How to Adapt Cookie Dough for 3-D Projects: A Series of Controlled Recipe Tests

Hi, everyone! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked if gingerbread is the only cookie dough that can be used for 3-D projects. Or why some doughs crack and spread, and others don’t, when baked over curved surfaces or molds. And so . . . I decided to create this video to answer these questions definitively, once and for all! This video is less demonstration and more lecture, controlled experiments, and food science, so I encourage you to get comfy, get rid of any distractions, and take out a notebook or laptop to record key points along the way. In other words, this video requires more concentration than usual! :)
In it, I examine both the recipe- and process-related variables that make my Cutout Cookie Gingerbread (the dough I most often use in my videos) perform well for 3-D projects. (I briefly touched on these topics in my earlier “Cutout Cookie Gingerbread Dough” video, link below, but here I go much deeper.)
In a nutshell, the less any dough spreads, the less it will crack and distort when shaped and baked on curved 3-D surfaces. Through a series of controlled tests of my gingerbread, I explore the impact of four recipe-related variables on its spreading: (1) flour-to-fat ratio, (2) type of fat (butter versus shortening), (3) amount of leavening, and (4) use of egg. As for process-related variables, I mean those that relate to dough handling, such as how thin the dough is rolled and whether it is chilled after rolling and before baking. I test those variables with my gingerbread as well.
BONUS: Once the results of my gingerbread experiments are in, I then apply those lessons learned to my Signature Sugar Cookie Dough, which typically spreads and cracks a lot more, and turn it into an awesome dough for 3-D work too!
IMPORTANT: The aim of this video is NOT to give you exact formulas for adapting your own recipes - that would be virtually impossible to do without knowing your recipes and testing them myself. Rather, the intent is to: (1) demonstrate that gingerbread isn’t the only dough that can be used for 3-D work and (2) highlight the variables that most impact dough spreading so you can successfully adapt your own recipes. (Or, if you don’t want to do that, just use mine! :) Recipes below!)
RELATED VIDEOS:
Cutout Cookie Gingerbread Dough: • Cutout Cookie Gingerbr...
How to Contour Cookie Dough: • How to Contour Cookie ...
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CREDITS:
Music by: Kevin MacLeod, www.incompetech.com
Videography/Editing by: Two5:7North (www.two57north.com), Grant and Ashleigh Murphy

[@enoughalready244]

This is brilliant. So helpful to actually explain WHY you're doing something rather than just throwing us new recipes. Thank you!!

[@enoughalready244]

@@JuliaMUsher I definitely will! Can't wait to get in the kitchen and try it with my sugar cookies!!

[@robincook1852]

Love this tutorial! I've eliminated all leavening from my sugar cookie recipe and use 2 eggs and it made all the difference. Perfect texture, not tough at all and zero spreading. NOTE: not for 3D, only 2D.

[@JuliaMUsher]

Excellent!

[@bettysbakegoods9582]

Im so glad u did this video, for I was having issues with my gingerbread recipe, now I know how to fix it,for mine was spreading way too much. Thank u Julia

[@katiakhalil6895]

Lovely video. Very well produced. Very technically informative as usual. Thank you so much for inspiring us always.

[@Snowmanatee]

Thank you so much for sharing this information. It is greatly appreciated!

[@ChantellVenterPmb]

That was so informative, thank u Julia and especially for the time u spent and sacrificed experimenting on these so we can save time and know what to do. The creaming of the fat, especially key for me!!

[@JuliaMUsher]

Great! So glad it was helpful to you!

[@elkehoelzle7195]

Outstanding video, as aways, Julia. Thank you.❤

[@fluffycanterbury]

This video is so helpful! Thank you ❤️

[@chefsabbaa7896]

Lovely Julia, informative and valuable, thanks.

[@lisafoss3542]

Thank you so much for sharing this Julia!!

[@rosarioruedaramirez]

I admire your Job, its so amazing ....i hope one day do what you do. 💕💕💕

[@WashingtonClinton]

I followed Julia’s recipe for Gingerbread & “Glue” royal icing - it turned out perfectly, was so easy, fun and delicious! I made my very first gingerbread house - a 2 story Greek revival !

[@JuliaMUsher]

Yay! So glad to hear this. I'd love to see your Greek Revival house; feel free to email a pic! Happy New Year to you as well!

