First Test Batch of Pecan Sandies

[mishalak]

I made six cookies tonight. The last time I made pecan sandies the cookies came out weird shapes and ran together. A cookie does not have to be perfectly round to be good, but I did want to see if I could make a prettier cookie. Also ones that baked very evenly. I did manage to do both of those at the expense of taking far too much time in the getting the cookies onto the baking tray. I was able to make them round using a cookie cutter as a guide and packing the dough into shape. Then giving them a bit of a touch up after easing them out. Far too much work, really.

I could put up with uneven or misshapen cookies if they were really easy to slice and bake, but they're a bit of a pain due to my too warm kitchen or some other error that makes the dough as soft as whipped cream. Perhaps I ought to scoop it into a bag and then pipe it into shape. Or maybe some sort of guide for making even slices would be the ticket.

Comments

[sraun]

I read the recipe - I wonder if leaving the dough in the refrigerator longer for it to firm up might help?

[mishalak]

The trouble with longer is that the dough seems to transition from totally soft to as stiff as butter with no in between state. And when stiff you have to get the cuts just so because there is no opportunity to fix anything.

I feel like a need a mold to put the dough in to get it round or else to put it in something like a cookie press for butter cookies.

[sraun]

Would something like this work for getting good cuts?

[mishalak]

Perhaps. Though I'd still need to do something about getting them even. The trouble with freehanding with a knife is that the cookies can vary in weight by as much as 20% due to the diameter or the roll being different and slight variations in the width.

My second test batch was sliced from the roll and many of them were spot on 20-22 g, but the ends were as high as 28 g or as low as 16 g. I ended up packing into the ring again after correcting the imbalance. Not as hard to get them out of the ring when colder, but still sticky.

Eight more cookies that I have to consume for science.

[mishalak]

Another idea I just had. The butter is soft enough. Maybe if I cooked the yoke instead of putting it in raw it would make things firmer.