Baking question: Huh? What does "flatten w/ glass dipped in sugar" mean>

[peasprout]

I'm making sugar cookies (for the first time,...can you tell?!) but on two separate recipes, it says to use a glass or crystal vase to press down on the cookie and dip in sugar to coat well. I'm SO confused. Why glass? Can't I use a rolling pin? And what is being dipped in sugar, the glass or the cookie? And what kind of sugar? Why do you need to coat it well? I thought you just roll out the dough, use a cookie cutter, then sprinkle decorations on it afterwards,...I didn't realize it was so difficult! TIA!
Oh, anyone have any really good sugar cookie recipe to share? :)

JP

[pritchettzoo]

Just because a glass is the right size, easy to use, and everyone has them. First you make balls of dough; I use a small ice-cream scooper type thing and drop 12 balls on the cookie sheet. Then you dip the bottom of the glass in a bit of warm water and then in a dish of sugar (I use bread plates) and then smush the ball of dough with the glass. The sugar keeps the glass from sticking to the dough and it looks pretty. If you want colored sugar, just add a couple of drops of food coloring to the sugar and stir well.

Roll-out dough will need to be a little stiffer than smush-ball dough. Rolling out cookies is a monumental PITA. I do not have the patience for it, so I stick to balls (smushed or not) and bar cookies.

I have posted a good sugar cookie recipe before, but it's not saved on this computer. I'll search and add it in.

HTH!

ETA: I think this is the recipe. The cookies don't brown and are supposed to be pale golden. The directions say to roll out, but the dough as I remember it is way too loose. If you want to roll them, add in another 1/2 cup or so of flour. I rolled it into a log, refrigerated the dough, and sliced them.

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and One More (coming July '05)

[daisymommy]

Oh yes! Do it with a glass bottom dipped in sugar (not the cookie itself). The reason they say to do that is #1 a glass will not flatten out your cookie into a large flat puddle like a rolling pin or your hand. #2 Many glasses have a pretty design etched into the bottom of them (at least they used to in the 'olden days'--some of mine still do)--and it will leave your cookies with a pretty design on top. #3 The sugar leaves a yummy crackly topping when baked.

You can use plain white sugar, or the colored sugar you find in the baking isle in holiday colors. Sprinkling it on the cookie before baking will make the sugar stick really good into the cookie rather than falling off everywhere when put on later.

Now, let me also say there are a hundred wonderful ways to make cookies, and this is only one way! If the recipe says it can be rolled out and cut with a cookie cutter, you can do that, and then ice/frost and put on sprinkles later. But not all recipes can be used that way--perhaps not with this recipe if it isn't mentioned.

One of the best sugar cookie doughs I've had is shhh...Pilsbury refrigerated Sugar Cookie dough! You can slice it into rounds, dip one flat side in colored sugar, lay sugar side up on baking sheet, and bake. OR roll out, use with cookie cutters, and decorate before or after baking. Very yummy! One tip--if the dough gets too warm it's sticky and hard to work with. Pop it back into the fridge for 10-15 minutes till it firms up again, then get back to work!

Let me know if you need more help! Enjoy those cookies!

[pritchettzoo]

Oooh--I forgot about the pretty designs. I used a crystal highball glass once, and it was very pretty, sort of a star-like design.

Amy, where is your domestic goddess website???

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and One More (coming July '05)

[daisymommy]

>Amy, where is your domestic goddess website???

:D :D :D

I am coming to realize that I just need someone to create the website for me, then I can upload my info. I am sooo techno-illiterate, it's sad :) But my brain is full of good stuff!

[jubilee]

Another term you will see (mostly on peanut butter cookies) is to flatten with a fork dipped in sugar. Place the fork bottom into sugar and lightly press on a ball of cookie dough to create lines. Dip fork again into sugar, and on same cookie press fork down again to create a crosshatch design. I suppose this would work for sugar cookies as well, but it is a standard peanut butter cookie technique.