Sucess!!

Hooray! I have sucessfully made two test cookies that didn't crumble and fall off the sticks. The dough that was mostly eggs and flour ended up holding together really well after it was chilled. I could almost pick up the raw cookie without a spatula. And it was firm enough to actually insert the stick in it, instead of have to smoosh it into one side of the cookie (which automatically gives the cookie a "bad side"). But I purchased my secret weapon today at Lowes. One 1/4 inch dowel, split in half and taped down to the table makes and EXCELLENT guide for your rolling pin. My dough was the perfect thickness all the way around, which vastly improved cooking time.

Now, if you notice in the picture above, one cookie is 1/4 inch thick and the other is 1/2 inch thick. The 1/2 inch model was suggested by the recipe, but I don't think it does as well. As you can see in the picture below, the 1/4 inch cookie cooked up a lot more evenly, with the middle getting done at the same time as the edges. The other cookie was still raw in the middle while the edges were overdone. The raw middle made the cookie slide around on the stick during my scientific test where I waved them around to see if they fell off. So, 1/2 inch out, 1/4 inch in!


Thanks for all the ideas and advice, guys. The Pilsbury sugar cookie idea was a good one, and one that I seriously considered. If I didn't already have a whole fridge full of test batches, I would run out and buy some. But I think I have this figured out. I have all the "hardware" already purchased to make two more batches of the latest dough, and I am just going to make cut-outs for the gift bags out of the rest of the batches that didn't work out.

And thanks for the offer to use your kitchen, Andi! But I think I have a system down now that works. If I use every available flat space and I am organized, I think everything will be ok. And my Mom is coming on Friday to help me bake all day, in response to my sniveling, so I should be all good. And instead of frosting, I am just going to dip them in white chocolate! Easy!