Whether you are a cookie nut or not, everyone has a favorite cookie. Creating your favorite treat starts with the basics–the dough. There are six major types of dough bakers use to craft the perfect treat. They are usually categorized by the preparation methods, rather than the type of ingredients. Today we’re answering the question–how well do you know your dough?
Drop Cookies
Drop cookies are the most popular and one of the easiest types of dough to create. This is the glue that forms everything from chocolate chip cookies to oatmeal raisin. This type of dough is usually slightly sticky and moist. It is also the easiest to prepare, as its name suggests. Simply spoon out the cookie dough onto a tablespoon and “drop” it onto a cookie sheet.
Press Cookies
These cookies are a specialized form of sugar cookies. Bakers that ulitize this type of cookie have to prepare them with specialized equipment. The dense dough is placed in a cookie press and then the dough is squeezed through a mold, creating specific shapes.
Refrigerator/Icebox Cookies
Icebox cookies are made by chilling a log of drier type of dough, creating a stiff, pliable dough. It is a variation of a butter cookie that is usually cut into thick slices and the slices are baked until crispier than a traditional cookie. When the dough is chilled, wither in the refrigerator or freezer, the dough becomes stiff, making it easier to slice.
No Bake Cookies
No Bake cookies are actually more of a candy than a cookie. Most are created by melting chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal together to create a sticky substance that is then transferred to wax paper surface where they cool and harden.
Bar Cookies
Bar cookies are basically the casserole of cookies. These cookies are formed by baking dough in a rectangular glass baking dish and then cutting the cookies into squares for serving. Most drop cookie recipes can be converted to bar cookies for convenience. Rice Krispie Treats are considered bar cookies as well, even though they are not baked.
Rolled Cookies
As the name suggests, these are your grandma’s recipes that require a rolling pin. Many of these recipes are part of the essential Christmas cookie traditions because they can be frosted. The dough is usually chilled and then rolled out in flour or powdered sugar. The dough is cut out with cookie cutters or a pastry wheel. Gingerbread and yeast cookies are common examples of this type, although some types of shortbreads are included in this category as well.
