Don’t Throw Out That Paper Towel Roll — It’s the Secret to Better Cookies This Holiday Season

Making your own slice-and-bake cookies is very much worth the effort, but they might not look as tidy as the ones you remember sliced from a tube. Caroline Schiff, a 2022 F&W Best New Chef, has a solution that you probably have on hand: a paper towel roll. “It’s a trick I picked up from a food stylist for that picture-perfect look,” she says.

Related: 30 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Bake This Season

This hack works for Schiff’s Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies, or any other slice-and-bake cookie. Shape the cookie dough (often buttery shortbread dough) into a log, let the dough chill, and then slice into rounds before baking. Sometimes called “icebox cookies,” slice-and-bake cookies are a great canvas to roll in crunchy bits like turbinado sugar or sprinkles. They’re also ideal to freeze. Covered in plastic wrap, a log can be stashed in the freezer for up to three months.

If your slice-and-bake cookies are perfectly round, it will not only make them the star of a cookie swap, but it will also help ensure they bake evenly. Here’s how to do it.

Related: Mai Tai Swirls

How to use a paper towel roll for slice-and-bake cookies

1. Using a pair of scissors, cut the paper towel roll open lengthwise.

2. Roll your dough into a log of the same length as the cardboard tube.

3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, then enclose the cardboard tube around the dough, creating a mold.

4. Roll the cardboard tube back and forth on your work surface to make a smooth, even log of dough.

5. Chill the dough inside the tube. Remove before slicing.

Other tips for perfect slice-and-bake cookies

• Refrigerate the dough for at least six hours, and up to overnight. “The dough should be chilled when you slice it, but not rock hard,” says Schiff. “I like to take chilled dough out of the fridge and let it soften at room temperature for about 20 minutes before slicing.”

• Use a serrated knife for clean slices. Its tooth-like combs will keep the dough from crumbling apart. You can also use unflavored dental floss. Wrap a length around the log, twist, and pull to create neat slices.

• Make sure any mix-ins, like chocolate chips and nuts, are finely chopped. “When the pieces are too large, the dough tends to fall apart as you slice,” says Schiff.

• If you don’t have a paper towel roll, simply shape the dough using a large sheet of plastic wrap. 
  

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