Cookie Dough Fundraiser

By CHARLES DELAFUENTE

There are few perks left in travel. But fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies may be one.

DoubleTree Hotels got into the cookie business in the early 1980s. Its explanation is printed on the brown paper bag the cookie comes in. “Why a cookie?” the headline asks. “Cookies are warm, personal and inviting, much like our hotels and the staff here that serves you.”

DoubleTree provides a warm, generous-size cookie (each one weighs more than two ounces) to guests when they check in, regardless of the hour. “Our guarantee is to ensure that they have them waiting for our guests on arrival 24 hours a day,” said Thomas Wingham, a Doubletree spokesman.

Midwest Airlines got into the cookie-baking business in the mid-1980s. The airline tells the story to passengers in MyMidwest, its in-flight magazine. In 1986, an airline employee was testing snack foods that could be baked in a plane’s ovens. Popcorn and pizza rolls did not come out well.

But when the employee baked chocolate chip cookies, the odor drew the flight crew out of the cabin (this was pre-9/11, of course) to ask what smelled so good, and the test results were in. Midwest’s cookies weigh about half as much as DoubleTree’s, but each passenger receives two.

For Todd McLean, who was checking in at a DoubleTree in Times Square, one cookie was probably enough, although, he joked, “Then, I need a glass of milk.”

Sam Grabush, the hotel’s general manager, said that arriving guests fell into two groups — “people who take a bite immediately, and others who eat them as soon as they get to the room.”

How could he be sure the second group acted so swiftly? Because most guests are attracted to views from the windows in the 46-story building as soon as they get to their rooms, he said, and “they all leave chocolate fingerprints” on the curtains.

James Reichart, Midwest’s director of advertising and brand, is one of the few Midwest employees who remember when the airline started serving cookies. “What I remember most of all,” he said, “was people talking about the aroma. In a closed space like an aircraft cabin, to have something as unexpected as the smell of baking cookies was a real delight for everybody aboard.”

There was never any market research or focus groups about the cookies, Mr. Reichart said, “just the informal testing.”

But Midwest and DoubleTree are clearly on to something.

Erich Joachimsthaler, chief executive of Vivaldi Partners, a consulting firm on brands, said that “when consumers don’t know how to judge the benefits or the differentiation of a product — I don’t know the difference between Midwest and JetBlue and United — then a meaningless attribute like cookies can create meaningful differentiation.”

In a nod to the adage about starting the day with a good breakfast, Midwest does not offer cookies on flights that leave before 10 a.m., though one passenger on a 7:10 a.m. flight out of La Guardia wrote on her blog: “Note to Midwest Airline CEO: It is NEVER too early for cookies. Cookies are an important part of a healthy breakfast.”

And while the benefits to cookie lovers are obvious, the providers probably get their money’s worth, Mr. Joachimsthaler said. The giveaway “creates buzz, it creates differentiation, it increases a purchase decision,” he said.

Although DoubleTree’s cookies are served on the ground and Midwest’s in the air, there are similarities. Both start with frozen cookie dough, made to their particular specifications.

DoubleTree’s cookies are baked several times a day in the kitchen of the hotels’ restaurants, and are kept warm in ovens built into the hotels’ front desks — each oven is about the size of a two-drawer lateral file cabinet.

Midwest does not have to worry about keeping its cookies warm, because after they are partly baked on the ground, they are cooked in the planes’ ovens and served immediately.

“I like it a lot,” Stephan Spencer of Madison, Wis., said of the airborne treats as he left a Midwest flight at La Guardia. “They’re right out of the oven.”

Another Midwest passenger, Maciej Jasinski of Pewaukee, Wis., was more succinct. “It’s good,” he said, adding that he sometimes buys the frozen cookie dough that Midwest sells at some supermarkets in Milwaukee and Kansas City, the airline’s hubs.

DoubleTree sells tins of its cookies online, at www.doubletreecookies.com.

DoubleTree says it serves more than 10 million cookies a year at its more than 200 hotels; Midwest, nearly 10 million.

None of the two companies’ rivals have tried to copy the cookie giveaways. “Everybody in our business knows that the cookie belongs to Midwest Airlines,” Mr. Reichart said. Among hotels, Mr. Wingham said, DoubleTree has “owned this unique amenity for the past 20 years.” Mr. Grabush, the Times Square DoubleTree manager, called it “the signature, the brand.”

