Baking Cookies
Cookies can be classified into five different categories depending on how they are shaped. These are:
- Drop cookies have a consistency that allows them to be dropped from a spoon onto a baking sheet. These are the easiest kind of cookies to make.
- Refrigerator cookies, also known as ice box cookies, involve shaping the dough into logs, which are then rolled in plastic and refrigerated until firm enough to slice and bake.
- Shaped cookies are formed by hand into various shapes, such as balls, rolls and crescents. You can also use a cookie press for the various shapes.
- Cutout cookies have firm dough that you roll out and press with cookie cutters to make various shapes. You may have to chill the dough to make it firm enough to use.
- Bars cookies are usually made with a batter that you pour into a pan, dough that can be spread or a crumbly crust. They are all baked in a pan and you cut them into bars or squares after they are baked and cooled.
When baking cookies try to use stick margarine rather than whipped, tub or soft butter because these all contain air that will produce flat, tough and underbrowned cookies. You should also not mix the dough too much. Overmixing will also make the cookies tough.
The finish of your bakeware can affect how your cookies turn out. Aluminum bakeware gives cookies a golden brown appearance, while dark bakeware could cause the cookies to burn. When you place the cookies on the baking sheet, you should always leave a space of about 2 – 3 inches between them to allow for them to expand. You also should have at least 2 inches between the baking sheet and the oven walls so that heat will circulate evenly. Sometimes if you have two baking sheets in the oven at once, you should change their positions about halfway through the baking time. Always let the baking sheets cool before you add the next batch of cookies for baking.