OVER-BAKED COOKIES…HELP!!!
 
  I recently baked peanut butter cookies, trying a new recipe. I over-baked them about 1 1/2 minutes to 2, minutes worth.
SOOOO!, they became hard after they cooled. The 1 or 2 cookies that were slightly soft tasted very well…so that told me that this recipe has merit & integrity. I plan on trying again soon.
  Meanwhile I was thinking can I grind these up in my proc. & save them in the fridge & use it for a cream cheese cake crust????. Or should I just throw them out & forget about it. If I can how long can they stay in the fridge… as I do not plan to bake another cake till mid-march.
  Anyway I hope someone has had this experience before & can advise.  Thank-you for your consideration.

  ~CASS.

I don’t have any experience with your exact situation, but if I were going to try to store a baked good for 2 months, I would definitely wrap it well and freeze it.  I think you will have a better chance of success that way.  If they lose crispness while defrosting, you can always re-crisp them in the oven.  I think you have taken frugality to the next level by trying to save over-baked cookies for a future use—the idea made me smile!

Matthew,

as far as frugality, I’d probably do the exact same thing as Cass! The other day I burned a piece of toast, and seriously considered saving it, scraping off the carbonized surface, and turning it into bread crumbs—despite the fact that we already have a VERY LARGE jar of homemade breadcrumbs in the pantry. However, I had to get to work, and lack of time prevailed. I tossed it into the compost bucket.

At least I don’t save tiny bits of string, like my grandmothers both did. Of course, they were young women raising families during the Great Depression. Frugality was a very necessary habit for getting through those years. The funny yet sometimes annoying thing was the way they kept those habits, even when they were older and were comfortable financially.

Cass, I agree that I would freeze the cookies or crumbs. I’ve done this with cookie and cracker crumbs quite successfully. If they are a little soggy, just spread on a sheet pan and bake at 300 or so for a while until they are crisp again.

Happy baking to you all—
Barbara A.

If you freeze the crumbs in an airtight container and thaw completely before you open the container up, you shouldn’t have to worry about anything getting soggy. 

I think your idea of using the crumbs for a cheesecake crust is an excellent one… I would do the same with a batch of over baked cookies (but the kids would probably eat them anyway).

You could also crumble the cookies up into larger chunks and sprinkle between layers of ice cream or pudding to make a sundae or parfait type of dessert.

MATTHEW,BARBARA A& PATRINCIA:
  Good afternoon to you. Thank you very, very much for your timely response & for your suggestions. I will do the freezing operation Saturday after I do my Boston cream pie. If anything I will learn a few things about baking & maybe if it works out I then can help someone who may ask the same question sometime. In any event I will post the results when it’s time to.
  Good luck to you three & enjoy the rest of the day.

  ~CASS.

Try putting them in a Tupperware container with a slice of fresh bread…

This works for brown sugar that’s hardened into a brick, too.

DAN O"B:
  Good day. Good thought. Thank you for your interest in this matter. Have a nice day Dan.

  ~FRESHKID.

Any cookie, no matter how hard, will be soft in ice cream.  Mmmmm.

Back when I was a haphazard baker in my university days, I routinely made puck hard cookies.  I always served them in ice cream.  My friends thought I was a fantastic baker.

Just don’t use burnt cookies.

Most baked cookies will freeze.  Pile them in a ziplock and suck out the air. Wrap again. Suck out the air again.  (My teenaged niece walked in on me doing this and she gave me a look and said in a facetious manner that teenagers do, ” UH - What are you doing?” as if it were the most bizzare thing to do).

Hope you find good use for those.