Chocolates, Cookies and Squares

Appears in

The New Food Processor Bible

By Norene Gilletz

Published 2011

About

With the help of your processor and the quick tips and techniques in this book, you can whip up easy and delicious chocolate treats, cookies and squares in a fraction of the time!
Use the Steel Blade to mix up your cookie dough, make crumb mixtures, chop dried fruits or mince citrus zest. Chop or grate nuts and chocolate with the Steel Blade or Grater. Refer to the Smart Chart for basic techniques.
Many baking tips for cakes and desserts also apply. Refer to “Gluten-Free Baking”, “How Sweet It Is” and “Dairy Replacements” in the Cakes and Frostings chapter.
As a general guideline, cookie recipes using 2 to 2½ cups of flour can be made in a standard-sized processor. A large processor will handle up to twice the amount.
NESTED WORK BOWLS: If your machine comes with nested bowls, choose the appropriate bowl and blade or disc for the task. For recipes that require multiple bowls, begin with the smallest one to minimize cleanups.
If a recipe calls for chopped ingredients (e.g., nuts, chocolate, orange zest), chop them first while the processor bowl is clean and dry (or use mini-bowl and mini-blade), then set them aside until needed.
If your usual recipe calls for sifting dry ingredients together, process on the Steel Blade for 8 to 10 seconds to combine. If you have a Cuisinart Elite 14- or 16-cup model, you can also use the Steel Blade in the medium bowl.
Next, prepare the cookie dough. This usually takes 2 or 3 minutes. Add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc., using quick on/off pulses to prevent overprocessing. Some recipes call for mixing them in with a spatula or wooden spoon.
To process sticky fruits (e.g., dates, prunes, raisins, candied fruits), freeze them for 10 minutes. Then add some of the flour called for in the recipe (2 to 4 Tbsp) and process with quick on/off pulses, until the desired texture is reached. This helps prevent fruit from sticking to the Steel Blade.
To chop nuts, use on/off pulses, until the desired texture is reached (see Smart Chart). To prevent overprocessing and creating nut butter, add some of the flour or sugar called for in the recipe to the nuts before processing (up to ½ cup for each cup of nuts).
Chill chocolate before processing. Otherwise, the heat from the speed of the blades may melt the chocolate. Chocolate can be chopped or ground on the Steel Blade, or grated on the Grater. See Smart Chart under “Chocolate”, and “About Chocolate” in the Cakes and Frostings chapter.
BATTER UP! Process butter or margarine with sugar on the Steel Blade until well creamed, 1 to 2 minutes. Eggs are either processed with butter and sugar or added through the feed tube. Blend in flour and dry ingredients with quick on/off pulses, just until blended. In some recipes, dough is processed just until it forms a ball.
See “Quick Cleanups” for more tips.
Butter and margarine are interchangeable in most recipes. Don’t bake with light margarine; it contains too much water. I use tub margarine in most of my recipes unless otherwise indicated. Earth Balance Buttery Sticks are dairy-free and work well.
If dough is too soft, refrigerate until firm enough to handle. Work with small amounts at a time. Keep the rest refrigerated.
SIZE DOES COUNT! For even baking, cookies should be uniform in size. A small cookie scoop works perfectly! Leave 1 to 2 inches between cookies as some doughs spread during baking.
For best results, use shiny, heavy-quality aluminum cookie sheets. Dark pans absorb too much heat and the bottoms of the cookies may burn. You can insulate lightweight pans by lining them with heavy-duty foil, or by placing one pan on top of another.
TO GREASE OR NOT TO GREASE? I used to grease and flour my pans. Now I use nonstick spray or line pans with parchment paper or foil. Greasing or spraying is not necessary if cookies are high in fat (e.g., shortbread).
Parchment paper is oven-safe to 400°F. (I’ve even used it in a 425°F oven if the baking time is 15 minutes or less.) Many bakers like to use a nonstick silicone baking mat (Silpat)—it’s oven-safe to 500°F. If the oven temperature called for in a recipe is higher than 400°F, line baking sheets with aluminum foil; spray if directed.
Not enough cookie sheets? While the first batch of cookies is in the oven, place the next batch on parchment paper or foil. When the first batch is baked, slide the parchment or foil (and cookies) off the pan. Cool the pan slightly, then replace with the next batch. (Lining pans with foil or parchment also saves on cleanups.)
Cookies can spread or flatten if placed on hot cookie sheets, so cool pans between batches.
Preheat oven for best results. Make sure your oven temperature is accurate. An oven thermometer is helpful.
POSITION IS EVERYTHING! Bake cookies on the middle rack of your oven. If baking 2 pans at once, place racks so they divide the oven evenly into thirds. For even browning, switch pans (top to bottom and front to back) for the last few minutes of baking.
Use a timer for accurate results. Check a few minutes before the end of baking time to prevent overbaking.
READY OR NOT? When checking for doneness, open and close the door quickly so the oven won’t lose too much heat. Some cookies will still be soft when ready, but will firm up after a few minutes. If the bottoms are too brown, remove the cookies from the pan immediately to prevent continued baking.
Let cookies cool on baking pans for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling racks.
To prevent sticking, always cool cookies before transferring them to your cookie jar. If sprinkling cookies with icing sugar, cool them first so the sugar doesn’t melt.
For that just-baked taste, microwave 2 or 3 cookies for 10 seconds on High.
DIP TIP! Microwave 4 oz (125 g) semisweet or white chocolate on Medium (50%) for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every minute, until melted. Stir in 2 tsp canola or vegetable oil. Dip cookies halfway into melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper to dry.
CHOCOLATE MELTDOWN! When melting chocolate, the bowl and mixing spoon must be completely dry to prevent chocolate from seizing (lumping and clumping). If this happens, see “Chocolate Rescue” in the Cakes and Frostings chapter.
SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK: It’s so easy to make your own. (See recipe.) Sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are not interchangeable in recipes.
Unbaked cookies can be frozen for several months. Shape, then freeze. Transfer to freezer containers when frozen. No need to defrost them before baking! Take out as many as you need and bake, increasing cooking time slightly.
Cookies and squares freeze well. They take about 15 minutes to defrost, depending on size. Most can be eaten directly from the freezer—I know from experience!
That’s the way the cookie crumbles! Process leftover or broken cookies on the Steel Blade until fine. Use to make cookie crumb crusts for squares and desserts.
Substitute granola for half the graham wafer crumbs in cookies and squares for an interesting taste and texture.
THE BAR SCENE! Bars and squares are a great timesaver and use only 1 pan. Cool bar cookies in the pan, then cut with a sharp knife. For entertaining or gift giving, cut into small squares and place in pretty paper baking cups.
Reduce oven temperature by 25°F when baking in glass pans.