Anyone having trouble with their tried and true recipes just not coming out the way they should? My shortbread is overbrowning in way less than it's usual cooking time. My trusted recipe for a marzipan bar comprising butter, sugar, eggs and rice flour has turned out dreadfully with what I can only describe as an oily sheen on the surface. Neither of these recipes are new and I've baked them year after year with no issue. The only thing I can put it down to is the butter, it's the only variable really. Eggs are eggs, rice flour is rice flour etc. Earlier in the year our supermarket had good specials on Valumetric butter 400g packs so I stockpiled a few. I'm thinking it may be the problem. I always thought all butter was created equal. Maybe not so. I'm currently remaking the marzipan bar with a different brand of butter. We will see what happens. Any input would be appreciated.

Edited by seaspray1 at 1:57 pm, Sun 22 Dec

seaspray1 - 2019-12-22 13:55:00

Hmmmm - perfect result with the different brand butter..........

seaspray1 - 2019-12-22 14:10:00

Have never bought Valumetric butter but some butter has water added instead of just cream and salt

sarahb5 - 2019-12-22 15:24:00

sarahb5 wrote:

Have never bought Valumetric butter but some butter has water added instead of just cream and salt

this - check the label for ingredients.

kateley - 2019-12-22 17:51:00

Yes, I have had biscuits spread more than normal, it is the water. Trying now to check on back for ingredients. Made lolly cake today, goodness knows what went wrong(been making it for years). same recipe, but was very wet, managed to shape into a roll in coconut, went to get it out of the fridge, and it has lost all its shape. gotta be the butter...grandies will still eat it.

korbo - 2019-12-22 21:03:00

korbo wrote:

Yes, I have had biscuits spread more than normal, it is the water. Trying now to check on back for ingredients. Made lolly cake today, goodness knows what went wrong(been making it for years). same recipe, but was very wet, managed to shape into a roll in coconut, went to get it out of the fridge, and it has lost all its shape. gotta be the butter...grandies will still eat it.

.........Actually I think the condense milk was a light one maybe that was the problem....any ideas.

korbo - 2019-12-22 21:04:00

just wondering if it could be something to do with the humidity at the moment?

spacekids - 2019-12-23 07:02:00

Got up at 6am today to make a big batch (6 cups flour) of pitas for the freezer, for Xmas Day picnic. Same simple recipe and method I've used successfully for decades. Result: not even one pocket. They'll end up as future pizza bases or crisps for dips. Store bought pitas are horrible, dry pieces of cardboard.

kaddiew - 2019-12-23 09:27:00

korbo wrote:

Yes, I have had biscuits spread more than normal, it is the water. Trying now to check on back for ingredients. Made lolly cake today, goodness knows what went wrong(been making it for years). same recipe, but was very wet, managed to shape into a roll in coconut, went to get it out of the fridge, and it has lost all its shape. gotta be the butter...grandies will still eat it.

I made lolly cake a few weeks ago and it was so dry. I had to add more butter and condensed milk. The only different thing was I used budget malt biscuits and they were really pale, and then so was the lolly cake. It tasted ok but didn't look fantastic.

gshj - 2019-12-23 18:14:00

I guess I've been a bit lucky, then?
I've made a lot of old favorites - the boiled pineapple fruit cake (including 2 small ones which I decorated and have been taken off to be given to a 97 yr old male (no relation, have never met him, but love his published books) and another woman recovering from chemo after a B.C. op), Speculaas, Cathedral Cakes (5), and cream cheese Christmas cookies - the no-spread recipe that holds an impression, and which look very impressive after a roll with my Lithuanian-style wooden rolling pin... And no problems with any of them not cooking how they were supposed to.

autumnwinds - 2019-12-23 22:32:00

Autumnwinds could I trouble you for your no spread cookie recipe? I have a Fatimas hand cookie press that I bought in Morocco. I always do a few cookies with it but haven't really found a successful no spread recipe. She really needs all the detail of the press to show her off properly.

seaspray1 - 2019-12-23 23:10:00

seaspray1 wrote:

Autumnwinds could I trouble you for your no spread cookie recipe? I have a Fatimas hand cookie press that I bought in Morocco. I always do a few cookies with it but haven't really found a successful no spread recipe. She really needs all the detail of the press to show her off properly.

No problem at all. This works well with the heavily (Paisley type pattern) of my rolling pin, and I have to admit I haven't tried it in my heavy-duty biscuit press as I generally make a Danish Spritz cookie with that, often with crushed-up boiled lollies ($1 a bag at the Red Shed) in the centre, when using the circle/wreath plate, but it should work.
I got this originally off a Pinterest post, but have seen a similar one posted here. Some tips, from experience, at the end....

CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPE
(for rolling pins)

This is my favourite sugar cookie recipe; it's tasty and simple and perfect for making textured biscuits. These will rise minimally and maintain original shape & textured surface nicely, and won't spread into each other.

