The Baking Answer Book (24 page)

Adapting a bar cookie recipe to make drop cookies is a bit trickier because many bar cookie batters are just that, loose batters that will run and spread when baked as cookies. Think
about your standard brownie batter, and you will understand the problem. For round, bite-size versions of my favorite bars, I prefer to portion out the bar cookie batter into mini-muffin tins to help the batter keep its shape. Depending on the size of your mini-muffin tin, these mini brownies and bars will take 12 to 18 minutes to bake, much quicker than brownies and bars in a larger baking pan, which can take upwards of 35 minutes to bake through.

Q
Most recipes tell you to melt chocolate for brownies in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Why can’t I melt chocolate right in a pot on top of the stove?

A
On its own, chocolate needs to be handled with care, because if it is overheated it will scorch and burn. When this happens, it melts into a lumpy and dull mass rather than a smooth and shiny semiliquid. To melt chocolate successfully, it is best to use indirect heat, such as on top of a double boiler. There are other indirect heating methods that you can use: Place your chocolate in a heatproof bowl and put it in an oven at the lowest setting, whisking it every couple of minutes until it is smooth. Or melt chocolate in a microwave oven, checking on it every 20 seconds or so to make sure you aren’t overheating it. From personal experience I can tell you that it is much easier to ruin chocolate in a microwave than on top of a double boiler. Whichever method you choose, be sure to chop the chocolate finely and evenly
before beginning. If you put uneven chunks of chocolate over even indirect heat, you risk overheating the smaller pieces that have melted first.

When you are melting chocolate with butter, as is usually the case with brownies, it’s still best to heat it gently over simmering water in a double boiler, but it is possible to do so successfully directly on top of the stove if you must. Here’s how: Melt the butter over a very low flame first, then add the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth. If you just throw solid butter and solid chocolate into the pot at the same time, some of the chocolate will become overheated from direct contact with the metal of the pot before the butter is able to melt and act as a protective shield.

Q
My brownies taste fine, but have a cracked surface and a ridge around the outside edge. When I cut into them the surface shatters into large shards. How can I get a smooth surface that’s less fragile and easier to cut?

A
Take care not to beat too much air into your brownie batter. If you do this, the air bubbles will expand in the oven, only to deflate when the brownies cool, leaving you with the fallen center and cracking that you describe. A few stirs with a wooden spoon or a few seconds on low with an electric mixer should be enough to moisten all the ingredients.

Q
Are there other secrets to better-looking bar cookies?

A
I often line my baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil before filling it with cookie dough. So instead of having to dig out that first brownie with a spatula (and probably destroying it in the process), I just lift the foil from the pan when the cookies are cooled and slice them into neat squares.

The best bar cookies are slightly underbaked in the center. If they’re not, then the bars closest to the edge of the pan will definitely be overbaked. But underbaked bars are very soft and can crumble when cut. To make neat squares, freeze the cooled but uncut cookies for 15 minutes to firm them up and then cut straight down with a sharp chef’s knife rather than dragging the knife across the bars.

Q
What is the best way to make an even bottom crust for my bar cookies?

A
After pressing the dough mixture into your pan with your fingertips, press down on it again with the smooth bottom of a juice glass. If the pastry is sticky, flour the bottom of the glass before and during the process or cover it with plastic wrap.

Q
The pastry crusts of my lemon bars and pecan bars are always a little oily rather than moist and crumbly. What am I doing wrong?

A
If you are melting butter to make these crusts, make sure to cool it before stirring it into the dry ingredients to avoid oiliness. If you are mixing solid butter with dry ingredients, your butter may be too soft and warm. In either case, if your crust looks shiny and oily before you bake it, put the pan into the freezer for 5 minutes to let the butter solidify.

Q
What is the best way to roll cookie dough into logs to make slice-and-bake cookies?

A
To form evenly shaped logs, which will become uniformly round cookies, pinch and press the dough into a rough log of the length specified in your recipe. Then transfer the log to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and roll it inside the paper to smooth and round it. Tap each end on the counter to flatten the tapered ends.

Q
Are there other tricks to getting evenly shaped slice-and-bake cookies?

A
When you are ready to cut, remember to rotate the log of dough often, so that one side doesn’t become flattened by the repeated pressure of the knife.

Q
How long does slice-and-bake dough need to be refrigerated? How long will it keep in the refrigerator or freezer?

A
Don’t forget that these are also called icebox cookies. The dough needs time, at least 3 hours, to chill before it can be sliced. Unchilled dough will be squashed by your knife as you cut through it. If you are in a hurry, you can pop the dough logs in the freezer for an hour and a half, and you can freeze the dough, well-wrapped in plastic and then in foil, for up to 1 month. But don’t try to slice dough straight from the freezer, or it may crumble. If your dough is frozen solid, let it soften slightly on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes before using.

