By Susan Mykrantz

 Simply put, when it comes to cookies, whether it is cold, room temperature or melted, butter is better.

From a kitchen chemistry standpoint, butter is primarily fat that gives flavor, tenderness, and flaky layers to baked goods. But it is also a source of liquid; some water and some milk that also contribute to structure and rise in baked goods. That air works with the baking soda or powder to puff or rise the cookie along with the steam created within the cookie, thanks to the butter and egg’s moisture. Butter plays a critical role in cookie structure; the fat and moisture can enhance or inhibit gluten development, which directly impacts the shape, spread and texture of your cookies. Whether your butter is cold, room temperature or melted, it will directly impact how cakey, crispy or flaky your cookies will be.

When you fold cold butter into the sugar and other ingredients, butter makes baked goods flaky by creating layers in the dough and cutting through gluten development.

At room temperature, butter is soft enough to incorporate air, but not so soft that it will melt immediately in the oven and result in super-thin cookies. Room temperature butter also helps the fat coat proteins in the cookie dough, preventing gluten development and making a cookie that has a finer texture and is more cake-like than chewy.

Finally, melted butter mixes readily with both the sugar and flour, making for a softer dough that actually develops more gluten. If you bake the dough made with melted butter right away, the cookies will spread more than those made with room-temperature butter, resulting in thin and crispy cookies. But on a side note, if you scoop the cookie dough on the baking sheet and chill the dough before you bake it, your cookies will be soft, chewy and crispy only on the edges.

This week, Cook Simply features cookie recipes with butter as a key component. Not only does the butter make the cookies tender, but they melt in your mouth and they will add a touch of class to your holiday cookie plate. Enjoy and until next time, simply cook.

Brown Sugar Spritz Cookies

¾ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cup sifted flour

¼ teaspoon salt

Cream the shortening and gradually add sugar. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the sifted flour. Put dough in a cookie press and place desired shapes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Butter Balls

1cup butter

2 cups flour (sifted)

1 cup chopped nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Cream butter and add powdered sugar. Add vanilla and sifted flour. Mix well. Fold nuts into the dough mixture. Shape into small balls (about the size of a hickory nut) and put on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Roll cookies in powdered sugar.

Little Butter S’s

½ cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

3 egg yolks beaten

2 tablespoons milk

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups sifted flour (about)

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons unblanched almonds

1 tablespoon sugar

Cream butter, add sugar and egg yolks, and beat until fluffy. Add milk, salt and enough flour to make the dough easy to handle.

Break off small pieces of dough and roll dough between floured hands into ropes about one half inch thick and as long as your finger. Place on a cookie sheet and form into an S shape. Brush with egg white mixed with water. Mix together almonds and sugar and sprinkle over cookies. Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.