I have mentioned before that I like my cookies to be thin. Like really thin.
Well recently I decided to make my cookies more uniform. See I never exactly measured before. I did the thickness by feel and look. It was always a guess, and sometimes one batch would be slightly thicker or thinner than the next.
My fellow cookiers on Facebook were discussing how thick they roll their cookies. I was shocked to see that most of them roll 1/4″ or even 3/8″. Mine were typically less than 1/8″.
When I baked these cookies, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about the super thick cookies. I rolled them 1/4″ thick using 1/4″ dowels. Lots of good cookie, but the icing to cookies ratio was just too low for my taste. I needed smaller dowels, so I went back for 1/8″.
The 1/8″ dowels made the perfect thickness for me. Not too much cookie, but thick enough to be sturdier than what I was previously working with.
(I took the photos when I was making chocolate cookies, but the method of rolling is the same.) I place the dowels on either side of my dough ball, cover it with a piece of cling wrap, then roll side to side, keeping my rolling pin on the dowels.
In addition to my new roll method, I have a new cookie recipe that I have been using. I really loved my old one (from iambaker) but it was a very sticky recipe and I always had to knead a lot of flour into it before I could work with it. This recipe is also delicious, but it saves me that extra time. Also, it can be made and rolled RIGHT AWAY, without having to chill it, which has also saves me time.
***UPDATE***MAY 2013********************************************
I have changed the recipe I use again, so I wanted to throw it in here. It’s very similar to the recipes I used before from iambaker and Lilaloa…. just more of a morph between the two.
Here is a printable link.
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This cookie recipe has practically no spread, which makes it perfect for intricate cut-out designs. It would be a great recipe for my Unicorn Poop Cookies as well because it would hold the desired shape.
Cookie Carrie’s Sugar Cookies – adapted from Lilaloa
Printable Recipe
Cookie Carrie 
I have been baking for years and never thought to use dowels to measure– I love it! I usually think (while I’m rolling)- “how in the world do people know how to roll dough out to 1/2 of an inch??” and then I shrug and roll it out all willy nilly and get uneven cookies 🙂 I am going to try this! Thank you!
I’m a lazy roller – I never use dowels or rings or anything. I probably should! 😉
I never did either until I tried it and now I can’t imagine doing without!
I bought the rolling pin bands and never could get used to using them. I roll all my cookie dough between dowels but I always roll 1/4″ thick 🙂
P.S. Learned the dowel trick from Cheryl at Tidymom years ago.
I’ll have to try rolling thinner cookies the next time I make them. I too like a higher icing to cookie ratio. Looks like a great recipe!
how much does the new recipe yield?