Marcato Biscuits (Cookies)

I bought a cookie press sometime last year, foreseeing some cookie-making for cookie swap come Christmas...but in the busy-ness of the Holidays, I did not actually get to practice with my new gadget until after Christmas.

The motivation I had to get myself a cookie press was when hubby previously commented on lengua de gato that made me recall this neat gadget which my Nanay used to have (although I never actually saw her use it).

I got one that I realized now is too pricey, it seems, as I perused amazon.com for the same item. (Probably, amazon did not have the $14.99 at the time I purchased mine).  But I guess,  with this price and the good reviews as to how sturdy it is, I think I made a good choice nevertheless. Just out of curiosity, I got myself this $14.99 to see if it is the same sturdy construction. Then I will update you readers who might be interested to get it.

My first cookies were overbaked, tough, and brown.  I let hubby try one and he suggested I bake them for a shorter time. He then liked the ones baked only up to the point that edges start to turn brown.  I also had to get used to pumping out the dough, and to try not greasing the baking sheet. Probably oven temps and environmental conditions and baking pan differences accounted for my initial results despite following the recipe in the manual.  After I adjusted the baking time and omitted greasing the baking sheets (I used insulated nonstick aluminum), my hubby now has a new favorite homemade cookie. He can finish a whole batch in two days. (Sadly, my kids and I are not that crazy over this; we like the lengua de gato better.)

This is the first recipe I will post for cookie press.

Basic dough recipe:

500 g (~ 1 lb) flour
250 g (~1/2 lb) sugar
250 g (~ 1/2 lb or 2 sticks) butter
pinch of salt
2-3 oz milk
3 egg yolks

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F and place the rack at the middle.

Melt the butter in the microwave for about a minute and stir; set aside in room temp. Place the flour into a bowl mixing it with the sugar and a pinch of salt. Pour the egg yolks in the center and mix the dough with a fork. Add the butter previously melted, then the milk, and knead with your hands until completely uniform and soft.

Coming up is another recipe that I and the kids preferred, but my husband likes ok (he still prefers the more dense recipe above).

Biscuits

I have long bought Bakewell Cream for something that I wanted to bake that called for cream of tartar. However, upon buying BC, I have forgotten what it was that I wanted to bake. So it sat on the shelf for quite a long time. There was a recipe for biscuit on the label. But because my concept of biscuits was different (flat and crunchy), I did not pay much attention to the recipe.



However, after several eat-outs, I have come to learn that biscuits are those that came with the meals and which I thought were rolls. They were like yeast breads, only with more tender consistency (not so chewy). My hubby liked it so much, and I do, too.



I decided to give the recipe a try. My first try was two days before my birthday, and the second was during my birthday.



Sorry I failed to take photos during the first steps.



Ingredients:



2 cups flour

2 tsp Bakewell Cream

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup cold milk



Instructions:



Mix and sift dry ingredients.

Add shortening and cut into the flour mix.

Add milk all at once, and stir quickly with a fork. (Some flours may require a little more liquid to make a nice soft dough.)

Turn out on floured boards and knead 5 or 6 times.

Roll of pat to 1/2" to 3/4 " thick. Cut with biscuit cutter. (I had none; I used the screw band of a pint jar.)



Bake at 475 deg F for 5 minutes. THEN turn off heat and leave in oven for 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.



Biscuits, when fresh from the oven, have crunchy crust, in contrast to those served in restaurants which are quite soggy. I expected the biscuits to be the same, and was almost disappointed that they were crunchy. But hubby said, "Honey, they're biscuits. They are supposed to be crunchy. And I like these better than Mom's, because they are crunchy all-around, yet soft on the inside. Maybe Mom's biscuits have sides which are not crunchy possibly because they are baked side-by-side, without space in between. Please don't change a thing in the way you bake them."



Hmmm...does that mean those biscuits served at restaurants are just reheated in microwave so they are not crunchy?



I'll take hubby's words for it. As long as he enjoys it (and I do, too! though the kids will have to acquire the taste for it), I will bake it the same way I did the first time.



He gave me two gifts on my birthday, one of which is a set of biscuit-cutter...so my next biscuits will have waves around...haha!!!