A question came in from a reader (Laura) or a reader (Alicat) about how to make perfectly round cookies.
Laura made Martha Stewart's Black & White Cookies and they spread out to double the size she expected them to be. "Does anyone make a cookie pan with indents sized to create a perfectly round cookie? I would buy it in a second."
We found one gadget that might help: the OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop. (Martha suggests using a 2oz scoop in her recipe, this is basically it.) It's essentially a small ice-cream scoop, so if you have one of those, it will work just the same. Make sure the dough is cold when you scoop it, and that there are no holes or gaps between the dough and the scoop. Overfill the scoop, then slice off the extra dough, as you would level a spoon.
You can also try a plain old round cookie cutter. If using an all-metal cutter, try greasing the inside and baking the cookie right in the cutter itself, like a tart ring.
(photo of cookie: Grist.com)
Great ideas! Thanks so much for helping us out! :D
The Baker's catalog has what it calls a muffin top pan. It might work for you if that's the direction that you want to go. The scoop is probably a more versatile investment though!
To make round cookies, I usually roll the dough into a ball between my hands, then place on the sheet, leaving plenty of room in between each dough ball.
It works surprisingly well!!
Old tuna-fish or cat food cans, both ends cut off = cheap tart rings and/or cookie cutters.
Great question Laura, I've often wondered the same thing. I wonder if that will work with pancakes too?