Q
My biscotti are as hard as rocks. What did I do wrong?

A
Absolutely nothing! Traditional Italian biscotti are supposed to be very hard and dry, so they won’t fall apart when dunked into sweet wine or coffee. But if you would like to bake more yielding biscotti, simply reduce the second baking time by about 5 minutes so they retain more moisture.

Crispy-Chewy Espresso-Walnut Biscotti

Ever since my friend Jane broke a tooth on some of my peanut brittle several years ago, I’ve tried not to serve anything that could cause a dental emergency.

The traditional recipe for Italian biscotti includes whole almonds, which can become quite hard themselves when baked. To make my biscotti less dangerous, I use cake flour and chopped walnuts, which are more yielding, and brown sugar, which adds moisture. After slicing the cookie logs and returning the cookies to the oven, I watch them carefully, pulling them from the oven when their centers are still a little moist and soft.

If you have the time and the interest, you can place the cooled cookies on a parchmentlined baking sheet and drizzle them with melted bittersweet chocolate. Let stand until the chocolate is set before serving.

MAKES ABOUT 24 BISCOTTI

½ cup sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup walnut pieces, coarsely chopped

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.
Combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add 3 of the eggs, the oil, and the vanilla, and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Mix in the walnuts.

3.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Shape each half into a flat log about 12 inches long and 2½ inches wide. Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet, several inches apart.

4.
Beat the remaining egg and brush it over the dough. Bake the logs until they are firm to the touch, about 35 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely.

5.
Reduce the oven to 325°F (160°C). Transfer the logs to a cutting board and cut them into 1-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices, cut-side down, to the baking sheet and return them to the oven. Bake until they are just turning crisp, about 8 minutes longer.

6.
Transfer the sliced cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. These biscotti will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 1 to 2 weeks.

Q
Sticky dough covers my hands after I’ve shaped only a few of my hand-formed cookies. How can I prevent this so I don’t have to keep running to the sink to wash my hands?

A
Letting very soft cookie dough rest for 10 minutes after you mix it will give it some time to solidify, making it less sticky. Even better, refrigerate it for 10 to 30 minutes for easier handling. Longer than this in the refrigerator and the dough may become a little dry and crumbly, but it should come together when you begin to handle it. Some people like to coat their hands with flour or confectioners’ sugar, but if you add too much flour or sugar to your dough this way it may affect the taste and texture of your cookies. It’s better to rinse your hands in very cold tap water or ice water periodically, shaking off the excess water over the sink before proceeding. The coolness and dampness of your hands should prevent the dough from sticking.

Q
When I’m coating my hand-formed cookies with chopped nuts or flaked coconut, the toppings always get clumped together with bits of cookie dough. Is there something I can do to keep the toppings fresh-looking as I work?

A
You can refrigerate the shaped cookies for 5 or 10 minutes, which will make them less sticky, before rolling them in the toppings. And always place just one-third or half
of your topping in the shallow bowl or on a rimmed baking sheet before beginning to roll. Using only a portion of the topping at a time will ensure that the cookies you roll last will look as fresh as the ones you rolled first.

Q
Sprinkles and other decorations fall off of rolled cookies when the cookies cool. What can I do to make them stick?

A
Sometimes it’s enough to press the toppings lightly into the surface of the dough with the palm of your hand, so the decorations are embedded in the dough. Press your raisin buttons and red-hot eyes firmly into your gingerbread man dough. If your dough is delicate and you are afraid your cookies will become misshapen with pressure, you could lightly brush the cookies with some beaten egg white, which will act like glue, and then sprinkle on your topping. An added bonus for some recipes, egg white will give the cookies a nice sheen.

Q
I’ve loaded my dough into the cookie press, but when I push down nothing comes out. What can I do to soften the dough?

A
Dough that is too stiff will be difficult to press through the decorative plate. The pressure of the stiff dough pressing against the plate may even break the gun. There are
two reasons your dough might be too thick: First, is it very cold? Dough intended for the cookie press, unlike most other cookie doughs, should not be chilled because colder dough won’t easily extrude through the decorative plate. Bring your dough to room temperature before loading it into your press. Dough that is relatively dry will be too thick and stiff to press through the plate. Thin the dough with a little bit of milk, stirring it in 1 teaspoon at a time, until it is softer and easier to press through the decorative plate.

Q
When I press the dough in the cookie press it sticks to the plate and I have to scrape it off with a knife. What should I do?

A
This is the opposite problem. If it’s very warm in your kitchen, your dough might have become too soft. Refrigerate it briefly (4 or 5 minutes should do it), long enough to firm it up but not so long that it gets hard. Or perhaps you added too much liquid during mixing. Add some extra flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it extrudes smoothly from the press without sticking to the plate.