I tested 6 different cookie techniques and this is what I found

 

Welcome to battle of the bakes cookie edition where I tested 6 different cookie shaping techniques to find out which one made the best cookie.

Why would you do that Linda you might ask, why not just eat the cookie and be happy.

Probably because I'm just not made that way. I have to investigate what the best version could possibly be and if that involves sitting down and eating batch after batch of cookies until I work it out, then dang it, I'm going to do it.

So anyway back to the point, I tested 6 different shapes and got a bunch of testers to taste the different versions and I did up a video showing all the shapes and announced the winner.

I also showed how to shape each cookie and what they looked like after baking and cut each of them in half so you could see a cross section.

If you'd like to see how to shape each cookie version CLICK HERE to watch me.

And because I'm good at keeping proper secrets but I don't gate keep for views, I can tell you it was the Tall Ball Tower closely followed by the Tear and Stack, and controversially the least. favourite was the Tall Stack version most thick cookie makers recommend.

Who would have thought.

It was a fun process though. I kept the dough and cooking conditions exactly the same. Made each cookie the same weight and although similarity in appearance the cookies were very different and there were clear preferences in taste.

Here is a quick rundown, but before we start I'll be sharing the cookie and cream cookie recipe I used on next week's post.

Cookies from top right clockwise. Tall Tear, Classic Flat, Dimple/Pinch, Tall Stack,
Classic Dome, Tall Ball Tower

The Classic Flat Cookie Disc

This cookie was easy to make and after baking had a nice golden appearance. It's a good cookie for stacking and can be decorated quite easily. It turned out much cakier than the others and spread the most. Due to spreading it make it appear as though there are less add in's. When I had the cafe customers did like this cookie shape as it's easier to break and share and it appears like there is more cookie. One testers rated it as their favourite cookie, but a number of testers did not care for the cakey texture and it came equal 4th place on the overall scoring.

The Tall Stack

This cookie was also easy to make and online I found it highly recommended for thick cookies. After baking it was definitely thicker than the classic cookie disc, but it did sink a little during baking. It looked nice and had an ok mix of add-ins after baking. It actually scored overall for the test team as the least favourite, and I noted I probably would not make it again.

The Classic Dome

I loved the look of this cookie pre-bake, like an ice-cream scoop of cookie dough and it was easy to make. After baking it was lovely and golden and had a good distribution of add-ins. One of our testers rated it as their favourite.and overall it came in equal 4th place.

The Dimple or Pinch Dome

Technically very simian to the classic dome this cookie was a little more time consuming but still easily achievable with a technique to increase the surface texture. After baking it was a good looking thickish golden cookie with good distribution of add in's.Two  testers rated this as their favourite tasting cookie and one tester as the overall favourite cookie. It came in equal 4th with the classic dome with comments noting that it was crunchy. Came in at 3rd place overall.

The Tear and Stack

One of the simplest cookies to make for the best results. Increased surface texture like the dimple/pinchy cookie but less work. 3 testers rated this as their favourite taste choice and 2 testers as the favourite overall cookie, it once again received comments about crunchiness. I did have a baking mishap on this cookie with the two sections not remaining adhered together on my 2 day rested dough version. Came in 2nd place overall.

The Ball Tower

This one was the most effort to make. Tear the dough into lots of little balls then scooch the mixture into a tall tower without squishing it together too much (see video for visual instructions) but it seemed the effort payed off if my testers scores are anything to go by. It had the most even distrubution of add-ins of any other the cookies and had a nice rough texture/appearance that was golden and crunchy with a doughy centre that was not too dense due to the the little gaps made by the balls. It came in as the winner in this testing.

Mystery Cookie - The Stuffed Dome

I did an extra version I did not include in the test where I popped an extra whole cookie into the centre of a classic dome and then topped it with cookies and cream chocolate and another whole cookie. It added another 25% weight to the cookie and definitely ended up as the thickest cookie by far.

Testing Notes - This testing was for a very cakey cookies and cream cookie dough. The cookie was (114g) 4oz which is a large cookie - Every dough will give different results and of course everyone has personal preference as proven by the taste testers very different opinions, 

XX

Happy Baking

Linda

Original photos and recipe from the Bubble and Sweet blog ©Linda McCubbin 2026. I love when people share my blog ideas and give credit. Please feel free to link back to my blog for non commercial purposes or contact me. Affiliate links and ads may earn me money, however all ideas and opinions are my own.

