Solutions To Make Peifect Holiday Cookies An infinite variety of cookie recipes are made during the holi days. Some cookies are soft, some are crisp, some spread dur ing baking and some hold then shape. In order to produce the characteristics we want and cor rect faults, it is useful to know what causes these characteristics. Crispness Cookies are crisp if they are very low in moisture. The following factors will con tribute to crispness: 1. Low proportion of liquid in the mix. Most crisp cookies are made from still dough. 2. High sugar and fat content. 3. Evaporation of moisture during baking due to high tem perature and/or long baking. 4. Small size or thin shape, so the cookie dries faster during baking. 5. Proper storage. Crisp cook ies can become soft if they absorb moisture. Softness Softness is - the opposite of crispness, so it has the opposite causes, as follows: 1. High proportion of liquid in mix. 2. Low sugar and fat. 3. Honey, molasses, or corn syrup included in formulas. These sugars are hygroscopic, which means they readily absorb moisture from the air or from their surroundings. 4. Underbaking. 5. Large size or thick shapes, retains moisture. 6. Proper storage. Soft cookies speed. For light cookies, cream can become stale and dry if not until the mix is light and fluffy, tightly covered or wrapped. to incorporate more air for .. Chewiness leavening. For a dense, chewier jj^istureis necessary for che-. cookie, ■cream only slightly, wmess, biitnther factbris are also*' the eggs and liquid and required. In other words, all blend in at low speed. 30TH ANNIVERSARY CHRISTMAS & TOOL SALE December 2 through 23 Contractors, Farmers and Home Owners Get Up To 20% Discount Off Of Our Regular Prices. All Wedding Gifts Get 1096 Discount On Less than $200.00 Worth All Other Farm Hardware Tools, Toys, Cookware, All Gifts, Dog Kennels, Hot Beds, Water Plumbing Parts, Tobacco Twine and Paper VALLEY ROAD SPEEDER WAGONS ■*f t - i*' \ » VJ i mgA I •Will Ship U.P.S. Anywhere In The U.S. (Except Model 1300) - You Pay Shipping In Advance Or We Will Bill. Feed Carts - Express Wagons - Hardware - Martin Senour Paint - Kendall Motor Oils 958 Vintage Road, Christiana, PA 17509 Special Hours: December 2-23: Mon., Wed., Thurs. and Sat. 6:30 AM-4:00 PM; Tues. & Fri. 6:30 AM-7:00 PM chewy cookies are soft, but not all soft cookies are chewy. 1. High sugar and liquid con tent, but low fat content. 2. High proportion of eggs. 3. Strong flours or gluten de veloped during mixing. Spread Spread is desirable in some cookies, while others must hold their shape. Several factors con tribute to spread or lack of spread. 1. Sugar: High sugar content increases spread. Coarse granu lated sugar increases spread, while fine sugar or confectioners’ sugar reduces spread. 2. Leavening: High baking soda or baking powder content encourages spread. 3. Temperature: Low oven temperature increases spread. High temperature increases spread. High temperature de creases spread because the cookie sets up before it has a chance to spread too much. 4. Liquid: A slack batter that is, one with a high liquid content spreads more than stiff dough. 5. Flour: Strong flour or acti vation of gluten decreases spread. 6. Pan grease: Cookies spread more if baked on a heavily greas ed pan. Mixing Method 1. Measure ingredients accu rately. Have all ingredients at room temperature. 2. Place the fat, sugar, salt, and spices in the mixing bowl. Cream these ingredients at low $200.00 Get 10% Discount Plus A Free Mug $350.00 Get 15% Discount Plus A Free Rain Gauge $1,000.00 Get 20% Discount Plus A Free Hand-Painted Saw Blade Check Our Special Prices On DeWalt and Makita Cordless and Power Tools MODEL 350-* 10” Air Tires, 20”x40” Bed 5 157 With Racks Valley Hardware MODEL 1300-* 13” Air Tires, 24”x48" Bed Brakes w/Racks $ 193 w/o Racks $ 173 4. Sift in the flour and leaven ing. Mix until just combined. Some recipes require that the liq uid and flour be added in steps in order to blend uniformly. Dropped Cookies Dropped cookies are made from a soft dough. They are fast and easy to make up. 1. Make all cookies of uniform size and thickness. 2. Drop the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. Allow enough space between cookies for spreading. 3. Rich cookies will spread by themselves. If the formula re quires it, flatten the mounds of batter slightly with a weight dipped in sugar. Bagged Cookies Bagged or pressed cookies are also made from soft dough. The dough must be soft enough to be forced through a pastry bag, but stiff enough to hold its shape. 1. Fit a pastry bag with a tip of desired size and shape. Fill the bag with the cookie dough. 2. Press out cookies of desired shape and size directly onto pre pared cookie sheets. Rolled Cookies Cookies rolled and cut from a stiff dough. Leftover scraps when re-rolled make inferior, tough cookies. 1. Chill dough thoroughly. 