A little more about Snow Globe cookies!

I have received several e-mails from readers with questions about my Snow Globe cookies since posting about them here. So because I believe my answers are better explained through photos, I'm offering up a little Snow Globe show-and-tell for you this evening!

One question I received a lot concerns the size and thickness of my snow globes. In terms of thickness, I roll my cookies out to just under a half-inch. For crispier cookies or to increase the number of cookies a batch yields, you may roll your cookies thinner. However, I have learned that thicker cookies are easier to handle and they break less too! Additionally, the recipe I use is delicious and tastes very much like sweet, tender shortbread. Therefore, rolling my cookies out to this thickness gives them a texture this is similar to shortbread as well!

Just under 1/2 inch... See?

As for the size of my cookies... The copper snow globe cookie cutter I use

can be purchased here and measures 3.5 x 4.5 inches. Using my recipe, which

produces only minimal spread, my baked cookies come in just under four inches

wide... As seen here, using my boss's partially nibbled cookie as an example!

The other question I received most concerns how I bake, and how I know when

my cookies are done. I bake my cookies on aluminum baking sheets lined with

silpat mats. You could use parchment but I believe parchment absorbs and
draws moisture out of the dough during baking, which results in cookies that
are dry compared to cookies baked on silpat mats. If you test my theory, you
will notice cookies leave stains on parchment that don't appear on silpats. Also,
as you can see in this photo of the back of my cookie, it baked perfectly even,
which I also believe is a direct result of baking them on silpat mats. Yes, silpat

mats cost about $25 each and when I bought one for each of my eight baking

sheets the salesclerk at Sur la Table was thrilled... But you don't need eight. I

recommend starting with two and building your collection from there, a couple
at a time. In my opinion, silpat mats are an investment in your baking. The

time and ingredients you put into creating decorated sugar cookies warrants

using the best tools to ensure you receive the results your efforts deserve!

As for how I know when my cookies are done... It's less about time and more about

color. When my cookies just begin to turn sandy-blond around the bottom edges, I
remove them from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for two to three
minutes longer. This rest allows the cookies to solidify, and they finish off perfectly

through the absorption of residual heat from the sheet and silpat mat. To remove
my cookies, I use all of my fingers and thumb for added support and gently lift a
corner onto a flexible nylon spatula. This little lift eliminates the potential for
damage when spatulas bump into cookies instead of gliding underneath them
first. Again, this is where rolling thicker cookies is an advantage for me!

If I can answer additional questions, or if you would like to receive my

recipe and tips sheet, send an e-mail to me at jcbridge@aol.com. Until then,

Happy Baking... And, may you find Love under your tree this Christmas!