cookies and bars

History of Cookies

Earliest known cookie was supposed to have been honey cakes. But in more modern times almost every European country had its own version of a cookie, namely, Keks from Germany; Koekie from Holland; Focaccina from Italy; Galleta from Spain and biscuits from England. American "cookie" came from the Dutch "Koekie".  During pre-revolutionary period "koekie" was changed into a biscuit but during revolutionary period, when all things British were changed biscuit became a wafer. Now it is mostly called a cookie.

Even though we have a wide variety of cookies, the four basic ingredients mostly used to make cookies are flour, sugar, fat and eggs.

For low-protein cookies I have used TC-Multibaking mix as the substitute for the flour and for the binding quality of eggs.  I have also used Instant pudding and pie filling mix as another substitute for eggs and as a setting agent for the cookie dough.

The basic cookie dough maybe the same in lots of recipes but when you vary the flavoring or any such additives it takes on a new name and taste. For instance, when cinnamon and dried apple chunks are added to the basic cookie dough and baked, the cookies taste like oatmeal/raisin cookie and .........

 So on.......

You are only limited by your imagination......

Utensils for cookie baking

1.

Cookies when baked on an aluminum cookie sheet don't brown the bottom more quickly than the rest of the cookie and so they are my first and only choice. (Non-stick ones tend to brown/blacken the bottom of the cookies faster).  Even in aluminum I prefer to buy those that ate 2-layered, which facilitate even baking.  I prefer to have at least 2 cookie sheets so while baking one batch I could get the 2nd batch shaped or pressed and get ready.

2. Cookie cutters:

With the market flooded with various cookie cutter shapes, you can never run out of ideas to make season appropriate cookies. But the most basic shape of all is the circle and I would recommend at least two or three sizes in round cookie cutters. It is up to you to have shapes of your choice for the season, especially Halloween, Christmas  .............

3. Cookie Press (Spritzer):

You can use a cookie press and press out different shapes directly on the baking sheet without having the hassle of using scoops, etc.  It presses out evenly shaped cookies at a fraction of a time and there are even electric presses available in the market today.

4. Cooling Rack:

The cookies crisp up really fast if allowed to cool on cooling rack

5. Mixing Bowls and Scraper/spatula:

I prefer to use stainless steel bowls since they are non-reactive and are easier to handle than plastic or glass. Invest in at least 2-3 mixing bowls. (Select good quality ones since cheap ones tend to rust).  Plastic scraper makes the job of scraping the dough out of a mixing bowl soooooo... easy. They usually have rounded edges and are flexible to conform to the shape of the bowl when scraping. Rubber spatulas also work in a similar way but buy ones that are really flexible and not stiff.

6. Electric Mixer/ Wooden Spoons

I use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar together to make the mixture fluffy. The electric mixture makes the job of mixing quicker than if mixing by hand. If using a wooden spoon, using the back of the spoon to mix gives a better even beating to any mixture.

7. Measuring Cups and Spoons:

Everyone should have at least 1 set of measuring cups each for dry and wet ingredients.  Buy the measuring cups from a reputable kitchen store since cheap ones may not be accurate and this affects the recipes.  Do not interchange in using the measuring cups for dry and wet ingredients since each type is for that specific purpose only.

8. Weighing Scales:

Weighing dry ingredients such as Multi-baking mix is much better than measuring using the measuring cups since it is a lot more accurate. When using the measuring cups sometimes it is so easy to measure more or less than what is required.  There is more room for error in measuring using measuring cups. Hence I always weigh the flour, butter, sugar, etc. for all the recipes and measure only liquid ingredients.

9. Wire Whisk

Due to the presence of  various added ingredients in the TC- Multibaking mix it is advisable not to sift the mix. Using a wire whisk you can whisk in air while mixing the dry ingredients together.

HINTS FOR COOKIE BAKING

1. This first one is mentioned in almost all cookbooks. Read the recipe completely before proceeding with the recipe.

2. Before mixing always work with room temperature ingredients unless specified otherwise in a particular recipe.