2. Roll dough out Mi-inch thick on floured canvas. Use as little flour as possible for dusting, to prevent tough cookies. 3. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters and place on prepared baking sheets. Cut as close to gether as possible to reduce the quantity of scraps. Molded Balled Icebox Cookies These cookies are called mold ed because they are sometimes Small MODEL 175-* 10x175 Wheels, 16"x36” Bed w/Racks tamped out with special cookie molds. They are also called balled cookies, because the indi vidual portions of dough may be rolled into balls by hand. The dough may also be rolled into cylinders in waxed paper and re frigerated until ready to bake hence the name icebox cookies. 1. Roll the dough out into long cylinders about one-inch thick, or whatever size is required. (Re frigerate the dough if it is too soft to handle or if being stored for future use.) 2. With a knife cut the roll into pieces as recipe states. 3. Place the pieces on prepared baking sheets, leaving two-inches of spaces between each. 4. Flatten cookies with a weight (such as a glass) dipped in granulated sugar or flatten with a fork. Sheet Cookies (often referred to as bar cookies) Sheet cookies vary so much that it is nearly impossible to give a single procedure for all of them. Some of them are almost like sheet cakes, only denser and richer. They may even be iced like sheet cakes. Others consist of two or three layers added and baked in separate stages. The fol lowing procedure is only a gener al guideline. I. Spread cookie mixture into prepared sheet pans. Make sure the thickness is even. 2. If required, add topping or brush with an egg wash. 3. Bake as directed. Cool. 4. Cut into individual squares or rectangles. 1. Use clean, unwarped pans. Place dough on a cool cookie sheet. 2. Lining the sheets with parchment or nonstick sheets is Come Clean Fo A clean coffeemaker is essen tial to good tasting coffee. Miner al deposits from the water settle into the coffeemaker’s water chamber, affecting the hardness of the water used to brew the cof fee. If the brewing water gets too hard, the coffee may begin to taste strange. The harder the f ® Husqvarna VIKING m txcmsivt senso* system B V" "V/ ■ H-ppP 11 ■ wtffe Ij* 1 "’ f * 1 j - l v v % s I Personalize your Designer II for your sewing need** and desires Let your Husqvarna B Vtkmg dealer guide you to yout ultimate sewing machine, no more, no less | The Husqvarna Viking Exclusive Sensor System, Sewing Advisoi and Selective Thread - Cutter make your saving easier Choose the sewing theme that suits your saving interest best or make your own theme I The accessory options are endless 1 I | You will soon find new themes at your local Husqvarna Vi king dealer a UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES _ Read the Accessory User's Guide and watch the video to see all the accessory feet, * notions, needles and more Everything to make your sewing faster, easier and I even more creative. j Visit www.husqvarnaviking.com for projects, hints, tips and accessories Click on software to update your Designer II over the Internet aSwl 8 FREE Thread Kit w/Purchase &This Ad! yWBE* ■ FRED STROBEL'S Sewing Machines ■ 890 East Lincoln Avenue, Myerstown, PA 17067 _ 717-866-5555 or 1-800-888-5552 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 2, 2000-B3 Preparing The Pans ... -tlßMt' fast, and it eliminates the neces sity of greasing the pans. 3. A heavily greasld pan in creases the spread of the cookie. A greased and floured pan de creased spread. 4. Some high-fat cookies can be baked on ungreased pans. Baking 1. Most cookies are baked at a relatively high temperature for a short time. Preheat the oven. 2. Too low a temperature in creases spreading and may pro duce hard, dry, pale cookies. 3. Too high a temperature de creases spreading and may burn the edges or bottoms. 4. Even a minute of overbak ing can burn cookies, so watch them closely. Also, the heat of the pan continues to bake the cookies even after they are re moved from the oven. Cooling 1. Remove cookies from pans while they are still warm, or they may stick. 2. If cookies are very soft, do not remove from pans until they are cool enough and firm enough to handle. Cookies may be soft when hot but become crisp when cool. 3. Do not cool too rapidly or in cold drafts, or cookies may crack. Storing 1. Cool completely before stor ing. 2. Store each type of cookie separately. 3. Freeze cookies up to nine-12 months in a foil-lined container separating each layer with plastic wrap. Tightly seal container, label and freeze. Thaw cookies in refrigerator or at room tempera ture. r Great Coffee water that goes into the coffee maker, the more frequently the equipment should be cleaned. At a minimum, the coffeemak er’s pot and filter container should be cleaned once a week. Refer to the coffeemaker’s man ual for specific cleaning instruc tions. t #.
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