Cookies For Dummies

Carole Bloom

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781118069653
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Culinary Arts

Have you ever opened a box of store-bought cookies and after the first dry bite, wished you were eating a warm, fresh baked one instead? Even store-bought cookies that claim to taste homemade really can't compare to the real thing. Well, cookie lovers, thanks to baker Carole Bloom, you can have the real thing—any time and any day of the week.

With Cookies For Dummies, you'll be whipping up platefuls of the most scrumptious cookies imaginable in absolutely no time. Think Very Rich Cakelike Brownies. Or Almond Butter Cookies. Or Chocolate Biscotti. And not only will the book's nearly 200 recipes awaken the baker within, you'll get foolproof tips on making any type of creation in cookiedom—from simple drop, rolled, and refrigerator cookies to the more challenging bar, sandwich, and filled cookies, and finally, the pressed, hand-formed, and molded cookies that'll let you style eye-catching cookies that bear your unique signature. With help on every page, the book cues you in on:

• Baking basics—such as choosing the right kitchen equipment and stocking up on essentials
• Foolproof techniques for outstanding cookies, plus tips on troubleshooting baking mishaps
• Decorating with chocolate (with tips on piping, painting, and stenciling)
• Creating "slender'" versions of old favorites, while maintaining texture and boosting flavor
• Discovering cookies from other cultures
• Baking for the holidays and making baking fun for kids

With a summary cheat sheet of baking essentials, helpful how-to illustrations, and humorous cartoons along the way, Cookies For Dummies will help you bake awe-inspiring homemade cookies that will have even the fanatical cookie lovers in your family clamoring for more.

Part I

Ready, Set, Let’s Bake Cookies

In this part . . .

**IN a DROPCAP**

This part sets the stage for making cookies. It covers how to organize your space with emphasis on having plenty of elbow room, all the neat equipment and tools that you will be using, and the basic ingredients that you want to have on hand. By having the right equipment and ingredients, your cookie-making experience will be quick, easy, and fun.

This part further discusses how to make friends with your tools and equipment and how to get the most out of them. You will also learn that measuring ingredients can be a little tricky, so you want to pay close attention to the methods for this. Techniques are at the core of success. By following the techniques presented here, everything will go smoothly.

Chapter 1

How to Get Started as a Great Cookie Baker

In This Chapter

Discovering the joy of homemade cookies

Being prepared makes cookie baking easy

Organizing your kitchen

Taking your first steps to becoming a cookie master

W hen it comes to cookies, it doesn’t take too much to get people excited. All you need to say is, “Would you like a cookie?” and the response will most often be, “Yes, please!” Most people don’t even ask what type of cookie they’re getting, because they simply like cookies. This is the way I am. Of course, I do have some favorites, but I’m like most people — when it comes to cookies, they’re all good.

Why do most people like cookies so much? First and foremost, people like the taste. For those who like sweet foods, cookies satisfy that craving. Cookies also come in a range of interesting flavors, so many, in fact, that it’s almost easier to make a list of flavors that you can’t get in cookies. Cookies also leave a wonderful aftertaste — the kind that makes your taste buds tingle and makes you say, “I’ll have another one, please.” People who are around when the cookies are baking also appreciate the aroma of cookies — nothing can beat the smell of freshly baked cookies! The texture of cookies, ranging from crunchy to smooth to everything in between, is also part of the appeal of cookies.

Cookies have a close connection with your memory. This is what makes them so magical. Just the smell of freshly baked cookies can transport you back to fun times in the kitchen, baking cookies with Mom or Grandma. Cookies can also take you, if only for a moment, out of the hustle and bustle of daily life. Baking cookies is a type of stress reliever. And cookies are a great way to share and make friends. Nothing conveys your feelings better than, “Would you like a cookie? I made them myself.”

The Benefits of Making Your Own Cookies

Cookies that are store-bought are okay, but cookies that are homemade are wonderful. “Store-bought” conveys the impression of being mass produced and stale. “Homemade,” on the other hand, means that the cookies contain someone’s personal touch and are fresh. So why don’t more people always make their own cookies at home? Mainly because they mistakenly believe that baking takes too much time and because they worry about whether they can do a good job.