Because Midwest’s cookies are served aloft, a side-by-side comparison of just-out-of-the oven ones by a panel of expert tasters is impossible.

Winter Raymond, a front desk agent at the DoubleTree Guest Suites in Boston, who has flown Midwest, says that DoubleTree’s are better, but, of course, she is biased.

A very unscientific taste test, by a panel of one, produced no clear winner, because the cookies are so different. The DoubleTree cookie is huge, which makes it moister inside. The primary ingredient is Ghirardelli chocolate chips. Walnuts are third, right after the flour. Midwest’s cookies, in which the chocolate chips are the third ingredient, are thinner, and thus a little crisper.

Capt. Chris Stork, who flies a Midwest Embraer 170, said the unscientific test was flawed because the Midwest cookie was eaten on the ground. “It’s not the same experience,” he said, with an almost straight face, “because you’re at the earth’s pressure.”

Nestlé USA said Wednesday that two samples of its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough made at a Virginia factory tested positive for E. coli bacteria this week despite rigorous safety measures put in place after a recall of the product last summer.

Nestlé also said the tainted dough had not left the factory and no recall was necessary.

The company said on Wednesday that it would shut the plant in Danville, Va., for nearly two weeks while it changes its recipe and production processes. When it reopens, the company will begin using flour that has been heated to kill dangerous bacteria, including E. coli,salmonella and listeria.

Nestlé said that all cookie dough currently in stores is safe and that it was not recalling any of the product.

It said that after last summer’s recall, it began testing samples of every batch of dough for E. coli O157:H7, the toxic strain behind last year’s outbreak.

“Everything that’s in the marketplace is fine and has passed our testing,” said Roz O’Hearn, a Nestlé spokeswoman.

Nestlé issued a huge recall of the bake-at-home cookie dough in June after it was linked to an outbreak in which at least 72 people in 30 states became ill. Public health officials suspected people got sick after eating the raw dough.

The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it was investigating and working with Nestlé to pinpoint the source of the latest E. coli contamination.

People who consume even minuscule amounts of a toxic strain of E. coli can become severely ill. In the worst cases, it can lead to kidney failure and death. The bacteria, which is more commonly the cause of recalls of raw ground beef, can be killed by cooking.

The company said that after last year’s recall it began testing all the ingredients entering its Danville plant, which is where most of the refrigerated dough is made. It also began testing every batch of dough and holding the product in the plant until the results were known.

The two batches that tested positive this month were made on a single day last week but final testing confirming the presence of the harmful bacteria was not completed until Monday, the company said. It informed the F.D.A. of the positive tests on Monday.

Ms. O’Hearn said that the tainted cookie dough and all dough made at the plant since would be destroyed. She added that dough made the day before the tainted batches were produced would also be destroyed.

“It sounds to me that they’re really taken aback by the fact that they’ve run into the problem again,” said Carol L. Tucker-Foreman, a food safety advocate of the Consumer Federation of America. “And so they’ve decided they cannot control their supply well enough to be confident that they won’t have E. coli contamination again and they’re going to cook their flour to prevent it.”

She was not overly concerned that the company was not planning to recall the cookie dough already on store shelves.

“Given the bad publicity they have had and the quick action they have taken to change their system now that they’ve had another contamination, it sounds to me like they’ve been pretty responsible,” she said.

“I think if they thought their brand name was at risk right now they’d be out there cleaning it off the shelves.”

Nestlé repeated warnings on Wednesday that consumers should not eat raw Toll House dough and should bake the product before eating it.

It said there could be some shortages of the cookie dough in stores in coming weeks before production resumes and inventory can be replenished.

CORPUS CHRISTI — Getting fuel at the city’s marina is a problem; and some twirlers weren’t the first youths duped for cookie dough.

Less Shook, 62, operated Kapalua Fuel and Marine at Corpus Christi Municipal Marina until 18 months ago. He removed his fuel tanks after an outside supplier brought diesel to a large yacht, he said. The discounted sale conflicted with the exclusivity clause of Shook’s fuel vending lease.

Marina superintendent Peter Davidson says the problem is bigger than losing a fuel dock operation, it’s a sign of tough economic times. He sent requests for proposals for a fuel station vendor to 36 companies.

