OT: is this trick for keeping freshly baked cookies moist for a long time commonly known? :OT

RRP

Yesterday I posted a flour sifting question AFTER I had baked 20 dozen (less 1). This was year 65 with my family tradition with these cookies so to me it was special day!  By tonight I have given away 10 dozen to friends. BUT my wife and I will be enjoying the rest for no less than 3 weeks from here. Granted we don't pig out on them, but enjoy them day after day. NOW...with that background I wonder if this moisture transfer trick is common knowledge.

We store the cookies in a tight TupperWare container and every other day place a new slice of bread inside. By the next morning the cookies are moist as if just baked and the slice of bread is hard as Melba Toast! The bread dies not even need to be all that fresh, but certainly not moldy! I have even used left over hamburger bun halves instead.

Is this trick common knowledge? 

bud812

Nice to know.

DMW

Yep, we do the same thing.

lousubcap

Learn something new dang near every day here.  @RRP thanks for that.  
BTW- I would guess that the stale bread toasted up would have a nice flavor profile??

EGGjlmh

Never heard of that but will try it next time, thanks

WeberWho

Tell me more about this fable story of leftover cookies! 

RRP

lousubcap said:

Learn something new dang near every day here.  @RRP thanks for that.  
BTW- I would guess that the stale bread toasted up would have a nice flavor profile??

Not sure about that. That bread is not even "stale like" it is HARD clear thru like Melba Toast!  I've never tried to even salvage those pieces! 

chuckytheegghead

Cool. Thanks for sharing that trick. I’ll have to give that a try next
time. 

dmourati

I knew the trick but cookies never last long enough here to need it!

RRP

BTW - some years my wife comes home with an assortment of cookies which she buys at her annual church fund raiser. Those cookies are ASSORTED - trust me! - and this bread trick works for MOST of them as well. When I say MOST I mean the occasional commercially baked ones who some people try to slip in do NOT respond to this trick! 

Woodchunk

Thanks for the tip. My wife uses oxo containers and they seem to do a great job, will pass this along

bgebrent

Good to pass along Ron.

YukonRon

@RRP  @lousubcap
You can do the same thing with brown sugar that has gone rock hard. Place it in a baggie overnight, with a slice of bread, and it regenerates back to granular.

NPHuskerFL

Yes my Grandmother taught me that years ago while making Christmas cookies. A lightly dampened paper towel will give similar results. 

Foghorn

Never heard of it - but good to know.  Thanks.

bud812

Now I gotta make some cookies & try it.

JohnInCarolina

YukonRon said:

@RRP  @lousubcap
You can do the same thing with brown sugar that has gone rock hard. Place it in a baggie overnight, with a slice of bread, and it regenerates back to granular.

Sugar is hygroscopic.  The sugar in the cookies is what makes this happen there as well.

RRP

Hi-jacking my own thread here!  But did you know substituting vodka for water in a pie crust recipe will guarantee a more flaky crust! I'm not kidding!

DMW

RRP said:

Hi-jacking my own thread here!  But did you know substituting vodka for water in a pie crust recipe will guarantee a more flaky crust! I'm not kidding!

Yep, "The alcohol adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation, since gluten doesn't form in alcohol."

- http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/01/vodka-the-secret-to-foolproof-pie-dough.html

JohnInCarolina

DMW said:

RRP said:

Hi-jacking my own thread here!  But did you know substituting vodka for water in a pie crust recipe will guarantee a more flaky crust! I'm not kidding!

Yep, "The alcohol adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation, since gluten doesn't form in alcohol."

- http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/01/vodka-the-secret-to-foolproof-pie-dough.html

So in principle any form of liquor would do, but folks probably use vodka because they don’t want to impart a change of flavor. 

Of course, a bourbon-infused pie crust sounds pretty awesome.

leemschu

Wait cookies are supposed to be moist? My wife’s are always dry and crunchy.

RRP

JohnInCarolina said:

DMW said:

RRP said:

Hi-jacking my own thread here!  But did you know substituting vodka for water in a pie crust recipe will guarantee a more flaky crust! I'm not kidding!

Yep, "The alcohol adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation, since gluten doesn't form in alcohol."

- http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/01/vodka-the-secret-to-foolproof-pie-dough.html

So in principle any form of liquor would do, but folks probably use vodka because they don’t want to impart a change of flavor. 

Of course, a bourbon-infused pie crust sounds pretty awesome.

There you go! Instead of just for bourbon and coke use some of that $800 a bottle Slappy Pappy to make pie crusts too!