Hi there, I have a problem with my shortbread cookies. I have a recipe from my grandmother. I believe its shortbread cookies.( dent know how to translate the spanish name to english, but I believe from the ingredients this is it.) Here is the recipe. 6 cups cornstarch 1 3/4 c flour 1 3/4 c sugar 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder 4 eggs 1 yolk egg 1.5 tbsp vanilla 2 c shortening. .5 - 1 c of warm water Anyway, she passed away a few years ago, and I have been trying to learn how to make them. I remember her mentioning the cornstarch is what makes them light . and as I try the recipe each christmas, they taste the same as hers, except I dent know why but mine break so easily!! It is so frustrating! dent know what Iamb doing, if its the rolling part as I cut the circle or what.. From her recipe she mentions to roll the dough in plenty of cornstarch . But please help, why do they break as I take them out of the oven.?? What am I doing wrong. ? Like I said , the taste is right, its just they break so much. Is there a trick I dent know about? What can I do to keep them from breaking? I would love to keep making them each year for christmas and teach my girls the legacy, but really I am getting really frustated because at least half of them break when I take them out of the oven. I wait until they are cool to transfer from the pan., but as I try and put the topping, they break as I touch them almost. Iamb trying to roll the dough quite thick, but seems like when they bake, they crack, so when I handle them they break. Any tips and suggestions to improve the recipe? I would greatly appreciate it. thanks. ruth
Ruth, 6 cups of cornstarch seems excessive to me. Is the flour supposed to be 6 cups and the cornstarch 1 3/4ths? maybe? Maybe try the recipe with the cornstarch and flour measurements reversed and see if that makes the texture a little less fragile. Still use the cornstarch to roll them out, though.
Ruth, six cups of cornstarch is really a lot! Do as Carolyn suggests and reverse the flour/cornstarch ratio and see if that helps. I make almond crescents, and for the first few times I made them, two would break for every one that I got off the sheet whole. I learned to put parchment paper on the cookie sheet, bake the crescents on the paper, then very gently pull the paper with the cookies off the sheet and leave them until they were completely cool (about an hour). This may work for your shortbread, also. Let us know how your shortbread turns out, please!
Ruth, If you haven't used parchment paper do invest in a roll. You can use the same sheet over and over and over and it makes removing the cookies ever so much easier and there is no mess left on the pan at all. You can bake on it up to 400f. When I am done I wipe it off and fold it up, place it between two cookie sheets and re use it the next time I bake cookies. It also comes pre-cut and folded, in some stores, maybe 8 sheets to a pkg. I buy mine at the kitchen collection outlet store up here. I do know Walmart carries a roll (maybe reynolds brand) close to the wax paper area, it is just not as economical as the roll I get at the outlet store.
hi there ladies, thanks so much for your input. On the parchment paper, does the paper help the way the cookies are baking in the oven? or is it only to transfer them after? seems like my problem, (maybe to much cornstarch) is that they break when i handle them more than anything. almost as i look at them in the oven while they are cooking they start cracking with the heat, from one end and then as i handle them with my hands after. More than with the spatula( maybe with the spatula, its nice and steady) I think they crack. Just wonder if the parchment paper helps them bake differently than sitting alone on top of the baking sheet. Ill find the paper before I bake them. But one more question. I also just recently bought a silicon baking sheet, would that work at least with one of the sheets( only have 1 ) the same way? thanks again, ruth
Hi Ruth and welcome to the 'Stew, by the way, I haven't used a silicon baking sheet so I really can't compare the two. It is supposed to work the same, but the parchment paper gives a nice crust that stays with the baked item. Do you ever make banana bread or a quick bread and the crust stays on the pan? when you use parchment paper the paper peels away from the baked item and leaves the crusty part on the loaf, I put a sheet into my loaf pan and compress it in with another loaf pan since mine are tightly staking pans, other times I use a small piece, just enough to put on the bottom of the pan so the bottom doesn't stick to the pan and pull a big hole out as I am trying to get the loaf out. Same with cookies, you are not "scraping" the baked on stuff off the pan or rolling the bottom of the cookie and ruining the cookie. When you bake on parchment paper the cookies slide right off. Have you used your silicone baking sheet yet? Since you already have that try it if you haven't and tell us if you like it or if it did/didn't work.
These sound a bit like Mexican Wedding cookies. They are rolled or dusted with powdered sugar after baking and are a shortbread type ? That does sound like the problem, the flour binds the cookie so more flour would be needed than cornstarch. Shortening will make them delicate too but that amount sounds about right with the flour and cornstarch amounts reveresed.