“We offered to let a vendor operate any complementary business to make the fuel operation viable,” Davidson said.

One company responded, but the owner decided it wasn’t worth the cost, Davidson said.

Severo Garza, a petroleum salesman, considered the lease. He believes the city wants something more high-end with more eye appeal than a fuel docking station; something more than what’s viable, he said.

“Cost is keeping folks away” Garza said.

Davidson said the city is looking for a restaurateur or big retail store that will attract tourists while also selling fuel.

Shrimp, tour and fishing boat operators are now pooling their needs to get fuel delivered.

“Have you ever heard of a world-class marina without a fuel dock?” asked Capt. Buddy Clark, owner of the 400-passenger Capt. Clark’s Flagship, whose family has operated bayfront tour boats for 70 years. “It should be an embarrassment to the city.”

Maverick Volesky Jr., general manager of Oil Patch Petroleum Inc., supplies some of the marina’s boaters with fuel. But he requires at least 300-gallon orders to deliver.

“A lot of people want 50 or 60 gallons,” Volesky said, “but they can’t afford hundreds of gallons.”

Many private boat owners have been piggybacking on Jane Stubbs’ fuel deliveries, she said. Stubbs runs six shrimp boats and has operated Jane’s L-Head Seafood and Bait Shop for 25 years.

The city needs to run the marina fuel facility, she said.

“I’d add it on my contract,” she said, “but there’s just not enough markup on fuel to be worth it.”

No dough

Stingerette Twirlers of Corpus Christi agreed Sept. 10 with South Texas Fundraising Solution, Inc. to sell cookie dough from Varsity Gold Inc., said Nancy Eisenhauer, the twirling school director. The school didn’t know Varsity Gold went bankrupt in March.

The twirlers collected $3,030 for sales and on Oct. 27 gave South Texas Fundraising $1,818, 60 percent, as agreed. After not getting any dough or return calls from owner James Campbell, Eisenhauer on Dec. 23 filed a police report for theft of service exceeding $1,500.

It’s not the first youth group who didn’t get their dough from South Texas Fundraising Solution. A Flour Bluff summer basketball league had to refund about $650 to their dough buyers and didn’t get the uniforms they needed, said Shawn Campbell, who helped with the league’s fundraiser. He isn’t related to James Campbell.

James Campbell did not return Troubleshooter’s calls either. But they aren’t going to stop yet.

For help with a problem contact Mike Baird at 886-3774 or bairdm@caller.com

By Pamela Silvestri

December 23, 2009, 5:30PM

As holidays approach, readers ask for baking advice and recipes for mulled wine

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Send the Advance Food section queries on holiday baking and cooking via email to silvestri@siadvance.com. We’ll respond by the end of the day. In the meantime, these are kitchen matters about which readers have been asking.

Q. I’m frustrated with cookie dough presses. I burned out an electric one and the end won’t stay on the manual one I own. What do they use in bakeries? Is there a good electric one or a good manual one (that’s) not too tough on my hands?

A. Presses burn out when the wrong tip is used, say, for dough that’s too thick. It also happens if the butter isn’t soft enough or the dough isn’t perfectly at room temp.

Professionals use pastry bags. The dough is piped out by hand onto a bake sheet lined with parchment paper.

Wegmans has a font of practical tips especially now that they’re promoting a line of raw cookie dough called Vanilla Kipferl, a rather flexible base upon which to build holiday cookies. The pastry chefs at the store recommend controlling the thickness of any rolled-out cookie dough by rolling it between two thin strips of wood or plexiglass. That will ensure even thickness in the final product. Also, place your cutout cookie dough on a sheet pan and chill it in the freezer for about five minutes before cutting out the shapes. When the dough is cold, the cuts will be much cleaner, and it is easier to retain their shapes.

Other words of advice from the baking pros include setting the timer for about half the time recommended, especially with new recipes. This lets you fine-tune the baking time without fear of over-baking. And to get ahead when making cutout cookies, pre-roll and freeze the dough in sheets (freeze with wax or parchment paper between each sheet). Then defrost, cut, bake and decorate. Most sugar cookie doughs can be frozen for up to two months if wrapped well.

Q. I’m kind of a lazy cook and rely on my slow-cooker more and more these days. With this in mind, do you have any recipes for football game-watching food?