Linda Mccubbin is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US in 2011 (under my previous name Linda Vandermeer).

Strawberry Matcha Cookies with Pistachio Chips

 

I love finding new ingredients at the supermarket. 

Not even joking when I travel overseas one of my favourite things to do is walk through the grocery stores. Like forget the art galleries, I'm checking out the baking aisles.

The other day I found some super cool Pistachio Gems at the supermarket and I was in the middle of making a strawberry matcha cheesecake and had all those ingredients out ready to go so it made perfect sense to make a cookie version and add in the pistachio chips.

I’ve tweaked the recipe 8 times and I think I’ve come up with the perfect soft cookie version.

While I was testing the cookies I also tested a few different versions of how to shape them for the best results to get a thicker cookie. I’ve got some interesting findings and I’ve typed up the results like the cookie geek I am! I’ll be sharing those results and pictures in next week’s post.

If you find it easier to watch someone make a recipe, I’ve also made a video that shows you how to make the cookies CLICK HERE to see it. There’s even  a sneak peek on some of the shaping techniques I used.

I also show a few different ways to fill the cookies and what they look like when cut open in the video so it’s definitely worth a watch!

I also made my strawberry filling from scratch, but in the recipe I’m suggesting using jam due to the amount of time required to reduce fresh strawberries down. It did taste pretty amazing though and  I want to trial a version from frozen berries to make it a more affordable all year option.

A final note the cookies in the photos are made with plain/all purpose flour and in the end I substituted some of for cornflour/cornstarch for a softer more cakey cookie. Doing this is the same as using cake flour if you have it on hand.

The recipe for the cookies is typed out below. Happy Baking

XX 

Linda

Strawberry Matcha Cookies with Pistachio Chips 

Matcha and pistachio cookies (makes 12 regular size cookies or 6 larger cookies).

114g (4oz) Unsalted butter room temperature
55g (1 7/8oz) Caster Sugar 
110g (3 7/8oz) Brown Sugar 
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
240g (8 1/2oz) Plain (all purpose) flour 
1Tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch) 
8g (1/4oz) Matcha
1/2 tsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup pistachio chips (use white chocolate chips if you can't get pistachio chips)

1/2 cup strawberry jam (or homemade strawberry filling)

Preheat oven to 180C (356F)

Sift together the flour, cornflour, matcha, bicarbonate soda, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl (I used a stand mixer) cream together butter and both sugars for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

Add egg yolks and vanilla and mix at medium low speed until combined.

At low speed mix in the sifted flour mixture until just combined, then if you are using them add the pistachio baking chips (you can leave them out or use white chocolate chips or dried cranberries instead).

Shape into 12 regular cookies (53g or 1 7/8oz) or 6 large cookies (106g or 3 3/4oz).

Bake at 180C (356F) for 10-12 minutes for regular size cookies or 16-18minutes for large cookies. The cookies will be golden. If you like your cookies less baked/golden turn the temperature down to 160C (320F).

Once baked remove from oven, leave on tray and fill with strawberry jam. I like to pipe mine in the center which is best done while the cookie is still soft.

Allow cookies to cool on tray for at least 30 minutes.

There is a reason one is not filled these are test versions 😊

💕

Original photos and recipe from the Bubble and Sweet blog ©Linda McCubbin 2026. I love when people share my blog ideas and give credit. Please feel free to link back to my blog for non commercial purposes or contact me. Affiliate links and ads may earn me money, however all ideas and opinions are my own.

Linda Mccubbin is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US in 2011 (under my previous name Linda Vandermeer).

Spectacular Spooky Halloween Fail Chocolate Basque Cheesecake without Jelly Brains

 

With Halloween almost upon us I needed something fast to whip up. I just don't have as much time to bake as I used to.

And this is where my story turns bad and regret sets in. (See the video of it happening here the decorating at the end is where it all goes bad)

I tried to make a jelly brain Basque cheesecake with no planning or buying what I needed. Actually not quite true, I did have something I'd planned to buy but they were sold out and I found an old brain ice mold and thought, that'll do.

But it in fact did not do.

My decorated cake was a spectacular Halloween fail, which was quite humbling as I'm usually pretty successful.

But it made me think about a lot of stuff that has been happening since I've been doing this blog reboot after being away for a while.

Everywhere I look, there's another perfectly styled cake, an impossibly beautiful dessert or a video showing something that looks so easy to recreate.