[@Whatworksthisworks]

So talented and amazing! Thank you so much!🙂

[@lifeofchasingdreams]

I am a self taught baker.. I do it for family and friends. I absolutely appreciate how you described all this! It makes way more sense! So excited for holiday cookies now!

[@lifeofchasingdreams]

Julia M Usher i do have an icing question.. How can i keep my icing from separating overnight?

[@lifeofchasingdreams]

Julia M Usher thank you!! I will try that! Excited to try your parchment cones too. I absolutely hate cleaning and rebagging so I usually leave icing in the piping bags for over night dryings. But with the ease of the in and out and done.. ohhh heaven!! 😊 love all your knowledge thank you!!

[@dimafriday]

Thank you so much for this! Very helpful, every aspect explained. And now I can make informed decision without wasting time on loads of tests.

[@JuliaMUsher]

Glad it was helpful! Happy holidays!

[@cherylschwarzenbart7192]

Thank you for sharing

[@melinaz3385]

in the sugar cookie dough you mentioned the difference between the flour ratio as opposed to the gingerbread dough which had molasses in it, could you use corn syrup?

[@katywuste9054]

Great video as per usual. Nice to see you, are you doing any Halloween or Christmas cookies?

[@katywuste9054]

Julia M Usher I’m not getting notifications but will go watch that. Love your work and could watch 24/7

[@SusanVerwey]

Thank you so much for this informative video. Love your recipes but what is the purpose of the vinegar in your recipe?

[@SusanVerwey]

@@JuliaMUsher Thank you for the reply. Will definitely give your recipe a try to compare with the one I've been using.

[@dlminor]

How do you accurately measure the weight of different ingredients to get the correct amounts since different things weigh different amounts such as sugar and flour not weighing the same. I hope this makes sense.

[@sharalynnaef3272]

Thank you for doing this video!! I have been fighting with my sugar cookie dough! I am trying to do dessert cookie fruit tacos. I can't wait to try again with your tips!

[@JuliaMUsher]

Let me know how it goes!

[@sharalynnaef3272]

@@JuliaMUsher hi there! The recipe tweaks you gave in the video worked beautifully! 👏 (I used less baking powder and a bit more flour) now my problem is shaping them so they look like a taco. I tried a paper towel roll wrapped in aluminum foil and I tried a 1 & 1/2 inch pipe wrapped in aluminum foil. They are just not looking like a taco shell. I am a bit stumped!

[@JuliaMUsher]

@@sharalynnaef3272 Shape them over a form that looks like a taco. You can bake them, and, while the dough is still pliable, wrap them around the form. But the form must look like what you're trying to create.

[@sharalynnaef3272]

@@JuliaMUsher thank you for the tips! I have a few ideas. I hope one of them works! 😊

[@JuliaMUsher]

@@sharalynnaef3272 I hope so too! Keep me posted!

[@dubya13207]

Definitely going to use this for an upcoming project… I’m surprised though that you didn’t try a different fat for the sugar cookie dough. Butter-flavored shortening would have maintained the taste while altering the spread, wouldn’t it? Also, I didn’t catch it…did you account for the water in the butter when you converted from shortening?

[@JuliaMUsher]

My sugar cookie recipe has mostly shortening in it to start; so subbing in a few more tablespoons of shortening was unlikely to have much of an impact (based on the previous experiments with my gingerbread). And, no, I just substituted shortening for butter, 1:1 by weight.

[@duwarakacakes8087]

Thanks

[@JuliaMUsher]

You are welcome!

[@user-rf2it9uv2p]

С любовью благодарю вас за эту красоту праздничное настроение

[@erinpruitt201]

I've been making your gingerbread dough (delicious btw) and I weigh my flour accurately per your instructions, yet my dough is cracking when I roll it. When I use the excess dough after cutting out the initial shapes, the dough is marbled and looks bad once baked. I'm using a well chilled dough too.

[@erinpruitt201]

@@JuliaMUsher Thank you Julia, I'm in Michigan. I suspect (from looking at you work with your dough in videos) that regardless of weighing the flour, maybe it's a bit too much. Your dough in videos looks more pliable. Your videos are very helpful, thank you for creating them!