Hi mart, interesting you mention. I am from Mexico, the wedding cookie you must refer to is called biscochos. Very similar recipe, but yes, rolled out in powder sugar. And you know , I do make that too for the holidays. My grandmothers recipe too. Except for the biscochos. It calls for more shortening powder surgar instead of granulated, and less cornstarch about half. more eggs and just. the yolks and more flour. You use a cookie press on that one and then roll them in the sugar. And you know I make that and it is just no problem at all. Although almost the same ingredients but taste different. Thats why it scares me to play with the quantities. Afraid to loose the taste and texture that to me makes them unique. On this one I am having issues, its called Alfajores. and my grandmother used to fill the circled cookie with a jelly filling then cover it with another , sort of like a sandwich type, then roll the side on shredded coconut to stick to the edge of the jelly. But again, with me they break so easily, not so much when they come out of the oven, thats why I wonjder on the parchment paper, its more when Im handling them, putting the jelly and making the sandwich. And yes, you are right, they are traditionally used in weddings. Both my mom and grandmother made some for my weddings.(Both my grandmother and mom made them for christmas every year as part of their reposteria), A couple of years later I got interested in started learning. But a bit too late because my grandmother passed away shortly after my wedding. (It was her recipe, at least my mom learned it from her). I ask my mom, but she doesn't think it a good idea to mess with the recipe. Thats why I turn to you guys Her advice, make the circle cookie smaller and thicker to avoid cracking. Her's don't break as easily as mine and she uses the same recipe. But I am convinced theres got to be a trick that would solve it for me. So you mean to leave the shortening and reverse the flour and cornstarch quantities? Kind of like Carolyn and marlingardener have advised? ruth
Ruth, I looked up recipes for alfajores, and this one makes 12 sandwich cookies, and calls for 1 c. cornstarch and 3/4 c. flour, among other ingredients. Take a look and see if it resembles your grandmother's recipe: http://www.chow.com/recipes/28373-alfajores It also mentions rolling the side in coconut, but uses a pudding-like filling. We'll keep trying and solve the mystery of the breaking cookies (by the way, I've been known to eat broken cookies in large amounts, so if you have too many bits and pieces, well . . . .) 8)
Wow Marlingardener, never wouldve thought to look up the recipe by name!! Thanks. !! And its true, very similar to what I have. I do know that my recipe makes alot!! My grandmother was known for baking and cooking for a fleet!! But you are right I need to add more flour to prevent to much flaking. But definelty I think I want to keep the cornstarch more than flour to keep the taste and texture. I will try that in the coming weeks. I am prepping with all my ingredients to make my christmas goodies, biscochos , alfajores , tamales, and as I was looking through my recipe book, a knot was felt in my stomach to think about going through the torture of the breaking of the alfajores But am determined to get them to work. I really want my girls to grow up with the recipes I did. Thats why over the years ( which has been 5-6 that ive tried them) I still don't want to give up , if only for that reason. But my husband and my girls can hear my frustration from the kitchen as Im baking. (To tell you the truth even my tears sometimes.) Definitely don't want those kind of memories from the recipes huh? I really appreciate all your help!
Ruth honey, we are here to help! Let us know how the "tweaking" of your recipe does. We'll figure out something--traditional recipes need to be passed down.
That is an excellent idea. Try reducing the cornstarch a little bit and add the same amount to the flour. I know what you are going through trying to get the same thing. I have tried to make my grandmothers Chess pie using her recipe and mine never turns out like hers did. But mine has improved over the years. Hers was almost like candy,, I get a good pie but not like hers. We had a cow and always had fresh butter when she was alive,, now I don`t,,thats what I blame mine on.
Hi Everyone.! Thanks so much for all the replies I recieved. finally I made the recipe. Played with the recipe a bit Adding a bit a half cup more of shortening and a quarter cup more of flour. Left the cornstarch quantities intact. I was trying to get the dough a bit more moist, with the shortening and not roll it so dry. But I did also tried to roll them thicker and of course used the parchment paper!!! did not break a single one !!! Thanks to all of you that posted your ideas and support! great day!!! Of course my girls helped. it was great! thanks!
my older one helping roll out a bit of doughhttp://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/garden-image.php?image_id=41327&user_id=7478
just out of the oven http://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/garden-image.php?image_id=41328&user_id=7478
