Cookies are considered one of the most favorite go-to snacks for children and adults alike. This sweet crispy pastry is so versatile that it can be eaten without adding anything else with it or can be enjoyed with a cup of milk.
However, it can be said without a doubt that even pros often tend to overestimate the number of cookies that need to be made and just do not know what to do with leftover cookies.
If this sounds like you, then continue reading because, in today’s article, we will be sharing with you a few of the best tips that we have in our knowledge regarding leftover cookies.
What to Do with Leftover Cookies
In this section, we’ll share some tips regarding leftover cookies. Read on to know more.
1. Make Brownies
Making cookie brownies is one of the best ways to finish up all the leftover cookies. The process is practically effortless, and you will also get to experience the euphoric taste of two widely-known and loved desserts at once; how delightful is that!
However, do make sure that the two dessert flavors balance each other out or otherwise, the outcome will be a mess.
For the procedure, all you have to do is make your brownie batter like you usually would, and then right before pouring it into the baking dish, throw a few nicely chopped chunks of your leftover cookies into the batter.
Next, just bake it at the usual temperature and serve a while after taking it out of the oven.
2. Save It for Later
This tip is for those who are left with a lot of leftover cookie dough. The best part about having leftover cookie dough is that it can be saved for later and be re-used in the future whenever you crave some newly baked cookies.
In order to carry out this process, you will need to separate the dough into several small sections and roll them into the size of a cookie. Next, place the rolled dough segments in a box or a packet and then refrigerate them for however long you want.
If you are thinking of keeping the dough in a box, do make sure that it is an airtight one because if the dough comes into contact with the air, it might get ruined. Moreover, before baking the frozen cookie dough, let them defrost a bit at room temperature before putting them inside the oven.
3. Turn It into Toppings
What is better than ice cream? Ice cream with toppings on it! If you are unsure of what you should do with leftover cookies, simply turn them into toppings for your ice cream by either grinding them in a food processor or by slicing them into fine pieces with a good knife.
Once you are done preparing your topping, keep it in a sealed box, all ready to be peppered on your next bowl of ice cream.
4. Turn It into Cookie Flavored Butter
If you have ever wondered what cookie butter tastes like, this is your chance to find out. Now you can make your very own homemade cookie butter without having to spend way too many bucks on a small jar of it.
How so? Simply follow the next few steps, and hopefully, you will be enjoying a breakfast of cookie butter spread on toast in no time!
5. Crumble Your Leftover Cookies into Small Bits and Pieces
Turn your cookies into tidbits in the food processor and then move them in a mixer bowl. Afterward, add some brown sugar, melted butter, and heavy cream and mix the bowl’s contents properly. If you are doing it right, you will soon see a smooth dough forming; this is your cookie butter!
6. Keep the Measurements Accurate
While making the cookie butter, do keep in mind that you have to know the measurements well. For example, every 2 cups of chopped cookies require 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 1/3rd of a cup of heavy cream, and so on.
7. Make a New Dessert
We cannot stress how easy to follow this trick is. If you are already familiar with how chocolate barks are made, this step is tailor-made. Even if you are unaware of how it is made, do not worry because we will be covering that as well.
8. Cut or Grind the Leftover Cookies
Turn each leftover cookie into small bite-sized pieces and then place them in a bowl or any other dish and set aside for later use.
9. Melt Some Chocolate
Take any chocolate of your choice and place it in a double boiler just until it has turned runny. Do remember to keep stirring the chocolate to prevent it from getting burned.
10. Spread the Chocolate into Thin Sheets
Once you feel like the now liquefied chocolate’s consistency is good enough, take it out of the double boiler and, with the help of a spatula, pour it on a silicone mat or parchment paper.
We want to make the chocolate sheets thin enough to let it cool down rapidly, but making it too thin would make it too brittle and so gently spread the chocolate into sheets with a thickness of approximately 1/8th of an inch.
11. Add the Cookie Crumbs and Let It Get Cool
The next and last step for making chocolate bark is to simply pepper the cookie bits you prepared earlier onto the still liquid chocolate and then letting the whole thing solidify.
12. Use It for a Pie Crust
A wonderful crust for your pie can be made with the help of those leftover cookies sitting on your kitchen cabinet; here’s how:
13. Make Cookie Crumbs
To make a pie crust out of leftover cookies, you will first need to make cookie crumbs in your food processor.
Depending on how fresh or old your leftover cookies are, you might want to consider putting them in a toaster for approximately 20 minutes at a temperature of 93 degrees Celsius (200-degree Fahrenheit) in order to make them even drier.
14. Add Butter
Next up, pour some melted butter into the bowl of finely crumbled cookies. The measurement to follow when making a pie crust is to add 5 tablespoons of melted butter for every 1.5 cups of cookie crumbs.
15. The final step
Lastly, all you need to do is mix the butter and cookies well and then scoop it and spread it out on the pie pan in such a way that no crease or corner is left uncovered by the cookie crumb crust. Afterward, simply fill up the crust with a pie filling of your choice and bake away!
How to Keep Your Cookies Fresh for Longer?
Now that we know what we can do with leftover cookies, why don’t we take a look at how to keep our newly baked cookies fresh?
Keep It in an Airtight Box
Air will ruin your cookies’ quality and reduce the time for which they are going to stay good. Moreover, we would advise you to keep separate jars of cookies at home so that none of your cookies lose their characteristic scent.
Keep a Slice of White Bread with the Cookies
The bread will absorb humidity inside the box and prevent your baked goods from going mushy.
Try Not to Keep Them in the Refrigerator
The cookies will stay in the best condition if kept at room temperature. However, this does not mean that they cannot be refrigerated at all. All you need to be sure of is that the freezer’s cool air should not come in contact with the cookies.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed today’s article and are now much more aware of what to do with leftover cookies. All the tips shared in today’s article are foolproof and will not require much effort to apply either. Thank you for staying till the end!