Hello everyone! Today we are talking about one of the most popular baked treats of all, the cookie. How many types of cookies are there, and how are they classified? Read on to find out.
Cookies can be classified in two ways: by the method of shaping and by their ingredients.
Classification by Shaping Method: 6 Types
1. Bar Cookies (Cookie Bars)
"Bar" means a rectangular piece, so bar cookies are cookies baked in a rimmed tray until done, then cut into bars or other suitable shapes. There are two kinds of bar cookies:
- Bars are made from a soft dough pressed into a tray at the thickness the recipe specifies (some recipes include a filling). Once baked they may be crisp or soft.
- Brownies are made from batters of various flavours and are soft like cake. They are more popular than the first kind.
2. Rolled or Cut-Out Cookies
Made from a stiff dough that is rolled out thin or thick as required, then cut into shapes with a knife or a cookie cutter. The cut pieces are lifted onto a cookie sheet, a flat baking tray with no rim.
3. Drop Cookies
Made from a stiff batter thick enough to be spooned onto a cookie sheet. It must hold its shape well and not run or spread so much that it loses its form during baking.
4. Molded Cookies (Ball Cookies)
Made from a stiff dough shaped by hand into logs, crescents or balls, which may be pressed in the centre with a thumb or flattened with a fork or the base of a glass.
5. Pressed Cookies
Made from a dough mixed just until it comes together loosely. It is loaded into a cookie press (or "gun") and piped onto a baking tray in various shapes. The shape changes according to the pattern of the press disc.
6. Sliced, Refrigerator or Icebox Cookies
Made from a stiff batter with a higher fat content than other types. Because the mixture softens easily, it must be chilled in the fridge or on ice until firm (it is usually wrapped into a log before chilling). Once set, it is sliced into rounds and arranged on a baking tray. Thin slices bake into crisp cookies, while thicker slices give softer cookies.
Classification by Ingredients: 2 Types
Butter Cookies
These cookies use the same ingredients and mixing method as cake, but with less liquid, so the dough can be dropped, piped or cut and still hold its shape. Butter cookies come in three kinds:
- Soft butter cookies have a high moisture content and use plenty of egg to give the cookie its structure. They are soft once baked; to keep them soft, store them in a jar with a slice of bread.
- Hard butter cookies contain less liquid than the soft kind. During baking the water evaporates, leaving the cookies dry and crisp.
- Short (crumbly) butter cookies are high in fat and bake up crisp and crumbly. The fat that gives cookies the best flavour is butter.
Egg Cookies
These use more egg to build the cookie's structure and trap air for rise, and are mixed the same way as egg-based cakes. There are three kinds:
- Sponge cookies are made like sponge cake but with more flour. The mixture is piped or dropped onto a baking tray and bakes up crisp yet tender.
- Macaroons are made from ground almonds mixed with sugar and egg whites, and may be flavoured with coffee, chocolate, nuts, fruit and more. Macaroons originated in Italy during the Renaissance. The mixture is dropped onto a tray in rounds or formed into other shapes.
- Meringue shells are made by whipping egg whites with sugar until stiff, then folding in other ingredients as briefly as possible to keep as many air bubbles as possible. They are piped or dropped onto a tray and baked at a low temperature so they dry and harden with little or no change in colour. Many of today's recipes in this group are sold under the name "macaroon".
