THE RELUCTANT GOURMET COOKING COMMUNITY

[Iron_Skillet]

I ran across this cookie recipe here on the RG site and need some additional info on the recipe.



I read Chef Jennifer Fields recommendations on the posted recipe and was wondering about the recommendations to substitute shortening instead of oil but,are the measurements the same-both half a cup?
Also the recommendation to use double acting baking powder.Does this mean use 2 teaspoons of double acting baking powder-one each for the cream of tartar and baking soda being replaced?Or just one teaspoon?
I was curious about the powdered sugar in the recipe.Does the powdered sugar go in the dough or is it used for dusting later? Here is the article:
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/blog/dessert-recipes/sugar-cookie-recipe/#more-193

[jfield]

Hi there, Iron Skillet.

I'm the Chef Jennifer in question, so I thought I'd try and field this one. The original recipe looks like a very old one--possibly passed down from grandma or someone. As far as substituting one fat for another, I would go cup for cup (or half cup for half cup, in this case). You could also use 1 1/2 cups of butter in place of the shortenening + butter, realizing that the resulting cookie will spread more in the oven and will be more crisp once it cools. You're on the money for the baking powder--2 teaspoons. You could even experiment with leaving the leavener out altogether and having a more shortbread-like crumbly texture. It's up to you.

The powdered sugar goes in the dough. Using powdered sugar will produce a more sandy, crumbly cookie--most shortbread recipes (the ones I like, anyway) call for powdered sugar. Since powdered sugar is a powder and no longer has a crystalline structure, you'll get a denser cream when creaming the butter and sugar together. (The sugar crystals actually poke little holes in the fat during creaming, making little air bubbles. The fewer the crystals, the fewer the bubbles) So, this is up to you as well. You could use 2 cups regular sugar, one each of regular and powdered or even 2 powdered.

Hope this helped. Happy baking! :D

[Iron_Skillet]

Thanks jfield I wanted to try my hand at baking as well as cooking.Seems like I have a lot to learn. That's the fun of it though.