Late last year, several of my dear readers complained that I didn’t have any simple tutorials here in the cha no ma-ri or at my main site. I vowed to change that this year, and finally, nearly halfway through February, I cobbled together a set of tutes which I hope will enable you to all become master cookie decorators. Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can. And if you don’t want to bake and decorate, point someone who does to this blog. Maybe they’ll make the cookies for you!
Today I’m starting with the foundation: the cookies. Since Valentine’s Day is nigh upon us, I chose heart-shaped cookies, which are simple and even without any icing, say a lot to a recipient. For this demo, I used a Martha Stewart recipe which I think works very well.
Follow the recipe and once you’ve mixed everything together, DON’T chill the dough. DON’T.
Now, follow me:
Step 1. After mixing the dough, don’t chill it. Take one third of that delicious dough and slap it onto a sheet of waxed paper. Cover that blob of dough with another sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Place unchilled dough between layers of wax paper.
Step 2: Get your rolling pin out. Without too much pressure, roll the dough. Front to back, back to front. Use too much pressure and you’ll roll the dough too thinly.
Get your rolling pin out.
Roll cookie cough front to back and again.
Step 3: Rotate your dough – still between layers of wax paper – 90 degrees. Roll again.
Roll cookie dough again, front to back and again.
Step 4: Check the thickness of your dough. Lift the top layer of wax paper and check. It should be about 1/8 of an inch thick, slightly thicker. There are some rolling pins that have bands on them that help you roll out to a specific thickness. If you don’t have one, then quit this tute. Or, just pull out a ruler and hold it up to the dough. That’ll tell you how thick or thin your dough is.
Check the thickness of your rolled dough.
Step 5: Once you’ve rolled the dough to the proper thickness, place it – still between wax paper layers – onto a baking sheet and in your freezer. Yes, your FREEZER. Leave it in there for about 15 minutes.
Now you can preheat the oven.
Place your rolled dough in the freezer.
Step 6: While your dough is freezing and your oven is heating, pull out your cookie cutters and decide which you’re going to use. Hearts are nice and easy. I’ll be using both the smoothed-edge and the zigzag-edge cutters.
Important point: When you bake, you should always have the same or similar-sized cookies on each baking sheet. The bigger the cookie, the longer it will need to stay in the oven. So don’t be a ding-dong and do something stupid like put little cookies on the same sheet as big ones. The little ones will burn or the big ones will come out under-baked, which is not a happy outcome. Not happy at all.
Choose your cookie cutters while the dough is freezing and the oven's preheating.
Step 7: Once your dough has frozen – all you need to do is touch it and if it feels solid, it’s ready – pull it out and onto your working space. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat ready. Since the dough will soften after it’s pulled out of the freezer, you will have to work somewhat quickly. So don’t answer the phone, don’t start an argument with your partner, and don’t watch TV while doing this. Focus on this and only this. It won’t take long.
Peel off one layer of wax paper and put it right back on the dough. Turn your dough over, lay it back down on your working counter, and pull the other layer of wax paper off. Set it aside.
Frozen dough ready to cut.
Step 8: Start cutting your cookies with your cutters. You’ll notice that because the dough is frozen, it will stay on the inside of your cutter. How convenient! Gently bring it over your baking sheet, and push it out with your fingers. Gosh I hope you washed your hands. Use as much of your dough as possible. You can re-roll and cut the leftover dough. Or, eat it. Or, give it to your husband.
Cut your cookies. The frozen dough stays in the cutter.
Move the cutter and dough to the baking sheet. Release.
Use as much of your rolled dough as possible.
Step 9: Put the cookies in the oven on the middle rack. And don’t forget to shut the oven door. Turn on your timer. And remember to turn the baking sheet around 180 degrees halfway through baking. If you’re doing two baking sheets at a time, switch racks and turn 180 degrees halfway through baking time. And if all of this is confusing, then quit. And ask your best friend to do this for you.
Step 10: You’re done. To make sure your cookies are baked completely and to the right consistency, gently, and I mean GENTLY, press one of your cookies with your index finger. If it kind of bounces back, it’s done. If it sinks and the imprint of your finger remains, it needs about one more minute.
Once your cookies are ready, pull them out and place them, still in the baking sheet, on top of a wire rack. Let them sit there for 2 to 3 minutes. Many cook books will tell you one minute. That’s bogus. The cookies are still hot, their grease is still greasy, so they are soft. Leaving the cookies on the sheet for a few more minutes allows the cookies to harden, and they’ll peel right off the sheet.
Let your cookies cool in the baking sheet for a few minutes.
Step 11: With an offset spatula, remove the cookies onto the wire rack so they can cool completely. Give them about 10 minutes minimum. Ideally, 20 minutes. Either put them in an airtight container, or, get ready to decorate.
You’re done!
Next: The decorating tutorial.
Questions? Please leave them in the comments section. Suggestions? Welcome. Complaints? Go ahead. But keep it clean. You know what I mean.
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