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From Dropped to Pressed
A Holiday Guide to Baking Cookies
By Donna Smith
The smell of cookies baking in the oven mingling with the pungent aroma of the freshly cut tree in the living room is an intoxicating mix! What would Christmas be without cookies?
Christmas cookies mean different things to different people. One family's idea of the traditional Christmas cookie could be completely different from another's – and usually is. The image of gingerbread men at Christmastime could easily be replaced by Sand Tarts, Cinnamon, Peanut Butter or even cookies shaped like candy canes.
Cookies are categorized into five groups: shaped, refrigerated, pressed, rolled and dropped. For an interesting holiday cookie tray, make at least one different cookie from each category. A fancy-dressed gingerbread man with candy eyes and an icing coat looks wonderful beside a crescent shaped cookie dusted with powdered sugar.
You will also find that some cookies, like the drop variety, are much easier to make than the shaped. Keep this in mind when planning which cookies to bake this holiday season.
After pressing the dough onto the cookie sheet, simply sprinkle colored sugar or other decorations on the cookie for a festive, professional looking result. Recipes will specifically say the dough is made for use with a cookie press. Do not try to hand-shape this dough, as the consistency of the dough will make this a tough job.
