Jan Norris: Food and Florida

Seen the latest no-scrape paddle for your stand mixer?

by Nancy Byal, columnist

You may just be starting to rev up for baking cookies this holiday season. But my GadgetGals partner Jan Hazard and I got into the cookie baking spirit extra early this year. Since August, we figure we’ve baked more than 100 dozen cookies between the two of us.

A new online cookie cookbook

Why so many cookies? It was all done to create 20 festive recipes for a new e-cookbook called GadgetGals Holiday Cookies Cookbook.

We tested, revised, and retested the recipes until they met the terrific taste and easy prep criteria that we and cookie bakers everywhere expect of great recipes. Which added up to 100+ dozen cookies. Our family and friends were very happy tasters! (To preview and download the book, go to the GadgetGals web site.)

Bake like a pro: use tools to speed the process

As much as we love to bake cookies, we are as insistent as anyone that the process take as little time and effort as possible. And as the GadgetGals, we are always in search of tools that make the job easier and more fun. These three finds have become indispensable in our kitchens. And they are very affordable, too.

1. No-scrape mixer paddle – spatulas not needed

Since most cookie doughs are extra stiff and require thorough beating, we advise using a good-quality stand mixer. Another essential buy is this amazing mixer paddle, brand name Beater Blade, that is used with tilt-head and bowl-lift stand mixers such as KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Viking, and Kenwood. Its flexible “wings” scrape the sides of the mixer bowl as the mixer continuously beats, essentially eliminating the need to stop the machine to scrape with a spatula.

• Beater Blade: Retails for $25 to $30. www.beaterblade.com

2. Spring-loaded cookie scoops – one-handed ease 

Small “ice cream” scoops, available in small 2-teaspoon to large 3-tablespoon sizes, do the fastest and best job of shaping drop cookie dough into even-sized cookies. Ones with cushioned, ergonomically shaped handles, such as Oxo brand, are easy to squeeze.

• Oxo Cookie Scoop: Retails for $15 each. www.oxo.com

3. Serrated plastic knife: Cut right in the pan

Ideal for cutting bar cookies that have been baked in a nonstick or foil-lined pan, this knife won’t scratch the pan. No gooey build-up on the knife as you cut either. It’s often called a lettuce or salad knife because it also cuts lettuce without the greens’ edges turning brown. We’re especially prone to the holiday red color and low price ($3) of the Zyliss Salad Cut Knife.

Serrated plastic knife, $3, www.zylissusa.com

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Read more from the GadgetGals on their web site: kitchengadgetgals.com