Can I make the perfect gooey, CHEWY cookies and still use a cookie cutter?

[TheLightGetsIn]

Novice biscuit baker here. I have bought a collection of Christmas cookie cutters and was looking forward to trying out my first ever batch cookies, except that when I started googling for recipes for properly chewy, not crunchy, cookies all the recipes seem to say that you have to roll the mixture into balls rather than flatten them out if you don't want to end up with them hard and crunchy. All the pictures illustrate the recipes with Millies-style round cookies, not shaped ones. Does that mean that I will have to choose between gooey cookies and ones that actually look like the design on the cutter? Or is the perfect recipe out there somewhere? Help, expert bakers...

I was eyeing this recipe, found via another MN thread, but again, it says to roll into balls rather than use cutters....

I wouldn't call myself an expert but I don't think you will be able to shape any kind of soft cookie before baking as they turn very liquid and spread in the oven.

You could maybe try baking them and then cutting the shapes out whilst they were still warm. This would of course leave you with lots of leftovers and the finished result might not look great.

I think really to get your lovely neat shapes you are going to have to look for a recipe for a more crunchy/crumbly biscuit. Shortbread maybe? Then make a batch of big gooey round cookies as well. Christmas is the season of excess after all :)

Yes if you want proper cookies (rather than biscuits) which are nice and soft/chewy any shaping prior to cooking will be a waste of time and end up with a sticky mess!

Bake them first, then cut the shape as soon as you remove them from the oven.

Yes bake in one layer, a sheet of cookie and then cut out with the cutter afterwards. Haven’t tried so might not work at all but can’t see why not!

Then you can eat the scraps!

I think cookie cutters are more for gingerbread or shortbread type biscuits rather than cookies and it's just an Americanised name.

Damn. I should have realised it would be more complicated than I thought. OK, I'll try some of these suggestions. So if I wanted to try a recipe like the one I linked and attempt the "bake in one layer, then cut out with cutter afterwards" method to see what happens, how thick would you try making the layer? Use a rolling pin to roll it out, or just flatten with hands before it goes in the oven? Sorry - like I said, total novice here!!

I think I’d just squish into a well buttered and lined tray. It will melt and form one layer in the oven.

I’d probably do it around 3cm thick I think. Thin enough to cook, but thick enough to still be chewy.

OK thanks, I will give it a go and see what happens! If it doesn't work, any recommendations for particularly delicious biscuit recipes that definitely do work with cutters?

I wouldn't bother trying to do this OP. I think you'll end up frustrated as hell!

For nicely shaped biscuits, use a shortbread type recipe - so crisp & with a snap, also gingerbread. You can use a basic recipe & then add flavour like lemon zest, cinnamon etc

Great for gifts & will work very well with your cutters.

It's just going to be too hard to get shapes with the chewy mixture. You could bake as suggested. But for those recipes, the idea is to take out of the oven while still a bit soft & then they'll harden a bit more.

If you try to cut out when soft - too gooey. If you wait till set - too hard.

No, leave gooey biscuits to be & use your cutters with the shortbread / ginger bread types!

Like this (half way down page):

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/life/food-drink/recipes/nice-and-squeezey-for-rachel-allens-citrus-flavours-31271590.html

3 cm seems too thick, imo - my instinct is that the mixture won’t be able to melt outwards if it’s already in one layer. So I’d suggest 2 cm. or 3 cm with slightly longer cooking time. But it’s only guesswork! If one lot doesn’t work you can always do another one...

I don’t think they would be too gooey if cooked as per recipe (so not in one big layer) which is what I would do. I think I’d cut, leave the cutter in place, then scrape the outer remnants away, then cut the next one.

In fact I might try it tomorrow and I can let you know how it goes!

I do agree with pp, though - why not look for a recipe that appeals and is suitable for cutting, and just make some gooey cookies as well? It is Christmas after all...

my instinct is that the mixture won’t be able to melt outwards if it’s already in one layer.

This is correct.

I think I’d cut, leave the cutter in place, then scrape the outer remnants away,

This won't work (if I've read it right) as the mixture will spread out in the oven, losing the shape.

Honestly, the fun of gooey cookies is the uneven shape & how they appear.

Just make two different types!

No I mean cut after cooking...when they’re soft and about to harden.

I’m going to bake some oat cookies today or tomorrow, I’ll try it on one or two of them and see how it goes.

I think you have to choose between gooey or shapes. If you want to use your cookie cutters then I would use Mary Berry’s gingerbread man recipe.

Uh, meant tomorrow or the next day..tired now!

Mary Berry’s double choc cookies are pretty fab if you want a gooey recipe too!

Oh sorry Holly!

No worries, just making it clear for OP’s sake.

Would it be crazy to cook them one at a time still in the (metal) cutter?

I thought of that too but decided I definitely couldn’t cope with that...waaay too labour intensive...

How about one BIG star/heart/etc and everyone can just break a chunk off it!

@WunWun

Would it be crazy to cook them one at a time still in the (metal) cutter?

Yes! They need to spread. It's the nature of the recipe! If you did this you'd end up with a hard ball of a biscuit that wouldn't be at all gooey & still not in a shape.

I make a lot of biscuits!

Google peperkakke for the best biscuit for cutters.
Cookies need to spread.