A few cookie questions

[LaMiaCucina]

I have a few questions:

1. Aside from those delicate cookies that require cake flour, what is your favorite flour to use for cookies? (bars, drop, rolled) I do have access to a bakery supply warehouse, and since I need to buy a great deal, so if you have a favorite that is a professional one, what is it? Likewise for the "grocery store shelf" flour. (King Arthur seems to be the best so far.)

2. Do you have any fancy, unusual cookie recipes? I need some for a family wedding and have already spent days scouring the net. Not that it hasn't been fun, but ...

Thanks!!

Edited April 17, 2009 by LaMiaCucina (log)

[weinoo]

I use all-purpose flour...generally Hecker's. Most, if not all, unbleached all-purpose flours should work. King Arthur A/P is high in protein and is a good bread baking flour, but may not be the best for cookies.

As I wrote about recently here, I love Korova's, which are an amazingly simple cookie to make. Everyone loves them. They're also called World Peace Cookies, and were invented by Pierre Hermes and popularized by Dorie Greenspan. They practically melt in your mouth. Check them out by clicking here.

[merstar]

Ina Garten's Jam Thumbprints are great - they're rolled in coconut:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-gar...cipe/index.html

[etalanian]

I used unbleached flour for most of my cookies when I had my bakery, and they were very popular. But it depends on the cookie.

Eileen

[andiesenji]

I love the taste of chocolate but I am allergic to regular chocolate, however I can consume cocoa with no problem - it's a mystery to me but I have been to several allergists who tell me this is not a rare event.

Anyway, I have been making these Cocoa cookies for most of my life and I am 70.

You absolutely must use at least a major portion of Dutch process cocoa - the so-called "natural" cocoa will not work.

The darker the cocoa the better, I note in the recipe that I use King Arthur's Double Dutch mixed with the black cocoa.

The dough is very forgiving. You can prepare it and refrigerate it for up to a month with no loss of flavor or texture.

It is also very versatile. I don't have the patience to do it, but one of my friends forms the cocoa dough and a vanilla dough (her recipe is a plain "ice-box" cookie dough) into a cylinder that when sliced forms a yin-yang design.

The fanciest attempt for me was forming the dough into ropes and braiding with one "strand" of a vanilla dough and cutting the braid into 2-inch lengths.

Usually I just roll the dough out right on baking parchment, sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut into rounds, either plain or scalloped edges, lift the scraps away, slide the paper onto a sheet pan and into the oven.

Five minutes later, out of the oven and pull the parchment onto a cooling rack and slide another sheet filled with cookies onto the pan and back into the oven.

[jsmeeker]

I use unbleached AP flour. Usually, that is King Arthur. I just don't have enough space to stock two types of AP flour along with bread flour and cake flour. To be honest, I've never done a side by side comparison of cookies made with KA AP flour and some other AP flour that has a slightly lower protein content.

[LaMiaCucina]

Thank you for the replies. I made a call to KA flour and was told that their Sir Galahad flour is an 11.x% protein, which they recommend for cookies. Unfortunately, nobody close to me carries it, so I may have to settle for another brand. I did find a great price on KA short patent flour, though - $16.00 for 50#. I'm wondering...

I have to say, it has been wonderful to search for new recipes, but it has become overwhelming. The more I find, the more I want.

Ah, if only a day had more than 24 hours!

[beacheschef]

I've made many cookie trays for catering events and have found a couple of recipes that are winners. I make sure to include different flavors and textures, such as: chocolate brownies, gingersnap thins (Flo Braker's Sweet Miniatures), lemon or key lime squares, biscotti (let me know if you need a couple of recipes) with nuts, shortbread (I make rosemary lemon shortbread). I try to get a combination of rich, creamy, light and crisp textures, chocolate, citrus, nuts, spice, and custardy (creamy) flavors.

If you want to throw in a few desserts, liquour-based custard filled cream puffs are always a hit. So are mini meringue shells filled with lemon curd and fresh berries.

Small bites of cheesecake on a cookie crust (any flavor), mini tarts shells filled with custard and fresh fruit....

PM me if you want recipes or want to discuss ideas.

And - I usually use AP flour for cookies, but have bread and cake flour on hand, when the recipe call for it. I mix bread and cake flour when I need pastry flour (70% bread flour - 30% cake flour. Sift well)

[Ylee]

This is not a particularly unusual cookie, but I love Mexican Wedding Biscuits/Cookies - a shortbread style cookie with nuts, dusted with icing sugar. Similar to the Greek Kourambiedes.