Cutout cookies

[Tri2Cook]

I know the topic has to exist here but I searched it every way I could think of and got zero results. Does anybody have a recipe for chocolate cutout cookies that will really solidly hold their shape? Edible is a requirement but holding shape is more important than them being a delicious cookie in this case.

[Kim Shook]

How about these: Flo's Chocolate Snaps?  @emmalish shared the recipe a few years ago.  I've never done them as cut outs - only sliced, but they are very firm and I'm pretty sure that you could roll the dough out.  This was originally a David Lebovitz recipe that she adapted, so you know they taste great.  

[Tri2Cook]

26 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

How about these: Flo's Chocolate Snaps?  @emmalish shared the recipe a few years ago.  I've never done them as cut outs - only sliced, but they are very firm and I'm pretty sure that you could roll the dough out.  This was originally a David Lebovitz recipe that she adapted, so you know they taste great.  

 

I'll check it out. Thanks! For this particular use, I really need some fairly small details to keep their shape. I know it's sacrilege here and I feel a little dirty even saying it but I really am willing to compromise flavor/texture for baking stability in this instance.

 

I should also add that chocolate isn't essential, just preferred. It's more for the color than flavor so I can work around that part.

Edited December 7, 2023 by Tri2Cook (log)

[Kim Shook]

How about these?  As you can see, they really hold their shape - the lettering on them is TINY and still completely legible:

It was done with a little stamp set.  

[JeanneCake]

If you already have a favorite roll out sugar cookie recipe, just replace 1/6th of the flour with a good quality cocoa powder and et voila -  you have a chocolate sugar cookie dough.  At least, that's what we do at the shop.

[Tri2Cook]

13 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

How about these?  As you can see, they really hold their shape - the lettering on them is TINY and still completely legible:

It was done with a little stamp set.  

 

10 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

If you already have a favorite roll out sugar cookie recipe, just replace 1/6th of the flour with a good quality cocoa powder and et voila -  you have a chocolate sugar cookie dough.  At least, that's what we do at the shop.

 

Thanks! I think combining that recipe with the cocoa replacement suggestion might be perfect. 

[Yoda]

I've tried making shortbread cookies today and the cookies really puffed up in the oven and the majority didn't retain their shape - I used cutout + stamps

Can anyone help me to understand why or offer a similar simple recipe that should work?

This is what I followed:

Ingredients:
- 115 g (1 stick) butter
- 60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar
- 175 g (1¼cu) AP flour

The recipe :
Soften the butter, add powdered sugar and smush together, add flour and mix.

My dough was a bit crumbly so I "kneaded" it a bit until the butter probably softened a bit more and combined the flour so it wasn't as crumbly anymore.

Rolled out to 0,5 cm (¼ inch) thick and made the cutouts and stamps.
Pust the cutout cookies in the freezer for 2 hours and then baked in preheated oven at 180°C (350 F) for 8 min (recipe said 12, but were done a lot sooner).

If you take a look at the video where I got the recipe from, you will see hiw clear the stamps remained in the video after baking. Mine really puffed up and lost shape.

Any ideas?

 

Edit: adding some pics for reference:

cutout,

 

after 5 min baking (doesn't look thqt bad "yet", but getting really puffy),

 

Done baking (some overdone 🤭), some look better than others, but the flowery one, on the right to the corgi dog in the middle said "Merry Christmas), and the cookie on far right should be a cat on scratching post, and the furthest down and to the right is another corgi dog that just lost all of it's face.

The dough was thick enough for the stamp to go deep enough I think.

Edited December 28, 2024 by Yoda
Added pictures (log)

[AlaMoi]

prior to the pix, my initial reaction was the dough is not stiff enough - i.e. more flour needed.

the pix showing the saturated paper reinforces that idea....

 

flour and butter differ, brand to brand.  some butters have more water, altho if it is labeled USDA Grade A it should have a set minimum butter fat.

and flours hydrate differently.

 

if it's not too late, try adding an additional 10% flour - and experiment from there.

[Yoda]

@AlaMoi thank you for replying and your suggestion!