[@erinpruitt201]

@@JuliaMUsher Maybe my scale is off because I followed your measuring, weighing instructions really closely. Regardless, I now know what the dough should look like before rolling. Are you using all purpose flour? Thank you for your input, it's greatly appreciated

[@erinpruitt201]

@@JuliaMUsher Just an update Julia, I made a new batch of gingerbread cookie dough and it is wonderful. Other than changing the batteries in my scale I don't know what I did different from the first time. That may have made a difference. Regardless, the dough is perfect. Thank you for all of your responses, I appreciate your efforts.

[@raquelbanegas302]

Por favor Julia podrían poner los subtítulos en español? Son maravillosos tus trabajos , y la calidad de los vídeos sin igual! Comprendo algunas cosas pero cuando hay recetas no entiendo nada 😭😭😭...muchas gracias por compartir tus conocimientos genia!

[@raquelbanegas302]

@@JuliaMUsher una gran pena , no había pensado en eso , igualmente sigo atenta a todos los vídeos , agradezco mucho a personas como usted que nos ayudan tan desinteresadamente, desde Argentina un gran abrazo! 😍❤

[@habeebkhan1940]

Julia M Usher is the G.O.A.T!

[@JuliaMUsher]

Aww, you are so kind! Thank you!!

[@user-rf2it9uv2p]

💖🤗🙏

[@FilmArtPhoto]

Hi, it's your cousin... I LOVE YOU!!! xoxoxo

[@emiliamartucci8291]

Heljp, Has anyone had the following issue: the dough going soft, even after icing. This has not happened to me before. the only thing that I have done different is reduce the cloves from 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon. Surely that cannot make a difference. I am making the baby rattles and having a difficult time. I bake the hemispheres for 10 minutes at 375. I roll to 1/8 thickness. I did use 3 teaspoons of water in 1 cup of "glue" icing to make dipping easier - could that have done it?

[@JuliaMUsher]

Hi, Emilia. I am sorry to hear you are having troubles again, but I am probably the best one to answer these questions, as I have made this project and other dipped cookies countless times. It could be any number of things: (1) you underbaked your cookies (look for light browning around the edges; exact time is less important, as it could be your oven isn't properly calibrated); (2) did not store them in an airtight container after they were baked (so they softened before dipping); (3) your dipping icing was too thin so it took longer to dry and softened the cookies (these are SMALL cookies so the icing needs to be thick enough to coat them without seeing through, which takes less water than for a larger cookie . . . which is why I have range on the icing consistencies, typically); or (4) your drying conditions were too humid (try running a dehumidifier, or the A/C, or dipping on a dry day). If you were to send photos of your icing consistency and baked cookies and what they looked like after you dipped, I would be better able to diagnose the issue. It's hard to ever assess trouble when I am just given an outcome and do not understand the various circumstances under which things were made. Please send an email with this info, as photos cannot be attached here, and please allow 24-48 hours for a response. Thanks.

[@emiliamartucci8291]

@@JuliaMUsher thank you immensely Julia. You are right. I made the dipping icing too thin. In fact, sometimes I double dipped to fix errors, making the problem worse. The pink icing was especially translucent. Still, I will have the oven calibrated. I will try another batch because when decorated they are adorable. I encourage everyone to try them. With this advise they should come out fine. Thanks again.

[@JuliaMUsher]

@@emiliamartucci8291 Yeah, way too loose if you're seeing through it. I cover dipping in many other videos (grill, 3-D cauldron, etc.) so you should check them out to better visualize consistency. The icing should thickly coat the back of a spoon without draining off too much/rapidly. Pieces need to be drained, and drips need to be cleaned up immediately as I show in all videos. Never re-dip over messed up/thin icing; it is better to take the icing completely off, and then re-dry the cookie if it has softened too much.

[@emiliamartucci8291]

@@JuliaMUsher Good morning- just saw this follow up. What you say makes sense. I am actually glad it happened. Mistakes are both humbling and excellent teachers. And, in this case - softly delicious. Appreciate your kindness Julia. Again, I encourage all who see this to try the rattles. It will teach and reinforce various techniques, make you feel like an artist and make children happy. Just don’t panic like I did. ❤️ thanks again Julia.

[@JuliaMUsher]

@@emiliamartucci8291 I hope you have some fun with it once the dough-shaping and dipping are done! :)