Cookie press newbie - please help!
 

I just tried breaking in my Hutzler cookie press today, an "impulse
buy" from last year. I followed one of the recipes mentioned inside the
box (7 oz. butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 egg yolks, 2 c. flour, dash salt)
and chilled the dough for a couple of hours.

Filled the tube with a roll of dough, went to press it, and couldn't
get the dough to stick to the pan. (It was ungreased.) I put the press
right against the pan, nothing...held it up an inch, nothing. The dough
was coming out, but it wasn't detaching from the bottom of the tube.

This is my first go-round with cookie presses; is this a common
problem? Was the dough too soft? It shouldn't have been after being in
the fridge for over 3 hours.

Thanks.

> wrote in message
ups.com...

> I just tried breaking in my Hutzler cookie
> press today, an "impulse buy" from last year.
> I followed one of the recipes mentioned inside
> the box (7 oz. butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 egg yolks,
> 2 c. flour, dash salt) and chilled the dough for
> a couple of hours.
>
> Filled the tube with a roll of dough, went to press
> it, and couldn't get the dough to stick to the pan.
> (It was ungreased.) I put the press right against the
> pan, nothing...held it up an inch, nothing. The dough
> was coming out, but it wasn't detaching from the
> bottom of the tube.
>
> This is my first go-round with cookie presses; is this
> a common problem? Was the dough too soft? It
> shouldn't have been after being in the fridge for over
> 3 hours.

First, the general rule of thumb with cookie presses: Do NOT chill the
dough. You've run into one of the reasons why: the dough won't
release.

Second, the ratios in your recipe seem a little skewed, compared to
the recipe(s) I use. For example, this one from Martha Stewart's
Christmas:

Cookie-Press Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
3-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate (for decoration, if desired)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks,
flour, salt, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Fill a cookie press with
the dough and turn out cookies 1-2 inches apart onto an unbuttered
baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly
browned. Cool on a rack. If desired, melt the chocolate, spread it
on the cookie bottoms, and stick them together in pairs.

> wrote in message
ups.com...

> I just tried breaking in my Hutzler cookie
> press today, an "impulse buy" from last year.
> I followed one of the recipes mentioned inside
> the box (7 oz. butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 egg yolks,
> 2 c. flour, dash salt) and chilled the dough for
> a couple of hours.
>
> Filled the tube with a roll of dough, went to press
> it, and couldn't get the dough to stick to the pan.
> (It was ungreased.) I put the press right against the
> pan, nothing...held it up an inch, nothing. The dough
> was coming out, but it wasn't detaching from the
> bottom of the tube.
>
> This is my first go-round with cookie presses; is this
> a common problem? Was the dough too soft? It
> shouldn't have been after being in the fridge for over
> 3 hours.

First, the general rule of thumb with cookie presses: Do NOT chill the
dough. You've run into one of the reasons why: the dough won't
release.

Second, the ratios in your recipe seem a little skewed, compared to
the recipe(s) I use. For example, this one from Martha Stewart's
Christmas:

Cookie-Press Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
3-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate (for decoration, if desired)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks,
flour, salt, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Fill a cookie press with
the dough and turn out cookies 1-2 inches apart onto an unbuttered
baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly
browned. Cool on a rack. If desired, melt the chocolate, spread it
on the cookie bottoms, and stick them together in pairs.

> wrote in message
ups.com...

> I just tried breaking in my Hutzler cookie
> press today, an "impulse buy" from last year.
> I followed one of the recipes mentioned inside
> the box (7 oz. butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 egg yolks,
> 2 c. flour, dash salt) and chilled the dough for
> a couple of hours.
>
> Filled the tube with a roll of dough, went to press
> it, and couldn't get the dough to stick to the pan.
> (It was ungreased.) I put the press right against the
> pan, nothing...held it up an inch, nothing. The dough
> was coming out, but it wasn't detaching from the
> bottom of the tube.
>
> This is my first go-round with cookie presses; is this
> a common problem? Was the dough too soft? It
> shouldn't have been after being in the fridge for over
> 3 hours.

First, the general rule of thumb with cookie presses: Do NOT chill the
dough. You've run into one of the reasons why: the dough won't
release.

Second, the ratios in your recipe seem a little skewed, compared to
the recipe(s) I use. For example, this one from Martha Stewart's
Christmas:

Cookie-Press Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
3-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate (for decoration, if desired)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks,
flour, salt, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Fill a cookie press with
the dough and turn out cookies 1-2 inches apart onto an unbuttered
baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly
browned. Cool on a rack. If desired, melt the chocolate, spread it
on the cookie bottoms, and stick them together in pairs.