Ingredients:
230g (slightly less than 1 cup) butter
130g (slightly less than 1/2 cup) cream cheese (not the spreadable type – I generally use Anchor, in oval pottle)
160g (2/3 cup) icing sugar
1 egg yolk
400g (1 1/3 cup) flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt

Method:
1. In a large bowl combine sugar, butter, cream cheese, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg yolk. Beat until smooth with electric mixer.
2. Mix in flour until one uniform ball. Divide the dough into 2 lots, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. On a lightly floured surface roll out one piece of dough until it is about 1/8in (3-4mm) thick. Cut into desired shapes using floured cookie cutters. OR roll out using textured rolling pin, and cut into rounds of desired size with a fluted round cutter.
4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
5. Bake cookies at the same temp for 8-10 minutes or until edges are barely starting to go golden.
6. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and let cool on a cooling rack

Notes - from experience and experimenting:
* The trick to making the best sugar cookies is to cut them thick enough and to time the baking process precisely.
* To make them even, use two thin bits of clean timber the same height, put dough between 2 sheets of baking paper, place the 2 strips either side, and roll gently with plain rolling pin. When even give a light but firm and even roll with the textured rolling pin, then cut with fluted scone cutter of desired size.
* Gently lift off the baking paper with a flat spatula (even the fish slice!) and place on tray.
* I bought a large roll of silicone BBQ liner, and cut it into shapes/sizes to fit my cookie tines and baking sheets - and bless the day I decided to do that!
* I don't cool on a cake rack, I slide cooked cookies onto clean newspaper spread on the bench. This absorbs any excess oil, and keeps them crisp.
* You can play with the flavourings - I've used Speculaas spices with this recipe, great results. I've also taken out 1/3 of the 1 & 1/3 cups of flour in recipe, and replaced this with cocoa powder. You can also use Gingerbread-type spices as well.
* The BEST tip I can give you is to make the mix overnight, take out of fridge next day about an hour before you want to bake. Roll out, cut out your shapes, place on the cookie tray - and put back in the fridge for another 20-30 mins before baking. It's not strictly necessary, as I've also baked them after just an hour's chilling from making the dough, and there really is little difference.. but if you have the slightest worry they may spread, that's the way to fix it. It also makes for less-stress baking, having made the dough the day before.... I haven't frozen i

autumnwinds - 2019-12-24 01:51:00

Thank you so much autumnwinds. I will definitely be giving that a go. I usually use Alton Brown's sugar cookie recipe. Rolled out with icing sugar not flour. Great flavour and texture but they do spread a bit.

seaspray1 - 2019-12-24 07:46:00

Not exactly a cooking failure but a Christmas one.
Years ago mum had the fruit mix soaking in a clean lidded bucket & my brother mistook it for the chook bucket & fed it to them.
They didn't even eat it.
Mother was not pleased.

samanya - 2019-12-24 09:05:00

gshj wrote:

I made lolly cake a few weeks ago and it was so dry. I had to add more butter and condensed milk. The only different thing was I used budget malt biscuits and they were really pale, and then so was the lolly cake. It tasted ok but didn't look fantastic.

...when using budget malt bis, I add a heap teaspn of cocoa. that gives good colour....I used griffins and now wondering if I didnt have enough bis...

korbo - 2019-12-24 09:35:00

seaspray1 wrote:

Thank you so much autumnwinds. I will definitely be giving that a go. I usually use Alton Brown's sugar cookie recipe. Rolled out with icing sugar not flour. Great flavour and texture but they do spread a bit.

Cookies with brown sugar always seem to spread more than with white sugar - don’t know why

sarahb5 - 2019-12-24 09:44:00

korbo wrote:

...when using budget malt bis, I add a heap teaspn of cocoa. that gives good colour....I used griffins and now wondering if I didnt have enough bis...

That'd be it - the Griffin's pack. One needs to check the weight these days, as pack sizes are getting smaller... :( Same price, less biscuits. I'd rather packs stayed the same size, even if the price went up a bit...

autumnwinds - 2019-12-24 09:45:00

autumnwinds wrote:

That'd be it - the Griffin's pack. One needs to check the weight these days, as pack sizes are getting smaller... :( Same price, less biscuits. I'd rather packs stayed the same size, even if the price went up a bit...

Totally agree. Exactly what I've been moaning about for a while now. The trick is remembering how much the packet used to weight......

seaspray1 - 2019-12-24 13:47:00

seaspray1 wrote:

Totally agree. Exactly what I've been moaning about for a while now. The trick is remembering how much the packet used to weight......

Probably were 250g and now 200g

sarahb5 - 2019-12-24 14:03:00

Well, I got a hugely detailed explanation on my butter fail from my highly qualified food technologist neighbour. He lost me at triglycerides but basically, yes, the butter would have been the culprit and no - not all butter is created equal. Lesson learned. Next year I won't fall for the specials. I will tough it out and buy the top of the line, full retail price butter. We even googled Valumetric butter because there was nothing in the ingredients that suggested anything amiss to find articles on Fonterra trying to defend it and assurances that it was reasonable quality. Obviously others had questioned Fonterra about it.........

seaspray1 - 2019-12-29 12:59:00