A. Perhaps the accompanying recipe will appeal to you. It was sent by a fellow reader who added a couple of handfuls of fresh tomatoes to the mix. While the formula has its fair share of calories, it yields delicious results. Consider adding a handful or two of Gruyere cheese in addition to the mozzarella.

Q. I’m looking for a punch to serve for the holidays and think mulled wine is the way to go. Do you have a good recipe?

A. We came across a recipe by Fabio Trabocchi, the new chef at The Four Seasons Restaurant in Manhattan. He first experienced mulled wine, known as vin brulee in Italy, years ago in the Alps and it reminds him of the holidays.

Fabio Trabocchi’s Mulled Wine

(Serves

– 1 bottle (750 ml) red wine

– 5 1/3 ounces honey

– Zest of one orange

– Zest of one lemon

– 1 cinnamon stick

– 1 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed

– 1 star anise

– 1 clove

Pour the wine into a medium-sized sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the honey. (If you microwave the honey for a few seconds, it will be easier to work with).

After the mixture has simmered gently for 5 minutes, add all of the remaining ingredients. Remove from the heat and cover the top with a lid. Let mixture infuse for about 45 minutes.

Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Once it starts to simmer, serve immediately in small cups.

Amanda Gold

Sunday, December 20, 2009

It’s hard to argue with a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie. The smell, the texture, the flavor – there’s little to complain about. It’s why pre-formed, packaged dough is one of the best convenience products out there.

For surprise guests during the holidays, it’s always good to have a package of these on hand – no need for advance planning, and you can serve a fresh-baked dessert in minutes.

Given how many brands are available in refrigerator cases, we were surprised to find just four in the freezer, but still decided to stick with the frozen products (in a 2005 tasting of refrigerator brands, Tom’s came out on top).

The cookies were baked according to package directions, and, according to the panelists, were perfectly enjoyable but not out-of-this-world.

In first place were cookies from Immaculate Baking Co. ($4.09/24 cookies at Rainbow Grocery), which panelists described as having “crisp edges” and a “chewy center” with a “mild but pure chocolate flavor.” Some said the cookies were “not too sweet” and had a “good bittersweet chocolate flavor.” Two panelists would buy these cookies and three might.

Second place went to Trader Joe’s brand ($3.49/16 cookies), which were described as “chewy-soft” with “an excellent sweet-salt flavor” with notes of “deep chocolate.” Almost all of the panelists said that despite the “nice flavor,” the cookies had a “dark,” “grayish-brown color.” Three tasters would buy them and two might.

Wholly Wholesome ($5.29/12 cookies at Whole Foods) took the third-place slot. “Looks like a typical toll house,” said one taster; another commented on the “homemade look.” Some thought these had a “crisper edge,” but most found that the cookies did not have a “pure” flavor (one even likened them to “fried Chinese noodles”). Two would buy these cookies and three would not.

Rounding out the lot in fourth place were cookies from local baker La Boulange ($4.69/16 cookies at Rainbow Grocery). These were labeled “soft and chewy” with a “very dark” appearance. Some thought they had a “good dark chocolate taste” while others thought they tasted more like “banana bread.” One might buy them and four would not.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/18/FDCJ1B4JLS.DTL#ixzz0bn7T1JP0

You always wanted a mother who was the kind of Superwoman who, even though she worked, still baked cookies on Christmas Eve. And decorated the house with snowflakes and tinsel. And tied perfect bows on perfect Christmas trees. And still had energy to stand with you in the kitchen at night as you baked.

You didn’t get that kind of Superwoman mother. So you decided to become her. And although it is exhausting, you persisted, cutting corners if you had to, but only if you had to, moving so fast, trying not to worry whether the process was flawed as long as the outcome was perfect.

So there you are on Christmas Eve, and the kid is in the kitchen. Not having the time to make cookies from scratch, you bought cookie dough at the store. On your way home from work. As you frantically ran other errands. Answered incessant calls from a ringing cellphone in the dark hole at the bottom of your purse. While racing to make dinner, fold laundry, scrub floors, open mail, hurry to bed and hurry to rise. A roll of store-bought cookie dough is a small compromise. Sometimes a Superwoman has to do what a Superwoman has to do.

Your shortcut will not shortchange your kid’s experience of decorating the cookies, you think.

Okay, you are telling him, just cut the dough and place it in rows. You are still moving fast, trying to get everything done.

