Have you ever heard of tessellations? Tessellations are geometric shapes that fit together perfectly. These cookie cutters from Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide are tessellations; they create mathematically efficient cookies so that no dough scraps go to waste. They maximize time in addition to dough.
Norwegian chemist Martin Lersch wanted to create tessellated cookie cutters. Lersch adapted them from the tiling of Nobel Prize in Physics winner Roger Penrose. These Penrosian “kite” and “dart” shapes combine to make a rhombus and also solve the age-old baking problem of dough scraps!
Such creative culinary wisdom is what you will find within the pages of Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide, which is AtlasObscura.com’s compendium of great food adventures. Open the cover and you can dive into obscure culinary history, fascinating cultures and traditions all through the lens of food.
Here are some tasty tessellations to try!
chocolate sugar cookies with mint glaze
Mint and chocolate go together like peanut butter and jelly. Think: peppermint patties, mint chocolate chip ice cream, thin mints, the list goes on and on. These cookies are made from a rich, chocolatey dough and covered with a beautiful mint-green glaze to enhance their classic flavor pairing. Enjoy them as a sandwich around ice cream or alone with a cup of tea or coffee. They will not disappoint.
ingredients
for the dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the glaze and decoration
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or half and half
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Green food coloring
cookie steps
In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer until creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix.
Slowly pour in dry ingredients until dough has formed. Everything should be evenly combined.
Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap then refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm. Refrigerating the dough will make it easier to roll out.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut dough into quarters and roll out one of the quarters, you will need extra flour. Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 7-9 minutes until the edges start to crisp and turn golden.
glaze steps
Place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Dip cooled cookies in glaze and allow to set for about 3 minutes before covering in sprinkles. I like to place the cookies on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet because it allows for easy clean-up! Let the glaze harden completely.
cornmeal cookies with lemon glaze
Cornmeal cookies are one of my favorite cookie doughs to make. Sometimes I roll the dough into a log, brush the edges in egg white and roll them in sugar with chilli flakes or cayenne. Other times I roll it out and cut it into shapes. The dough is truly that versatile. Here, I create cut-out cookies with a light lemon glaze.
ingredients
for the dough
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- 1 ¼ cups cornmeal
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
for the glaze and decoration
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or half and half
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon yellow gel food coloring
cookie steps
In a small bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer until creamy. Add in egg and vanilla and mix.
Slowly pour in dry ingredients until dough has formed. Everything should be evenly combined.
Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap then refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm. Refrigerating the dough will make it easier to roll out.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut dough into quarters and roll out one of the quarters, you will need extra flour. Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 7-9 minutes until the edges start to crisp and turn golden.
glaze steps
Place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Dip cooled cookies in glaze and allow to set for about 3 minutes before covering in sprinkles. I like to place the cookies on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet because it allows for easy clean-up! Let harden completely.
classic sugar cookies
The beauty of sugar cookies is that you can tailor them to any flavor you like. Here, I prepared some with a strawberry glaze and others with an almond glaze. A few drops of extract go a really long way.
When it comes to decorating cookies, royal icing and classic glaze are both foolproof techniques. Royal icing creates a smooth, matte appearance whereas the glaze presents a glossy shine when it dries. Both are fabulous options for decorating your cookies, it is more a matter of aesthetic preference!
ingredients
for the dough
- 2 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
for the strawberry glaze and decoration
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or half and half
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon strawberry extract
- Red and purple food coloring
for the almond glaze and decoration
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or half and half
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Blue food coloring
cookie steps
Mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.
Beat butter and sugar together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer until creamy. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix.
Slowly pour in dry ingredients until dough has formed. Everything should be evenly combined.
Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap then refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm. Refrigerating the dough will make it easier to roll out.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut dough into quarters and roll out one of the quarters, you will need extra flour. Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 7-9 minutes until the edges start to crisp and turn golden.
glaze steps
Place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Dip cooled cookies in glaze and allow to set for about 3 minutes before covering in sprinkles. I like to place the cookies on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet because it allows for easy clean-up! Let harden completely.
