Crumbs the Word

How do you keep your cookie jar filled? Any type of baking is a science, but it's not rocket science. Don't be tempted by the wide assortment of pre-made rolls and break apart cookie dough for your sugary treats. Filling your cookie jar with cookies baked from scratch is easy and takes less time than you think. Baking cookies from dough that you made gives you another opportunity to control the ingredients, leaving out any preservatives used to extend shelf life. Homemade cookies have been a part of our culinary landscape for quite a while, so homemakers must be doing something right.

That's a Pretty Old Cookie
Historians say that the earliest cookie recorded dates back to the 7th century in or around Persia. This region was one of the first to cultivate sugar. By the end of the 14th century, filled wafers began to appear on the streets of Paris. As global exploration increased in popularity, cookies became the ideal traveling food, because they were portable and stayed fresh longer.

Cookie Bake

Sweet in Any Language
Our global neighbors have different names for the sweets that we call cookies.

Australia/England - Biscuit Spain - Galletas Germany - Keks or Kels Italy - Biscotti

A Chip off the Old Block
In Whitman, Massachusetts around 1930, Kenneth and Ruth Wakefield purchased a toll house and renovated it. They named it the Toll House Inn. Ruth's desserts soon became famous. One day while baking butter drop cookies, Ruth decided to cut chunks from a bar of Nestle's Semi-Sweet Chocolate into the dough. To her surprise the chocolate held it's shape and didn't melt. That was the birth of the chocolate chip cookie. As the cookie's fame grew the Nestle, company began making changes to their chocolate bars. The first revision was to score the chocolate bars and include a chopper to break them into chunks. In 1939, they made it even easier for bakers and began to manufacture bags of chocolate morsels. Thanks guys.

What's in the Jar
Cookies fall into five different categories (give or take). The stiffness and type of dough determines their placement.
Bar -These are baked in a pan and bear a strong resemblance to cake. The dough is more like a stiff batter, and is either spread or patted into the pan. After cooling, they can be cut into bars, diamonds, or squares. Bars can be frosted or sprinkled with an optional topping. Over mixing makes for a hard and crusty top. Over baking bars results in a crumbly, dry texture. To test for doneness, touch the top lightly, a slight imprint should remain.

Drop - The dough is somewhat stiff, mounds when dropped and flattens as it bakes. With drop cookies, allow ample room for spreading. This type of cookie is done when it has a lightly browned edge, and a soft indentation remains when it is touched. An over baked drop cookie will be dark and crispy and if it's under baked it will be doughy.

Refrigerator - After mixing this dough is very soft and must be refrigerated and allowed to chill long enough to become firm. These are the typical slice and bake variety. To retain a round shape dough can be packed into a clean juice cans (don't remove the bottoms) and chilled. When ready to slice remove the bottom, push the dough up and use the top of the can as a cutting guide. Another option for clean cutting is to slice with fishing line.

Rolled - When you think of rolled dough, you have to think of cutouts. This is a stiff dough. Work with small amounts of chilled dough and handle as little as possible. Use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface and the rolling pin. Working the dough too much results in a tough cookie. If you have trouble transferring the dough from your work surface to the baking sheet, try rolling and cutting out the dough on the cookie sheet and then remove the excess.

Shaped - This is the softest dough for shaping and molding. Usually this type is forced through a cookie press, but can be shaped by hand as well. Most cookies in this category retain their shape, some will flatten slightly.

Make them Pretty
Now that you've settled on the type of cookie to make, you may want to dress them up a bit after baking. The possibilities are endless.

Frosting- Cookies can spread with either canned or homemade frosting (you know which one I'd suggest). Keep in mind when storing them that if you stack frosted cookies the frosting will be flattened and adhere to the bottom of the cookie on top. A powdered sugar glaze made with powdered egg whites, vanilla and just enough water or milk to make it pourable, will produce a shiny glaze that hardens as it dries. Keep in mind that frosting also adds another level of sweetness.

Sugar - Decorative sugars are quick, easy and come in different colors. Sprinkle tops of rolled, shaped, or dropped cookies before baking. Powdered sugar can also be dusted over baked and cooled cookies, repeat dusting for heavier coatings.

Jams and Jellies - Make a thumbprint before baking and fill after baking. These are nice enhancements but they will soften crisp cookies. It's better to use jams and jellies for sandwich cookies.

Chopped Nuts and Candies - Roll cookie dough in your choice of finely chopped nuts before baking. Coating the cookies before baking allows the nuts to be toasted while in the oven, increasing the nutty flavor. Sprinkle chopped candy on top while cookies are still warm, so that they will adhere.

Keeping them Fresh
For short term storage here's the first rule: don't mix soft and crispy cookies in the same container. The crispy ones will become soft. Store crispy cookies in a container with a loose fitting lid, and soft ones in container with tight lid. To add moisture back into soft cookies that have hardened, place half an apple skin side down in container. Toss it out after two days. It's easiest to keep bar cookies in the baking pan. Many pans come with lids or you can cover it tightly with foil. If you want to bake ahead you can store your cookies in the freezer using press and seal bags or freezer containers. Unfrosted cookies will keep for 8-12 months. Pack soft dough into containers, and roll stiff dough into logs and wrap in heavy-duty foil. Freeze up to 6 months

Cookie FYI

Don't use spreads, liquid, reduced fat, or soft type margarines for baking. Butter is always better. Too stiff dough will bog down your mixer, add the last of the flour by hand. Always place dough on a cool cookie sheet to prevent dough from spreading. Wipe or rinse sheets between baking. Most recipes that use butter or shortening don't require that the baking sheets be greased. Dark sheets absorb heat, which can cause over browning on the bottoms. Remove cookies from sheets immediately and place on wire racks for cooling. Delicate cookies, which should be allowed to slightly firm before removing. If cookies are hard to remove from sheets, place them back in the oven for no more than two minutes. No wire racks, no problem. Place cookies on wax paper covered countertop sprinkled with sugar.

Now that you have all this information, it's time to bake some cookies.

Crumbs the Word

Sandra L. Garth is the proud owner of the largest sweet tooth in the world. This means that her other passion, fitness, serves her very well. As a certified fitness professional she is able to show her clients how to have their cake and eat it too. Life is truly too short not to have dessert. As long as you use the best ingredients and enjoy them in moderation. Who say's you can't have it all? For mouthwatering recipes, baking tips and hints please visit: http://www.thesweetsensations.com

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