I've been making peanut butter cookies, but skipping the step of pressing the top of the cookie down with a fork. What does this step do for the cookies?
Baking – the criss-cross pattern on top of peanut butter cookies used for
bakingcookies
Related Topic
- Baking – How to speed up the preparation time for chocolate chip cookies
- Baking – Is it true that natural peanut butter splits in cookies
- Baking – Could I substitute peanut butter in place of butter or crisco for cookies
- Baking – Three ingredient peanut butter cookies – how to improve texture
- Cookies – What function that is suitable for baking cookies
- Baking – Can you use both melted and creamed butter for cookies
- Cookies – Are these almond cookies likely to be a success if I make them vegan by substituting coconut oil for butter
Best Answer
Peanut butter cookies don't spread as they cook, so you have to flatten them before hand. This ensures that the middle will cook through before the outside burns.
As for the pattern created, it actually creates slightly more surface area, so you'll get more browning at the extra edges that you create. Think of it like a meringue, or the top of a shepherd's pie -- if it's too smooth, you won't get the little bits of browned crispy bits that you'd get if you rough up the surface.