Tea and Cookies (9 page)
Authors: Rick Rodgers
SHAPING COOKIES
Three of the most common types of cookies are identified by the way they are shaped—drop, bar, and rolled cookies.
D
ROP COOKIES
are the easiest to make—just drop the dough from a tablespoon onto the baking sheet. But to create uniformly shaped cookies that will bake at the same rate, you must add a few more moves.
Using a measuring tablespoon, spring-loaded ice-cream scoop, or cookie dough scoop with a 1-tablespoon capacity, scoop up the dough and transfer the roughly shaped “drops” to an unlined baking sheet. After portioning all of the dough, roll each drop between your palms into a ball. Place the balls on another, parchment paper–lined baking sheet, spacing the balls as the recipe directs, but at least 1 inch apart. Some doughs spread more than others and require more distant spacing. If you have any worries that the cookies will spread too much and run into one another, bake a trial cookie or two.
B
AR COOKIES
are baked as a single unit in a square or oblong pan and cut into individual bars. Even experienced bakers have had grief digging out that first bar, which always crumbles. To solve the problem, line the pan with a “sling” of aluminum foil. This allows the pastry to be completely lifted out of the pan before cutting so you won’t have to dig to get the first bar. Tear off a length of aluminum foil (preferably nonstick) about 10 inches longer than the length of the pan. Pleat the foil lengthwise to make a strip of foil equal to the width of the pan. Butter the pan (this helps keep the foil in place) and fit the foil into the pan with the excess foil hanging over the two short sides of the pan. Fold the excess foil down to create “handles.” Butter the foil again, even if it is nonstick. If the recipe directs, dust the foil with flour and tap out the excess flour. When the pastry is baked, let it cool in the pan on a wire cake rack. To remove the pastry, run a knife around the inside of the pan to release the pastry from the sides. Lift up the foil handles to remove the pastry in one piece. Place on a cutting board, peel back the foil, and cut into bars with a sharp knife. Remove the bars from the foil.
The dough for
ROLLED COOKIES
is rolled out and cut into decorative shapes. Be sure that the dough is chilled first, but it will be easiest to work with if it is merely cold and not refrigerated until it is rock hard. An hour or two in the refrigerator is usually sufficient. Do not freeze the dough to speed the chilling. If the dough is too hard, it will crack when rolled. In that case, let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes to warm slightly.
Dust a work surface with flour. Place the unwrapped dough on the work surface and dust the top of the dough with flour. Using a rolling pin (a nonstick silicone pin works best), roll out the dough about 1/8 inch thick (or a little thicker for softer, more substantial cookies), occasionally slipping a long metal icing spatula under the dough to be sure that it isn’t sticking. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. You may need to slide the spatula under the cookies to move them. Transfer to the parchment paper–lined baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Sugar cookies will not spread much, unless the dough is warm. (If you think the dough has softened, refrigerate the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before baking—in cold weather, place near an open window or on a screened porch.) Gather up the dough scraps, press them into a thick disk, and wrap and refrigerate the disk for 5 to 10 minutes before rolling out the rest of the cookies.
You’ll find complete instructions for shaping specialty cookies, such as
macarons
and madeleines, in their recipes.
BAKING AND COOLING
The oven racks should be positioned in the center and upper third of the oven before preheating. Providing two oven rack positions is a matter of convenience for the home baker to speed up the baking process. You will have much more control over the baking if you only use the center rack. However, if you stay aware (and use a kitchen timer), you can use two racks at once, as long as you move the positions of the baking sheets halfway during the baking time. Switch the baking sheets from top to bottom, and turn them from front to back. Always bake bar cookies in the center rack.
If you need to reuse the baking sheets to bake more cookies, be sure that the baking sheets are cool before placing the dough on them. If the dough comes into contact with a warm baking sheet, it will spread, and the cookies will be flat.
In most cases, the cookies can be allowed to cool on their baking sheets with no harm done. But they will cool more quickly (and free up the sheets for the next batch) if they are transferred to a wire cake rack. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to the rack.
