Making cookie crumbs without the cookies
August 12, 2011 9:16 AM   Subscribe

Can I make cookie crumbs directly from cookie batter, or do I have to make the cookies first?

I'm planning to make this ice cream cake for my birthday. I would like to make my own chocolate wafers to use for the crust.

According to the recipes, I need a food processor first for making the cookie batter and then later for grinding up the cookies into crumbs for the batter. I don't have one, though - just a stand mixer and blender. Since I don't need the cookies whole, could I just make a crumby batter using the standmixer (suggested in the comments) and bake the crumbs directly? Or would that turn out weird? If so, what tool/method could I use to turn the cookies into crumbs?

Bakers of AskMe, please advise!
posted by coraline to Food & Drink (16 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: I would think it'd be easier to bake the cookies, and then make the crumbs by crushing them into chunks in your hands, dumping them all into a ziploc bag, and then whaling the hell out of the bag with a rolling pin. Trying to figure out how to bake crumbs just seems much more fiddly, and the rolling-pin-and-bag method would eliminate the need for the food processor.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:19 AM on August 12, 2011 [7 favorites]


what tool/method could I use to turn the cookies into crumbs?

Tie them inside a sturdy plastic bag and beat them up with a rolling pin.
posted by flabdablet at 9:20 AM on August 12, 2011


I'd think trying to bake crumbs would just lead to a bunch of burnt up little pieces. Why not bake the cookies, then put them in a Ziploc bag, put a towel over it and smash away. Plus, smashing is fun!

(On, preview...I agree with those guys!)
posted by JoanArkham at 9:21 AM on August 12, 2011


I've baked tons of cookies, and I can't think of any way you can go from batter to crumbs without the cookie first. Of course, it need not be perfectly shaped ones, but if you're trying to skip steps, it might be better to get premade cookies from a bakery (just anything not manufactured).
posted by chrisfromthelc at 9:23 AM on August 12, 2011


It's a surface area problem. Cookie crumbs have much more surface area per volume than cookies. That is why they will burn.
For a low-tech solution, Mr. Bean would put the cookies in his sock and whack it against the counter.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:37 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


I need a food processor first for making the cookie batter

I think you could use a hand mixer or even just a spoon and get similar results. A food processor just speeds up the task.
posted by soelo at 9:41 AM on August 12, 2011


For extra expediency, don't bother scooping individual cookies— just spread the dough out in a big splotch. When it's done cooking break it into chunks, but it in a sturdy bowl, and go at it with a butter knife and fork.
posted by carsonb at 9:44 AM on August 12, 2011


Response by poster: Okay, thank you guys. I was probably a little too excited about the idea of saving time on both shaping cookies and then destorying them. I will make one big cookie and then smash it up in a Ziplock bag.
posted by coraline at 9:46 AM on August 12, 2011


If you go the one-big-cookie route, you might need to adjust the baking time and/or temperature to get a crumbly texture — other the cookie might remain chewy near the center when the outside is crisp & burned. Personally, I'd just avoid this and bake the cookies as normal, though obviously they don't need to be pretty.
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:02 AM on August 12, 2011 [12 favorites]


I will make one big cookie

No -- 2nd Johnny Assay.
posted by kmennie at 10:04 AM on August 12, 2011 [2 favorites]


They less you follow the recipe for the cookies the more likely they will be to not bake out the way you want them to. The actual process of forming and placing cookies once the dough is made cannot possibly be more than 10 or 15 minutes. You might be able to get a crumb batch or a big cookie or whatever to come out right, but if it doesn't that is a lot of wasted time and materials to risk over 15 minutes.
posted by nanojath at 10:13 AM on August 12, 2011 [2 favorites]


I'd slice it into strips for baking to get easily smooshed shapes. A person willing to make cookies just for crumbs deserves a very happy birthday, indeed.
posted by theora55 at 10:14 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: If you need a fine grind, which it looks like you do from the recipe, and the rolling pin method doesn't do it for you I've often ground up cookies in a blender. You just have to do them in batches if you're dealing with a large amount. I now have a food processor and while it's nice to be able to do them all at once I can't say it does the job any better than the blender did.

nthing the idea that I wouldn't bake one big cookie since you want the final result to be dry in order to get it to crumble. Looks delicious, best of luck with your cake!
posted by tinamonster at 10:19 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


Baking a kickass cake like that for your own birthday is awesome.
posted by Nahum Tate at 10:39 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


One big cookie is more likely to mean burnt edges and soft middle, plus you'll have to fuss with baking time and possibly temperature. It's going to take much less time to roll that dough into a log and slice it than to re-bake a batch of cookies when the one doesn't come out the way you want it to.

Unless you've made the recipe before and know how to tweak it, there aren't really shortcuts. You have to chill the dough, so if you were going to make one big cookie, you'd then have to roll it out, which won't save much time over slicing.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:26 AM on August 12, 2011


Response by poster: Okay okay - I take it back! I'll go all the way and do the individual cookies! No shortcuts!

And I just got my KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment as a pre-birthday present to myself, so that will be another adventurous part of the cake. I will make a trial batch of the ice cream in advance, though - don't worry!
posted by coraline at 3:01 PM on August 12, 2011


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