Dorie Greenspan's Do-Almost-Anything Vanilla Cookie Dough Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is a cookie type for which the dough is refrigerated before it is shaped? ›

Also known as “icebox cookies” or slice-and-bake cookies, this quick-to-make variety is the plan-ahead baker's dream. The dough is typically shaped into a long cylinder, chilled in the refrigerator, then sliced into uniform discs or formed into rectangles or triangles.

Bar cookies are made from a soft dough that is spread evenly in a pan and baked. You may cut them into any shape (square, rectangle or triangle) after they are baked. Brownies are probably the most popular bar cookies. Rolled cookies are made from a stiff dough that has been rolled into a thin sheet.

Baking powder or flour in excess will cause cookies to rise more, making them more fluffy and cakey. Increased sugar will make them caramelize more and increased fat will make the dough heavier and richer, all increasing retention of water in the dough- these all add up to chewier cookies.

Cool down your dough for a tastier, chewier cookie.

As little as 30 minutes in your fridge or freezer can help your cookie brown better, spread less, and develop a richer chewy texture.

Fat is a very important ingredient in cookies – it tenderizes, crisps and browns, adds color and a wonderful flavor that is impossible to duplicate. Butter, our fat of choice, ensures good baking results and adds the most desirable taste, texture and appearance.

Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

Using more white sugar in your cookies will result in a crispier end product. To achieve a crispy cookie, skip the rest in the fridge. Baking your cookies right after making the dough will encourage them to spread in the oven, resulting in an extra-crispy cookie.

Chilling your dough beforehand – Chilling cookie dough keeps it sturdy as it bakes into delicious cookies. This practice also heightens the flavor profile of your cookies and gives your ingredients time to meld.

A soft dough is used to make drop cookies. Drop or push the dough from a spoon onto cookie sheets. Leave about 2 inches of space between cookies. Drop cookies will spread more than rolled cookies.

What are the 4 cookie types? ›

Some premade cookie dough can have a processed, almost chemical-like aftertaste, but you can mask it by adding extra flavor extracts to your dough. You can use a splash of vanilla extract or try other variations, like almond extract or mint extract, to change up the flavors of your cookies.

It's the same cookie dough you've always loved, but now we've refined our process and ingredients so it's safe to eat the dough before baking. The dough will still bake up the same as our classic cookie dough, so now you can enjoy our cookie dough products before and after baking!

The Nestle Toll House cookies stayed chewier for longer while I found that the Pillsbury cookies hardened and got crunchy throughout more quickly. If you prefer a crunchier cookie that's got some texture on the surface and chocolate chips that are still intact, I think the Pillsbury ready-to-bake dough is for you.

We age ours by way of fermentation for at least three days (but no more than five) because we found that it gives us the flavor profile we like and it gives the dough the best texture and workability for our chefs.

The fact is, no matter how divine and delicious cookie dough is, it is a raw product that contains eggs and butter. Over time, it'll become rancid, on top of the lurking danger of salmonella and E. coli.

While yeast activity slows down in the fridge, other reactions continue. Enzymes still break starches into their component sugars and bacteria (what there may be) still produce complex flavors. The flavor does improve. The extensibility of the dough also improves.

Traditionally, bakers add a piece of old dough to their next batch of dough to add depth of flavor. But you can also use old dough as a substitute for sourdough starter. Feed the old dough with water and flour, just as you would a starter. Then use it in a recipe.