I sometimes look at recipes online and wonder whether the finished photos or videos actually represent what you'd get if you followed the recipe at home.

And if we don't realise that it makes us feel bad about ourselves. 

With AI-generated images and videos becoming increasingly convincing, it's getting harder to know what we're really looking at.

The worst part is that this kind of content can receive millions of views, thousands of likes and endless comments. Meanwhile, those of us actually making things in our kitchens can end up wondering why our results don't look quite so perfect.

I wonder, when did fake perfection become something we celebrate more than reality?

Anyway the cake itself did turn out quite lovely. It is an extra chocolatey Basque cheesecake with a rich, velvety texture and tart raspberry coulis to balance all that chocolate.

Plus I learned something, or maybe remembered something is more accurate. Most things in life have a direct correlation to the effort you put in and if you rush something you won't always get the result you're hoping for.

I also made a YouTube video (HERE) which I talk through some of the things that social media videos do with a few suggestions on what you should do instead.

If you take that away from this post it's probably more worthwhile that another Basque cheesecake recipe.

If you don't have a mini bar tin you can make a 6"round version by following my regular Chocolate Basque Cheesecake HERE and replacing the cocoa with 15grams of Black Cocoa.

Happy Baking and remember keep it real!

XX

Linda 

Chocolate Basque Cheesecake - makes a 5" x 3.5" rectangle cheesecake which will make 4-6 snack serves. I like to serve mine with raspberry coulis which is a lovely contrast to the velvety chocolate cheesecake. I use a good quality chocolate like Callebaut. Cheesecake slices can frozen wrapped individually in plastic wrap and thawed in the fridge.

• 275g (9 3/4oz) cream cheese at room temperature
• 125g (4 3/8 oz) dark chocolate melted
• 60g (2 1/8 oz) caster/ superfine sugar (use regular granulated sugar if that's all you have)
• 10g black cocoa sifted
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 140g (5oz) cream (dollop cream) (heavy cream) split into roughly 40g ( 1 1/2oz) and 100g (3 1/2oz)
• good pinch salt

To decorate (optional)

• Raspberry Coulis (recipe below)
• Berries and flowers (optional)

Line a 5" x 3.5"  inch wide by 3 inch high, rectangle baking tin with baking paper.

Place cooking rack into middle of oven and preheat to 200 C Fan forced (390F).

Melt the chocolate and 40g (1 1/2oz) cream in a microwave safe dish. I melted mine for 1 min at full strength waited a minute, stirred and then another 30 seconds. Leave for a minute between heating and mix to see if melted and if not heat for another 30 second burst. Set aside until needed.

Sift together the caster sugar and cocoa to ensure there are no lumps.

Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so the mixture will be silky smooth. Place cream cheese into mixer bowl and mix at low speed until smooth and creamy. You do not want any lumps at this stage and also we are not trying to incorporate extra air or volume. The room temperature ingredients and slow mixing are key steps. You can use a stick blender (emulsifier) if you like.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl add the caster sugar and cocoa and mix at slow speed. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla and mix until well combined. Continue to scrape down the sides of the bowl until the mixture is completely combined and smooth.

Add the melted dark chocolate and fold in with a spatula, there should be no lumps and no streaks when you are finished.

Add the cream and salt and mix well.

Pour mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 12 mins, increase temperature to 230C (450F) and cook for a further 7 mins. 

Put cheesecake into fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Prior to serving remove from tin and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 mins. If your cheesecake is stuck and you can't get it to release, it's just some of the fats set hard. Run a plastic spatula around the edge between the paper and tin and if it still won't come out pop the base into hot water for a second being careful not to splash the cake and it should easily slide out.

Raspberry Coulis - I make this a lot when serving cheesecake at home and I usually do it without measurements. If it's just me and immediate family I don't even add sugar sometimes. It's a simple elegantly classic way to elevate most desserts perfectly.

• 200 g (7 oz) frozen or fresh raspberries
• 25g icing (powdered) sugar - use regular sugar if that's all you have

Mix together berries and sugar in a microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, blend and sieve. 

👻

Original photos and recipe from the Bubble and Sweet blog ©Linda McCubbin 2026. I love when people share my blog ideas and give credit. Please feel free to link back to my blog for non commercial purposes or contact me. Affiliate links and ads may earn me money, however all ideas and opinions are my own.

Linda Mccubbin is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US in 2011 (under my previous name Linda Vandermeer).