klein Gebäck means much the same. Their
miniature size and the numerous possibilities
for shaping, decorating, and flavoring have
resulted in a great diversity of cookies, many
of them developed by the French and named
in the same spirit that gave us Italian pastas
called butterflies, little worms, and priest-
stranglers: hence cat’s tongues, Russian
cigarettes, eyeglasses, and Nero’s ears.
Cookie Ingredients
and Textures
Most cookies are both sweet and rich, with
substantial proportions of sugar and fat.
They’re also tender, thanks to ingredients,
proportions, and mixing techniques that
minimize the formation of a gluten network.
But then they may be moist or dry, crumbly or
flaky or crisp or chewy. The diversity of
textures arises from a handful of ingredients,
and from the proportions and methods of