What I have learned during my shortbread journey is: Everything matters when baking.
Weeks ago, I blogged about my stand mixer, “Who Needs A KitchenAid Stand Mixer“, and how it allows me time to get other things done while my cookie dough is mixing. Well, I quickly found out what happens when shortbread dough is “overmixed”; Let’s just say that the texture of the dough changes significantly, and that’s not good.
My shortbread is a soft and delicate cookie, but when I attempt to use the overmixed dough, each attempt is a failure. One of the main problems is that the already soft structure of the shortbread becomes too light and too delicate. The shortbread taste does not change but after they are baked and cooled they break and crumble when lifted off of the cookie sheet, and they become immediate rejects.
I found a great chart at Baking 911 called “Cookies – Problems and Solutions“. The chart lists different cookie scenarios and a solutions for each issue. I refer to Baking 911 for good information and tips or when situations arise that cause me confusion.
I would never serve shortbread that does not meet my standards, but because I hate throwing away food, my broken shortbread “rejects” become sweet treats for the household (they make great Shortbread Sprinkles over ice cream), and my son loves that.
Related articles
- Who Needs A KitchenAid Stand Mixer? (shortbreadswee-t.com)
ShortbreadSwee-T's 
That reminds me of my mom making something with rhubarb (jam?) that didn’t turn out right, but we had it over vanilla ice cream and it was absolutely delicious! I guess sometimes food mistakes turn out to be food hits.
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Yes. We’ve got to make the best out of everything. Ice cream saves the day in my house often.
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I couldn’t imagine my life without my KitchenAid. I *adore* it. But yes, sometimes it does the job too well… Will have to look at this 911 chart, sounds v helpful.
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I never overmixed anything when I was using my hand mixer (arm would get too tired). I hope Baking 911 is helpful to you. I’m a fan of some of the information it provides. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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