November Technique--Cookie Tartlets or Other Small Cookies

I'm showing this technique with the cookie tart mold, but it would work just as well with cookie stamps or small springerle molds. The basic idea is to roll a sheet of dough, remove a small strip between rows of cookies, and then press, cut, and trim off the scraps. This saves handling and re-rolling, both of which toughen your dough.

Here, I've rolled and trimmed a sheet of dough for cookie tarts:

Notice that I've rolled it on a sheet of nonstick foil. This is important, because it makes it possible to cut and bake the cookies without moving any of them.

When you have your sheet rolled and trimmed, set your mold on it and decide how many lines of cookies you can make. Then cut a channel to separate the lines.

Now press and cut your cookies. If you're using tart molds, assemble the mold and place it on the dough. Press down on the center piece, then on the outer cutter.

Then lift the cutter off the dough. Press the center piece down lightly with your forefinger to help separate them.

Tip the center piece to remove it without lifting the cookie from the foil.

Now cut the dough, remove the scraps, and continue to the next cookie:

Transfer the aluminum foil sheet to a baking sheet and bake your cookies.

Other small molds and cookie stamps would be used in a similar way, but instead of working with the built-in cutter piece, you'd use a cookie cutter after you'd pressed the image with the mold.

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