STORING
Even the most adorable cookie jar isn’t a good place to keep cookies, which need airtight storage to stave off staling. Metal and plastic containers are excellent choices; just separate the layers of cookies with wax paper. Try to store each type of cookie in its own container, as mixing up varieties can affect their textures. For example, if stored together, moisture from a bar cookie can soften a crisp drop cookie.
H
ere are treats from the American cookie canon, with familiar and comforting flavors. They are the kind of old-fashioned cookies that you might serve to close friends who have dropped in for a spot of tea. But you’ll also find some surprising twists on old favorites.
MAKES ABOUT
2 DOZEN
LARGE COOKIES
Black-and-white cookies are a New York specialty that you will find at every delicatessen.
Seinfeld
fans will remember them from “The Dinner Party.” They are not quite cookies, but saucer-size disks of cake (urban legend says that they were originally created to use up leftover cake batter), with very dark brown and white icing applied on the flat side. Make them for transplanted New Yorkers, and they will be forever grateful.
BLACK-AND-WHITE COOKIES
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¾ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, beaten, at room temperature
ICINGS
7½ cups (about 1½ pounds) confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (preferably clear, available at crafts stores)
¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
White icing coloring, optional (see Note)
1.
Position racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Cut 6 sheets of parchment paper to fit large baking sheets. Using a 4½-inch-diameter saucer or bowl as a template, draw 4 rounds spaced at least 1½ inches apart on each sheet of paper. Turn the paper upside down (you should be able to see the rounds through the paper) and line two large baking sheets with the paper.
2.
To make the cookies, sift the flours, baking powder, and salt together. Mix the milk, vanilla, and lemon extract together. Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar and continue beating until the mixture is very light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs. Reduce the mixer speed to low. In thirds, alternating with two equal additions of the milk mixture, beat in the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula, and mix just until smooth.
3.
Using an ice-cream scoop with about ¼ cup capacity, transfer portions of batter to the centers of the rounds on the baking sheet. Using a small offset metal spatula or the back of a spoon, and using the template on the paper as a guide, spread the batter into 4½-inch rounds.
4.
Bake, switching the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the edges of the cookies are beginning to brown and the tops of the cookies spring back when gently pressed in the centers, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets. Transfer to wire cake racks and cool completely. Repeat with the remaining parchment paper, being sure to use cooled baking sheets. (If necessary to cool them quickly, rinse the baking sheets under cold water and dry.)
5.
To make the icings, sift the confectioners’ sugar into a large bowl. Bring the corn syrup and 2/3 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour over the sugar, add the vanilla, and whisk until smooth to make an icing that is a little thicker than heavy cream. Adjust the consistency by adding water, a teaspoon at a time, if necessary.
6.
Transfer 1 cup of the icing to a heatproof medium bowl. Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth, adjusting the icing to its original consistency with teaspoons of water. Place the bowl in a skillet of very hot water over very low heat to keep the chocolate icing from setting.
7.
Add enough white icing coloring, if using, to the plain icing to give it an opaque sheen. Brush away any loose crumbs from the flat side of the cookie with a pastry brush. Using a small offset spatula, spread the white icing on half of the flat underside of each cookie. Let stand until the icing is set, about 10 minutes. The icing on the cookie should be opaque as possible, so apply a second coating, if you wish.
8.
Whisk the chocolate icing to dissolve any crust on its surface. Remove the bowl from the skillet. Spread the empty flat side of each cookie with the chocolate icing. Let stand until the icing is completely set, at least 1 hour. (The cookies can be made up to 3 days ahead, stored in a large airtight container and separated by sheets of wax paper.)
NOTE:
The white icing should be as white and opaque as possible, and adding white icing coloring will help accomplish this. Look for Wilton’s White-White Icing Coloring or Spectrum Bright White at cake decorating and hobby shops (see Sources). If you don’t use the coloring, you may need to apply a second layer of icing over the first one to completely mask the cookies. Or don’t bother with the coloring, as the icing will not be opaque, but it will still be delicious.