Time doesn’t have to be a problem. Some cookie recipes have only a few ingredients and a few steps and — voilà! — they’re in and out of the oven. It’s possible to whip up a couple of batches, bake ‘em, and eat ‘em in about a half hour. (I know this from experience.) And what about making a batch of bad cookies? Not possible, unless you really, really, really mess up. Your worst enemy here is the oven; either the heat is too high, or the cookies stay too long in the oven (see Chapter 22). Don’t worry; just remember to set that timer. But when you’re anticipating the result, you will most likely be checking the progress. And you’ll surely smell the aroma, so you probably won’t be able to forget about them.

At first you may feel a little uneasy about baking cookies. But I can assure you that you’ll gain confidence quickly because success comes very easily. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to bake great cookies, although I bet a lot of rocket scientists do bake cookies. I’m at least certain that they eat them!

Most of the ingredients you need to make cookies are probably already in your kitchen, so you won’t need to buy much. Yes, you need to get certain recipe ingredients, but that won’t be any hassle because everything you need is sold in the same supermarkets where you buy your other groceries. But what about the skills needed to bake cookies? That’s the easy part. Most cookies are so easy to make that, well, even a little kid could do it — with a little adult supervision, of course. For more on baking cookies with children, see Chapter 18.

Getting started is the simple part. First you need to tell yourself, “No more store-bought cookies; I’m making my own.” Then you have to decide what equipment, tools, and ingredients you need. After you get everything you need together, you have to organize your space — a topic that is covered in the following sections. For more information about tools, ingredients, and techniques, see Chapters 2, 3, and 4, respectively. If you’ve already chosen a particular cookie to bake, you can go directly to the recipe to determine the necessary ingredients.

The word cookie comes from the Dutch word koekje, meaning small cakes.

A Good Cookie Maker Is Always Prepared

Like a good scout, cookie bakers need to be prepared. By being well prepared, you make your work a whole lot easier. There’s nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of making a batch of cookies and finding that you have to stop and search for something or, worse, discovering that you’re missing a key ingredient.

Preparation is a broad area and consists of more than simply checking to see whether you have all the ingredients. It involves setting aside time, selecting your recipe, reading the recipe to make sure that you understand what needs to be done, and getting the ingredients ready to be used, among other things. Although preparation is important, don’t spend all your time getting ready and not have time to enjoy the process. My motto when baking cookies is simple: “Ready, set, bake!”

First things first: Select and review your recipe

Choose an appropriate recipe. Do you want to bake holiday cookies? Or do you want to bake cookies with young children? Maybe you want cookies for a tea party or for a picnic. Pick the cookie recipe that best fits your need. There are so many types of cookies from which to choose that one is bound to be perfect. Once you’ve decided which cookies to bake, read through the recipe.

Again, make sure that the cookie recipe you pick is appropriate for the occasion. If you bake delicate cookies for a picnic, they’ll probably be crumbled and broken by the time you’re ready to eat them.

Whether you’re a first-time cookie baker or have been baking cookies for a long time, reading the recipe through to be sure that you understand what needs to be done is always a good idea. If something isn’t clear, read the recipe again to see whether it can be clarified. If the recipe contains a word or term you don’t understand, most likely you can find its definition in Appendix A of this book.

You may be...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I : Ready, Set, Let’s Bake Cookies
• Chapter 1: How to Get Started as a Great Cookie Baker
• Chapter 2: The Cookie Baker’s Toolbox
• Chapter 3: Ingredients for the Cookie Cupboard
• Chapter 4: Foolproof Techniques for Outstanding Cookies
• Part II : Popular Types of Cookies
• Chapter 5: Drop Cookies
• Chapter 6: Rolled Cookies
• Chapter 7: Refrigerator Cookies
• Part III : Stylish Cookies
• Chapter 8: Bar Cookies
• Chapter 9: Sandwich Cookies
• Chapter 10: Filled Cookies
• Part IV : Shaping Up Your Cookies
• Chapter 11: Pressed Cookies
• Chapter 12: Hand-Formed Cookies
• Chapter 13: Molded Cookies
• Part V : Cookies of Distinction
• Chapter 14: International Specialties
• Chapter 15: Cookies to Celebrate the Holidays
• Chapter 16: Chocolate Indulgences
• Chapter 17: Big Cookies
• Chapter 18: Cookies Are for Kids
• Chapter 19: Slender Cookies
• Part VI : Dressing Up Your Cookies
• Chapter 20: Chocolate Embellishments
• Chapter 21: Decoration Sensations
• Part VII : The Part of Tens
• Chapter 22: Ten Troubleshooting Tips
• Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Storing and Transporting Your Cookies
• Appendix A: Glossary
• Appendix B: Sources for Ingredients and Equipment
• Appendix C: Metric Conversion Guide