So I have started making cookies and have been using the nfsc recipe. I like it okay. I would love to try penny's recipe but other say it is sticky and hard to work with it. I may bite the bullet and try it anyway. But I tried putting fondant on the nfsc cookies and noticed that my cookies spread a lot. I really hadn't noticed it so much before.
So I read a few threads about spreading cookies and follow all the tips to prevent spreading except when it comes to creaming the sugar and butter together. So the nfsc recipe says cream until nice and fluffy. About how long would this be? I am usually doing other things in the kitchen at the same time and just scrape the side of mixing bowl every few minutes while my ka is creaming away. Is there a sound it will make or a general amount of time it should cream? I think I let my kids help me once and the mixer was going for at least 15 minutes! And the amount of spread did not bother me until I used fondant.
I don't want to use shortening as I don't want to change the "mouthfeel". Can anyone give me an idea of how long butter and sugar should be creamed together? Thanks!
For cookies, if your butter is at room temp...three minutes in a KitchenAid is what the experts recommend.
And I mean how soft is your butter in the first place? For cut out cookies, the firmer you can keep your butter the better--the planetary action of these mixers creates it's own 'warming' of the ingredients.
Then I mean two or three minutes is good enough once it gets all incorporated--adding the eggs is where it can get more fluffy but again like 2-3 minutes is fine.
15 minutes is too long I think.
Keep the butter as cold as possible. Butter has a lot of water in it so you don't want to encourage the water to disengage from the fat. Keeping it cold keeps it together. So even if you chill the dough later--if your butter goes too soft during the process you're toast.
Just my creamy thoughts on the subject.
And I mean how soft is your butter in the first place? For cut out cookies, the firmer you can keep your butter the better--the planetary action of these mixers creates it's own 'warming' of the ingredients.
Yes, whenever they say "room temp" in baking, they mean 60°. not the 72° most folks keep their homes at these days. The butter should NOT be soft or melty. It should feel cold and firm. Use an instant read thermometer to check if that helps you get a feel for it.
I read a great tip on here about cookies that spread and it works great!
Yesterday, I made t-shirt cookies for granddaughter's soccer team. I used the same cookie cutter to cut out fondant, to be placed over the cookies the second they came out of the oven.
Before doing that, though, the tip/idea I pickd up was to use the cookie cutter on the warm cookies as soon as they came out of the oven. My daughter thought I was nuts, but when she saw how the fondant t-shirts fit over the cookie t-shirts PERFECTLY, wall-to-wall, she was impressed! (And my 2-year old grandson got to munch on the "cookie sticks" that resulted from the trimmed out cookies!).
Ya learn something new on this site every single day!
And I mean how soft is your butter in the first place? For cut out cookies, the firmer you can keep your butter the better--the planetary action of these mixers creates it's own 'warming' of the ingredients.
Yes, whenever they say "room temp" in baking, they mean 60°. not the 72° most folks keep their homes at these days. The butter should NOT be soft or melty. It should feel cold and firm. Use an instant read thermometer to check if that helps you get a feel for it.
Yeah 'cause I mean you can put real cold butter in your KA and it will get it done. But I cut it into little same size cubes too.
I completely missed that tip! Thanks!!!!Quote by @%username% on %date%
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