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Simply put, rolled cookies, such as sugar
cookies, are made by using a rolling pin to flatten a stiff dough, which is then
cut into interesting shapes with sharp cookie cutters, a knife, or a pastry
wheel. The alternative is to
shape the dough into logs and to slice it thinly
before baking, called
icebox cookies. Rolled cookies are
more crumbly and less chewy than drop
ones.
Rolled cookies
should be thin and crisp, so generally, the dough
should be rolled in a 1/8-inch-thick circle in a cool room
so the dough does not get soft. The rule is the thinner they are, they are more
crispy and fragile.
But if you want them on the chewy side, roll them
thicker and underbake them just a little bit, removing them from the oven while
the center is still a little soft.
 I
like to roll cookie dough, especially when sticky, in between two
Silpat Non-stick Mats. I put the
dough on one and cover it with the other, and apply my rolling pin to the
top. If I have to refrigerate it, I simply do so with the dough still on the
mat. |
Before rolling and cutting, the dough should be
well chilled for at least 30 minutes to an hour. This will prevent the dough
from sticking to the rolling pin and shrinking when rolled.
Use only as much of the chilled dough as can be
handled at one time and keep the remainder cold.
Lightly flour the work
surface before rolling; for the most tender cookies, use as little as
possible. Some recommend rolling by using confectioner's sugar because it won't
toughen the cookies like flour will. If the dough
becomes too soft to roll put it in the refrigerator to chill. A nonstick
Silpat mat
is a great surface on which to roll cookie dough on. It can be put directly in
the fridge, with the dough on it, if the dough starts getting too soft.
| I usually like rolled cookie
recipes that contain half butter and half shortening. Shortening helps to
make them sturdier than using all butter; they won't crumble easily and have
a smoother surface for decorating on. If the recipe contains all butter,
simply substitute half of it with an equal amount of shortening, preferably
butter flavored. |
If you still have problems rolling out the dough,
which is the case of soft doughs made with a lot of eggs, milk and/or sugar, do
so between two sheets of parchment or plastic wrap or two Silpat mats.
To use rolled dough afterwards, simply remove one dough circle at a time,
peel off the top sheet of wax paper, replace it loosely with a fresh one, then
flip the entire package over. Peel off and discard the second sheet of wax paper
and cut into shapes as desired.
 Q:
What is the differences between plastic, metal & copper cutters and what
makes one type better than another? A:
Metal (tin) and copper make a sturdier cutter and can be used to cut
through a variety of doughs. Plastic cutters are fine, but they will not
always cut through deep or harder treats because they aren't as sharp. |
Once rolled, "green" or "bucky" (young) doughs
will tend to shrink back after rolling. If you're not manually shrinking your
doughs after rolling (on a well-dusted countertop) you should be. Grab a long
edge of the rolled dough and gently "flip" the edge up, trapping a bit of an air
cushion under it. Work the air out from under by gently pushing on the top of
the dough, toward a center point and the shrink should disappear. Refrigerating
the dough also helps. Fold the dough into a half or fourths and cover with
plastic wrap. Be careful not to squish the dough while doing, so it won't crack.
Keep it there for a minimum of a 30 minutes to an hour and no longer than 24.
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You can "glue" one rolled out cookie dough shape onto
another before baking. For instance, if you want to place a small heart
cut-out on a gingerbread man (woman): Cut out both shapes, and where the
heart is supposed to be, put a little dab of water with your fingertip.
Then, gently press the heart into place. The water will act as the "glue".
Chill the dough if it is too soft to handle easily. |
After unfolding the chilled dough on a floured
surface, the next step is to cut the dough into decorative shapes. You can use
cookies cutters, a pastry wheel, or trace around cardboard patterns with a
knife. All cookie cutters, should be sharp, with no rough edges. I really like
metal cookie cutters because they are sharper and cut better as opposed to
plastic which can also wrap during storage. I haven't really noticed a big
difference between the tin and the copper cutters, except the price! However,
copper ones tend to be a lot larger. So if you like doing very large cookies,
you'll probably have to go with the copper ones.
 To
keep cookie cutters (especially plastic ones) from sticking to cookie dough,
dip just the sharp part in vegetable oil or flour. Place on paper towel so
it absorbs the excess oil or tap off the extra flour.
When you use the prepared
cutter, you'll get a cleaner, more defined edge on the patterns. |
Start cutting on the outside edges of the rolled
dough, keeping the cuts close together and work your way in towards the center
to get the most out of the dough. That's because it's easier to remove cut out
cookie dough from the edge rather than the center without marring the rolled
dough.
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Q:
Sometimes my cookies get distorted when I transfer them to a cookie sheet.
Is there a way to avoid this? A:
To prevent very large cut cookies from losing their
shape, roll dough directly onto cookie sheet. Cut cookies and remove excess
dough. |
Save all the dough trimmings to roll out and to
cut again, the second ones being less tender than the first; handling the dough
over and over again with more flour, toughens the cookies.
Rolled out cookie dough can be stored as is, tightly covered
in the refrigerator for up to a week. If frozen, it keeps for 1 month or more.
The cookie dough can also be rolled in between two sheets or parchment or waxed
paper and refrigerated or frozen for the same amount of time. With rolled
cookies, I like to store already cut out cookie dough; the advantage being you
can bake cookies whenever you want to without a lot of fuss. Simply, place them
on a flat cookie sheet in the freezer and when hard, remove to airtight bags for
long term storage. No need to thaw the cookie dough before baking (unless you
wish to decorate it).
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