Characteristics

• Uniform, with even sizes and shapes.
• Hold and retain shape.
• Lightly brown, not pale brown nor burnt.

Inside Characteristics

• Slightly moist, crisp, and tender.
• Not too limp nor tough.
• Good flavor that is rich, not too sweet nor too bad.

Causes of Failure in Baking Cookies

Outside Characteristics

• Too small: Caused by too much flour and shortening or over mixing.
• Too pale: Caused by over mixing or wrong oven temperature.
• Too smooth: Results from too much liquid in the mixture.
• Uneven color: Due to uneven mixing of batter mixture and oven heat, or too much grease on pans.
• Irregular shape: Caused by over mixing, too much flour, not enough liquid, too much batter in the pans, and high oven temperature.
• Tough: May be due to over mixing, over baking, too much flour, and shortening.

Inside Characteristics

• Inferior color: May be due to uneven mixing of batter and poor-quality ingredients.
• Streaks: Caused by ingredients that are not well blended.
• Coarse grain: Results from insufficient beating of eggs and other ingredients and over mixing.
• Tunnels: Caused by wrong proportion of ingredients, over mixing, and mixture that is too stiff.
• Dryness: Due to prolonged baking, insufficient liquid or shortening, and mixture that is too stiff.
• Too moist & waxy: Results from too much shortening, under-beating of eggs, and under-baking.
• Too porous and crumbly: Caused by too much flour or leavening and too low oven temperature.
• Tough: Results from too many eggs but not enough shortening and over mixing.
• Heavy: Caused by over mixing, too much liquid, and improper baking period.
• Poor flavor: Results from the use of poor-quality ingredients and a wrong proportion of ingredients.