This is a continuing series.  For all posts in the Essentials series, please click here.

The Essentials:

I thought I’d do the next Essentials series with bakeware, but as I went to collect it all to take pictures, I realized just how much I had.  So, I’m breaking it down into types: Cookies, Cakes, Pies, and Desserts.

In order to bake cookies, other than mixing bowls and measuring cups/spoons (two future Essentials posts), you basically need cookie sheets and wire cooling racks:

You can make almost any kind of cookie with the basic supplies of a cookie sheet and a wire cooling rack.  Chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, snickerdoodles — you wouldn’t need any other supplies.

The Extras:

An aide I’ve discovered recently in making those kinds of cookies is a cookie scoop:

It makes perfectly sized cookies every time.  You don’t need this.  Using a spoon from your silverware drawer will work just fine.  This just allows you (me) to work faster, cleaner, and have the same sized cookies.

In order to make rolled out, cut-out cookies (like Sugar Cookies), you’ll need a rolling pin.  A handy addition to the rolling pin is a rolling mat, but as long as you have a clean table or workspace, you don’t need the mat:

Once you’ve rolled out your cookies, you need cookie cutters to cut them.  I have a loose collection, and here is a small sampling of that:

But the collection I go to first is this one:

It has 101 cookie cutters in it, including all of the letters and numbers.  I love this collection.  I sorted them by color (which are sorted by type — for instance, all of the Halloween cutters are orange, and only the Halloween cutters are orange) and put them in gallon sized ziplock bags, and store them in the box.  So, they’re easy to go in and grab what I want.  Here is a listing of the cookie cutters included:

I also buy fun sprinkles for cookies whenever I see them in the store – here are a few of my collection:

A fun machine that I’ve gotten a lot of use out of (including making my Chocolate Wreath Cookies and Butter Wreath Cookies) is the Wilton Cookie Pro.  This is a very fun machine to have – it makes all kinds of cookies that look like they came out of a gourmet box:

Another fun machine is a Linzer machine, which is nice to make jam filled cookies:

I’ve barely breached the surface of what is available for making cookies, and for all of the different kinds of cookies.  Cookies are my least favorite dessert to make – I do it because my kids and my husband love them – so I don’t have quite as big of a collection of fun toys and such that you might expect from me (wait until the cake post!)

But, all you really need, at the very base, is a cookie sheet and a wire cooling rack.  From that beginning – anything is possible.

Hallee

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