Foods, their selection and preparation

batter is dropped from a spoon onto a greased baking sheet. While in some cases the same batter may be used for either kind, sheet cookie batter may be too thin for good drop cookies. The latter must contain enough flour to liquid to prevent their spreading too much during baking. Either kind may contain various additions to the batter, such as cereals, dried fruits, nuts, spices, and chocolate. Cut or Sliced Cookies. For these cookies, the liquid of the cake batter is decreased to form a very stiff dough, stiff enough to roll thin for cookies to be cut in various shapes with cookie cutters. The same stiff dough may be molded and chilled in the refrigerator and then sliced into thin cookies for baking, making the so-called refrigerator cookies. Refrigerator cookies may be richer, higher in fat, ‘than those to be rolled. Cookies may be sliced more quickly than they can be rolled and cut, but the old-fashioned rolled ones, cut in designs to fit the occasion, will always be popular. Sheet cookies and drop cookies are quickly made. Other Differences from Cake. Besides the reduction in liquid, or its omission, to form a stiffer batter or a dough, cookies, in general, have a different texture from cake. The smaller amounts of liquid and leavening give them a less light texture than cake. Many cookies are crisp, the result of extra fat and egg added to the basic cake proportions. With high fat and egg, the liquid may be entirely omitted. This is the case with the well-known sheet cookies frequently called brownies and some drop cookies. Some cookies have a chewy consistency which is the result of using extra sugar. Cookies with a large proportion of sugar are hard at first, but soften on standing. Baking and Icing. Since cookies are smaller than cake they may be baked at a slightly higher temperature than the cakes of this group (from 375° to 400° F.), depending [308] \ cup fat 2 squares chocolate l-§- cups sifted flour 1 cup brown sugar | teaspoon salt Chocolate Drop Cookies 4 teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup nuts, chopped 1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla *ii 3 to j cup milk 1. Melt fat and chocolate over hot water. 2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, and leavening together. Stir in nuts. 3. Add melted fat and chocolate, beaten egg, and vanilla to the dry ingredients with enough milk to make a stiff drop batter. 4. Drop with a teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet. 5. Bake at 400° F. for 1 5 to 20 minutes or until done. upon their thickness. On the other hand cookies are frequently very high in sugar and some are leavened entirely by air. In these cases, a temperature of not above 350° F. is best. Cookies may be iced, usually with a simple fondant or uncooked icing. Instead of icing, sugar may be sprinkled over them; colored sugars give them a festive air. Cookies also may be filled. Two rolled and cut cookies may be put together with marmalade, dried fruits, or mincemeat and the edges sealed to hold in the filling. Cookies, like candy and fruit cake, are associated with holiday time. Those kinds which keep well or improve on standing make the best Christmas cookies, since they can be made in advance. The cookie recipe above will serve to illustrate the principles brought out above. It may be varied considerably to get different results. Any good cookbook will suggest many others.