cookies

Amanda Cordero
Sep 4, 2018 · 3 min read

final idea

My final cookie is a Twix-style cookie lasagna, layered with shortbread, caramel, shortbread crumbles, and hot fudge.

recipe

Need: 1 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup white sugar

2 cups flour

1 jar of Hershey’s caramel topping

1 jar of Hershey’s hot fudge topping

Mix butter, vanilla extract, sugar, and flour until a dough is formed. Roll out dough and cut into thick, large squares. Place on baking sheet and put in the oven for 13-15 minutes at 350°F. Once done, place the squares on the bottom of a casserole dish and layer caramel on top. Freeze for 30 mins to set. Then crush up the extra shortbread not used and sprinkle a layer on top of the caramel, then top the whole dish in hot fudge and freeze for another 30 mins to set. Then cut into squares and you’re done!

idea generation

To generate some ideas, I immediately looked past changing the cookie flavor because I felt like that was probably the easiest and most predictable thing to change while baking cookies. I started thinking about the shape of the cookie, and other foods started coming to mind like french fries, strawberries, or lasagna. I wrote these down in my notes and expanded the ideas with little sketches before trying to think of some more ideas also. I ended up choosing the two ideas the intrigued me the most: French Fry Cookies and Cookie Lasagna.

idea test 1

Testing the Cookie Lasagna first, I decided to go with a shortbread cookie recipe because I was reminded of a twix bar when I thought of a layered cookie bar. After much thought, I decided not to try to bake a whole sheet of shortbread because that would not bake in the middle. Instead, I actually made square cookies and put them down on the bottom of a casserole dish, layered some Hershey’s Caramel Topping on it, froze it for some time to set it, then topped it in Hershey’s Hot Fudge Topping and froze it again to set the hot fudge. I was hoping that the caramel and hot fudge wouldn’t melt together after not being frozen for a while, but they did so I was fairly disappointed but thought I could maybe fix that somehow if I picked the lasagna as my final cookie.

idea test 2

(Left to right) After oil for 30 seconds, after oil for 1 min, and before oil

Next, I tested the French Fry Cookies. I used the same shortbread recipe because I found that the lasagna squares I baked held their shape after being baked in the oven. I cut them into thick french fry shapes and baked them to set the shape, then heated up some oil and set one of the “fries” into the oil. It immediately began dissolving and soaking up the oil so I took it out and let it cool before taste testing it. It tasted like oil. So I decided to scrap those and move on with the twix lasagna idea.

iteration

When I first made the twix lasagna, I didn’t include a layer of cookie crumbles between the caramel and the hot fudge. This resulted in the two mixing together and not setting well, so the second time I used my extra dough to bake extra shortbread and crush it up as the second layer. This worked pretty well to separate the two so I was fairly happy and decided my cookie was done!

timeline:

9/5/18, post outline blog post and look up some recipes for cookies

9/6/18, brainstorm ways to make the cookie different from what’s been done

9/7/18, narrow ideas down to just a couple recipes and buy ingredients

9/8/18, try the recipes at home and hopefully choose one this day

9/9/18, if not chosen yet choose a cookie and take pictures of final choice

9/11/18, work on blog post about the cookie

9/12/18, finish and post the blog post and also bake the dozen final cookies

9/13/18, present final cookie to class

Amanda Cordero

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