What are other materials that you might use, other than an aluminum cookie sheet, to bake cookies? I am a cooking and baking novice mainly. But, when I do it, I really get into it and love it!

Clough

Your mentioning Betty Crocker just reminded me of the time my brother graduated from high school. I think that I was in the sixth grade and the year must have been about 1969.

As everyone went up, one-by-one, to get their diplomas, they came to the section of people whose first letter of their last name was "C." One gal was named Betty Crocker! When her name was announced, it seemed like everyone laughed. I felt very sorry for her! What a thing to remember about her graduation...

Wondergirl

Yes, the cookies, instead of being baked in the oven, are cooked on the stovetop much like one makes fudge. Instead of cooking to a certain boiling point, like one does with fudge, one boils these stove-top cookies a minute and not more than two minutes. That sort of applies the same principle but the cook doesn't have to mess with a candy thermometer.

A double boiler will have water in the bottom pot and the stuff (chocolate pieces/squares or caramels) in the top pot. As the water heats up in the bottom pot, the stuff in the top pot will begin to melt. A watchful cook will stir the stuff in the top pot and regulate how quickly it all melts by adjusting the flame/burner under the bottom pot. The reason a double boiler is used is to slowly and carefully melt stuff. If only one pot were used and sat directly on the flame/burner, the contents could possibly burn or there could be other disasters. (My fudgies recipe uses only one pot, not a double boiler, because I am a risk-taker cook and love to live dangerously.)

grammadidi

Hahaha! You're hilarious! I love your sense of humour!

Yes, you are correct. You do not bake these cookies. They are very simple, but they melt in your mouth and fill the senses with incredible textures. I don't know if letting them 'dry' is the purpose... more like letting them cool and set.

The double boiler is preferable to prevent burning the ingredients. It is more likely to happen on direct heat.

By the way, Craig, I sent you an email a little bit ago. Did you get it? It was semi-important. (That's kinda like semi-sweet chocolate.)

Hugs, Didi

Clough

What's an insulated cookie baking sheet? What is the material or materials of which it is composed?

Wondergirl

No, a baking stone is make of, um, stone. Here's the composition: 15-45% portland cement, 30-55% fireclay, 4-11% mullite, 2-6% silica, 0.5-3% glass fiber, 10-30% water and 0.03-1.5% of a plasticizer plus a pigment in order to produce a colored baking stone. It is breakable and must be gently washed but not with soap or SOS or Comet cleanser, just warm water and a scrubber to get off any debris.

I recently awarded my baking stone to AmVets since I hated it and never had good luck with it.

Clough

Just moved me, a lot of food, computer and other stuff back into my home after house and dog-sitting. Have oogobs of email that is still on the server to download into my computer. Did not download much email into my computer because the phone line connection was so poor in the home where I was.

I will download in just a bit. May take me a little while. Am on a phone line here too, although it's much better than the other connection. When downloading email, I tend to not be able to jump around on sites when I am doing it.

Wondergirl

There should be a DSL package cheaper than dial-up around there, isn't there? My bil in Hampton switched recently.

I hope you're writing down all this cooking stuff, Craig.

Clough

So, I take it that there must be better and worse kinds/types/brands of baking stones?

Clough

Just did, Carol! Please look down, or up!

Wondergirl

I know people who bake cookies on them, reheat pizza on them, probably warm their mittens on them, and generally think they are the best thing since fire was invented, so I probably had a cheap version or something. I hated mine.