“Okay,” you say, “now put the cookies on the sheet.”

He is protesting because he would rather be doing something else, but you are firm, trying to make this fun.

“It even tastes great,” you say.

“It says not to eat it raw,” the kid advises. You wish the kid was not so practical, a little more whimsical. A little less of a perfectionist.

“It’s okay,” you say brightly. You pop a big glob of cookie dough in your mouth.

It melts into sugar and vanishes. You hurry to hurry. Party guests are coming. Santa is coming. There is a schedule to keep. Lots to do before you sleep.

You finish the cookies, set out a plate for Santa. Then lights off, sweet dreams.

The kid sleeps in until, say, 4:30. “Santa has come!” he shouts from the top of the stairs. “Wow,” you say. The kid rips open all the presents, leaving a trail of wrappers. But you can barely keep your head up. Come on, the kid says, it’s Christmas! You feel like you have a hangover, although you didn’t drink anything. The house is spinning. You are feeling weak. The kid is concerned. You call all the people who came for the party. No one else is weak. None of the other Superwomen ate the cookie dough, while frantically trying to make a perfect Christmas.

You think to yourself: Superman had his kryptonite. This Superwoman was taken down by cookie dough. You pull the covers over your head and try to sleep. Downstairs, wrappers are still on the floor. Dinner has not been cooked. There is a faint sound of Christmas music skipping on a scratched CD, but the Superwoman hasn’t the strength to perfect it.

Members of the Summerfield Women’s Golf Club are not resting on their laurels.

They have ramped up their fundraising efforts in recent years, donating $10,800 in August to the Good Neighbor Center in Tigard, which provides transitional housing and social services to homeless families.

But now they have decided that holding the annual Charity Tournament and Silent Auction in August is not enough – they are going to work year round on a new venture.

“We have been doing the charity tournament for at least 10 years,” said Sandra Brewer, who is chairwoman of the new project – selling Action Fundraiser’s cookie dough, chocolate, soft pretzels, pretzel dogs and gourmet desserts.

According to Brewer, Tualatin schools were selling the cookie dough and decided not to do it any longer.

“People were calling Action Fundraiser direct to get more dough,” Brewer said. “It made sense for us to take it over. We already have a customer base and can expand it.”

Brewer said that the cookie dough is popular because people can use a little or a lot at once, just scooping out the amount they want at one time.

“It stays fresh in the tub or freezer,” she added.

The cookie dough comes in 13 flavors, including chocolate chunk, sugar, oatmeal raison, snickerdoodle, peanut butter, jumbles, triple chocolate, M & M’s candy, white chocolate macadamia and Reese’s peanut butter cup.

December 18, 2009 02:48 PM EST

This Christmas cookie dough recipe is quick and simple, and will allow you to bake three (or maybe even more) different kinds of Christmas cookies with this one Christmas cookie recipe.

Start by making the basic Christmas Cookie Dough.

Ingredients for Christmas Cookie Dough:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla (I strongly recommend real vanilla, not vanilla flavoring!)

3 cups flour

Various colors of Christmas cookie icing

(Check out my article on homemade Christmas Cookie Icing here:http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977948897 )

Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat again. Fold in flour.

Roll the dough into 3 balls. From there, roll them into logs.

Christmas Cookie Dough Variation #1:

Roll the log into a mixture of chopped nuts. Chill in refrigerator for two hours. Slice the log into cookies and bake at 375 degrees for about ten minutes.

Christmas Cookie Dough Variation #2:

Roll the log in red and green sprinkles and chill for two hours. Slice and bake at 375 degrees for about ten minutes.

Christmas Cookie Dough Variation #3:

Divide the remaining log into two pieces. Add three or four drops of lemon extract to half of the dough. Knead until mixed. Roll back into a log. Chill both logs for two hours. Slice and bake the cookies. Spread a layer of Christmas cookie icing between two cookies, and grate a bit of lemon zest before the icing hardens. Make a sandwich with the two cookies.

This Christmas Cookie Dough can be worked a number of ways. Just use your imagination to come up with additional extracts to add or delicious things in which to roll the dough.

Kimberly Ripley is a freelance writer and published author from New Hampshire who will be making this Christmas Cookie Dough Recipe in great amounts on Saturday night! Visit her site at http://www.kimberlyripleywrites.com.