Troubleshooting – Cookies

Yes! Sorry for the initial confusion.

We’re currently labeling the cookie base using old Blueberry Pecan labels which contain a typo that prevents them from being used for our food bank donations.

Not wanting to add them to the landfill we’re slowly using them to label the cookie base. But it can be confusing if you are making Chocolate/Cherry cookies and it definitely causes one to pause. Rest assured, our energy cookie base is the same regardless of the flavor/variety you wish to bake and donate. It is one size fits all.

Eventually we’ll run out of these old labels and create a brand new one that will remove this confusion. Until then thank you for your patience.

Still have questions? Use the comments below to let us know.

We recommend storing your Energy Cookie Base (Mix) in a cool spot. In your refrigerator or freezer is best.

Why? The Energy Cookie Base mix contains natural almond meal, which is literally freshly ground whole almonds. These are nutritious and relatively high in natural fats; in fact, all the “fat” in our cookie comes from this almond meal. Unfortunately, this makes almond meal more perishable, and it is best to store it and by association our energy cookie base in the refrigerator or freezer.

So, to keep our Energy Cookie as delicious as possible for as long as possible we ask that you store it in your refrigerator or freezer.

Use the discussion below to share your thoughts.

Crystals Happen!

If it’s been a while since you last used your honey, you might find it has separated or crystallized. According to Master Beekeeper and President of the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association, Dawn Beck, this is a naturally occurring property with honey and is a simple result of water pulling away from the sugar solution. This “separation” results in a crystallization of the remaining sugars.

But you don’t need to pitch that jar of honey. Instead, there is an easy way to reconstitute those crystals! This tip from Dawn, “Turn on your oven light, place your jar of honey in the oven, and leave it overnight (no heat required!). By morning, your honey should have returned to its liquid gold state and be ready to use.

Let us know how this works for you? Have another idea, share in the comments below?

Testing suggests that you can mix the cookie dough and delay portioning and baking for up to 72 hours, that’s three days!

Our fearless leader, Katherine Kehrli, likes to whip up a double batch then bake off two or three sheet trays at a time over the subsequent evenings.

You definitely need to let the dough “hydrate” soak up the liquid in an overnight rest period. But, don’t feel like you have to rush right to baking. If your schedule gets interrupted know that you can still make these delicious cookies 24, 48 and even 72 hours later.

After 72 hours, you’ll notice that the dough starts to “seep,” releasing the liquid. That’s not the best for a successful bake. You can try stirring and incorporating that moisture back in, but basically, the grains are saying they’re done. Hydration is over, and the cell structure is releasing some moisture.

Preserving the fresh-baked quality of your loaves and cookies in a safe manner is of the utmost importance to our program practices.

• Cooling
  • Thoroughly cool loaves and cookies to room temperature before packaging. This prevents unwanted condensation from collecting inside the packaging as the item cools, which can lead to mold or spoilage.
  • In the early days, same-day bakers would package the loaves while they still had a little heat and that created steam in the bags…which could potentially lead to mold.
  • In an abundance of caution, the standard recommendation is to let them cool overnight. But in fact, 5-8 hours should be sufficient.
• Packaging
  • When items are completely cooled, use kitchen tongs or a gloved hand to place in the bag.
  • For the bread loaves, squeeze out as much air from the bag as possible, then twist tie tightly closed. Watch our bread packaging video in baker resources if you have questions.
  • For the cookies, fold the top of the wax bakery bag over and affix a sticker over the flap to seal. Watch our cookie packaging video in baker resources if you have questions.
• Freezing
  • If baking any day other than Saturday, place the packaged items in your freezer until donation day, or a drop in a freezer bank. Even if you bake on Friday, go ahead and freeze your items, as even a short freeze will extend their shelf life.
  • When transferring for donation, simply remove the baked items from your freezer and insulated bag and take them to your desired drop off location.

Let us know if you encounter issues with packaging your baked items, or if you have tips for your fellow bakers, in the comments below. Take a quick glance at the FAQ below, Troubleshooting Freezer Issues, for more.