Help! I goofed and need your help!

[Michelemarie]

Today mom and I are making our annual "itialian" cookies. To speed the process, I wanted to get as many ingredients ready as possible. Last night I measured all the dry ingredients as the recipe states "combine all dry ingredients". 8 cups of flour, 4 T. baking powder and 1 c. sugar.......Until I read the sugar is supposed to be creamed with butter and eggs separately. Please tell me it will be okay to keep the sugar with the flour - I hate to waste all these ingredients. Haste makes waste!

 

[urmaniac13]

Being a hasty person myself, I always try to defy that darn saying "haste makes waste". Though I am not a baking specialist so I can't say for sure, but if I were you, I would go ahead and try a small batch anyway and see how it goes... from my own experience, more often than not they come out fine all the same... Good luck!!

 

[Candocook]

I think Urmaniac has a good idea. Maybe do 1/4 of a batch. I am doubtful however, since I think cookies require a certain regime to come out right. Hope for the best.

 

[licia]

I really don't think it will make that much difference - that may be the preferred way, but if you follow the rest of the recipe verbatim, I'd think they will come out great - Best wishes for the best you've ever made!

 

[Michelemarie]

I think I am gonna wing it - this is a very old recipe and at the bottom I see something that says add all ingredients to a bowl at once. I will let you know what happens.

 

[XeniA]

Cookies are pretty forgiving recipes, so for heaven's sake, don't throw your ingredients out!

Since I don't know, however, exactly what the function of first creaming the butter and sugar is, I just checked in my handy-dandy baking science book (How Baking Works by Paula Figoni .. a book I talk so much about I'm sure you all think I'm getting a commission). Here's what she said about the function of creaming:

"Fats assist in leavening in three main ways. The traditional way is in the creaming of plastic* fats, where tiny air cells are incorporated into the fat. Cookies and cakes made by the creaming method rely on plastic fats for the bulk of their volume and fine crumb. This is true even when baking powder is used."

* plastic fats evidently just refer to the texture, i.e., soft and malleable -- butter in this case

So I'll betcha it will just be a texture issue largely, maybe a little bit a volume issue. Can you deal with slightly more coarse and maybe slightly flatter cookies??

 

[Uncle Bob]

Might I suggest....A couple of "Irish Creams" (kicked up and on the rocks)

Then...Go for it!!

 

[jennyema]

MM

Unfortunately, creaming is relatively important, as, like Ayrton said, it's usually the main way of leavening when it is called for. That obviously affects texture, but omitting that step can also make the cookies taste a bit flat.

But (again like Ayrton said) cookies are forgiving and I'd goahead and make them and see what happens. You might not even notice a difference.

Good Luck!!

 

[boufa06]

IMO beating all the ingredients together is okay provided you add a little more baking powder to help it rise.

 

[Aria]

Michelmarie, Let us know outcome. And the recipe please. You have the flour,baking powder, sugar. Eggs? Butter? Like traditional recipe. Will be looking for outcome and recipe.

 

[JDP]

Flour and sugar are cheap. Maybe look for a sweet bread recipe you could use them in and start over. I'm not a baker but I would assume it's a pretty important step. If they don't turn out you will have wasted all the ingredients plus your time. And possibly have to put up with a bunch of " I told you so's" from your mom.

JDP

 

[StirBlue]

A member of our family decided to make cookies. Measured all the ingredients into a large bowl and then mixed. That person had the strength to mash all that stuff together at once. Dough looked just same as mine, cookies came out just same as mine. I guess I could put everything in a food mixer and come out with the same. Isn't going to work with everything but it might work for you and your Italian cookies.

 

[philso]

the texture will be a little different, but go ahead and make them. the sugar crystals dissolve after being beaten into the eggs. in this case the crystals will likely remain. letting the dough sit for an hour or so may help, but i think they'll be just fine.

 

[Shunka]

I've done this a time or two ; when I wasn't thinking at the time. No one knew except for me. SSSHHHH!! Don't tell anyone!!

 

[Michelemarie]

Thank you, everyone, for your help. We went ahead and made the cookies and we saw nor tasted any difference. I thought mom would be angry, but she wasn't. I am sure this would not work for every recipe, but for this particular recipe, it seemed to make no difference. They looked and tasted the same - thanks for all of your responses! I really appreciate it!

 

[urmaniac13]

Hey, great your cookies worked out!! Some times we do get some lucky breaks, and we all need that too, especially this time of the year!! Enjoy your cookies!!

 

[Aria]

Michelmarie, Glad to hear your cookies were a success. Are you going to post the recipe? Would like it. Thanks