 

You think there was too little flour? I could baarely combine the flour into the shugar/butter mix so that it wasn't crumbling away as it was. I had a felling there was too much flour already O.O

 

Btw, I tried a new recipe today:

200 g butter,

100 g powdered sugar

1 egg (whole)

30 g almond flour

270 g AP flour

 

While the dough wasn't at all crumbly like the one yesyerday, it was soo dificult to make the cutouts as the dough kept sticking to the stamps.

In the end I coated the stamps in flour prior to cutting/stamping, and it was a lot better, although still finicky.

 

The cookies from this recipe held their shape much better - maybe it was the egg?

 

The taste wasn't as good imo, but then again, I had some trouble getting them to bake at the riggt temperature...Idk whether it is my oven or just me, but they always come out some burnt, some pale.. And I had the fan on in the oven this time

 

Does anyone have a full proof recipe that I could try and then compare my results with them?

[RWood]

The first recipe is the one I used for my last Christmas cookies. It worked pretty well, it’s more of a soft bite type cookie. 
The second one is what I’ve used for years, but I did reduce the baking powder from 1 TBS. They kept their shape, but I felt it didn’t need that much rise. I change the flavorings around depending on the occasion, but I usually do almond and vanilla.

[AlaMoi]

it's a different recipe - obviously worked better than the first.  short breads are by nature a bit crumbly.

it's not unusual to flour 'cutters' in stiff or sticky dough -

 

as to baking temps - many ovens do not heat evenly.  there are sheet pans made with a double layer - the air gap helps even out the temps

- or rotating the sheet at some point in the baking

- if you have two baking sheets, just use an empty sheet beneath

[Yoda]

On 12/29/2024 at 9:20 PM, Yoda said:

@AlaMoi thank you for replying and your suggestion!

 

You think there was too little flour? I could baarely combine the flour into the shugar/butter mix so that it wasn't crumbling away as it was. I had a felling there was too much flour already O.O

 

Btw, I tried a new recipe today:

200 g butter,

100 g powdered sugar

1 egg (whole)

30 g almond flour

270 g AP flour

 

While the dough wasn't at all crumbly like the one yesyerday, it was soo dificult to make the cutouts as the dough kept sticking to the stamps.

In the end I coated the stamps in flour prior to cutting/stamping, and it was a lot better, although still finicky.

 

The cookies from this recipe held their shape much better - maybe it was the egg?

 

The taste wasn't as good imo, but then again, I had some trouble getting them to bake at the riggt temperature...Idk whether it is my oven or just me, but they always come out some burnt, some pale.. And I had the fan on in the oven this time

 

Does anyone have a full proof recipe that I could try and then compare my results with them?

 

I wanted to edit my last post to include pictures of the finished cookies, if anyone ever wants to try the recipe I included in the post. (I couldn't edit the post, so I'm posting a few pics here now)

 

They hold shape lovely, but the dough was a nightmare to work with - kept getting stuck to cutters and stamps (flouring cutters/stamps helped enormously, but still not full proof for all of them

 

 

 

 

also wanted to add - the taste was good also. I passed judgement on still hot cookies when I first posted, but shouldn't have The taste is nice and not overly sweet like the first recipe I posted

 

*flouring stamps and cutters is a must!*

 

 

Edited January 1 by Yoda
Spelling (log)

[Yoda]

On 12/29/2024 at 10:55 PM, AlaMoi said:

it's a different recipe - obviously worked better than the first.  short breads are by nature a bit crumbly.

it's not unusual to flour 'cutters' in stiff or sticky dough -

 

as to baking temps - many ovens do not heat evenly.  there are sheet pans made with a double layer - the air gap helps even out the temps

- or rotating the sheet at some point in the baking

- if you have two baking sheets, just use an empty sheet beneath

Oh, I don't think I've seen the double layered pans yet, I will google them, thanks!

 

Idk what's up with my oven, but my cookies were (over)done after just 7-8 min at 180C (350F). Can't imagine baking for 12-15 or more like most recipes call for. And I use an oven thermometer. It is a very old oven though, so maybe that's a factor