Not to mention the amount of beating that has to happen to make a meringue without a mixer. :eek:
Done that, once.
I have to admit, I use the mixer forPavs. Because I am not insane.
I made a Pavlova without a mixer once.
My arm nearly fell off, I think.
Yeah, it’s something like 8-10 minutes of mixing with the machine on full speed. Or a good hour of mixing the egg whites then adding a bit of sugar and mixing and adding and mixing etc … and then the bugger *still *comes out of the oven like a chewy pancake.
Have you ever put food colouring in the pav? Looks almost the same on the outside then you cut slices of glorious gelato colours, great effect. A friend has got it to the point of splitting the mix into two and then swirling the colours together just before baking, fantastic!
I know mixers came after cookies. I have a friend who makes cakes over a wood fire (and no mixer, of course). And she was 20, not 93. I just needed to know that normal people in this day and age did it and what where the relevant tips.
It seems that it is not a big deal. Just mix well and go. Consider me armed with confidence after all these responses. Will try this weekend and report.
I’ve never made them with a mixer.
Here’s my simple, simple, never-fail recipe for peanut butter cookies. I made this with my 5-year-old and 7-year-old nephew and niece and they loved it.
You’ll have to convert the amounts though.
Cream together 125g crunchy peanut butter with 125g softened butter (use a fork). Mix 125g brown sugar with 125g white sugar, and whip into the creamed fats. Add 1 beaten egg, 1 tsp vanilla essence, and whisk in. In another bowl, sift together 150g plain flour, 1 tsp baking soda (optional - depending on how spongy you want them) and 1 tsp salt. Mix liquids into flour until smooth. Roll into walnut-sized balls, place 3" apart on a baking sheet, and flatten the tops with a wet fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 175C, until they just start to brown (this will mean they are still quite chewy inside).
I’ve always made all my cookie recipes without a mixer. Good upper arm strength builder! 
This recipe is easy, but it makes “heavy” cookies, not small fluffy ones:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups of oatmeal
1 box of brownie (the 13" x 9" size box, I prefer the fudge or extra chocolate ones)
Mix it all together, form into balls. Bake at 350F for 27 minutes (or so says the recipe, I’d start checking it at about 20 mins, else they end up too crunchy for my taste). Let them cool, and btw, they harden a bit while they cool.
My sister is a nanny, and perfected this chocolate chip cookie recipe while looking for recipes that kids could help make. It always gets rave reviews. It requires softened (but not melted) margarine. I always use Imperial margarine softened in the microwave for this recipe; I have never tried it with real butter. This one works best when you don’t use a mixer. I tried it with my mixer once and didn’t like the texture of the finished product nearly as well. These come out crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Kids can help measure and mix, so they stay entertained and learn some kitchen skills at the same time.
Nicole’s Chocolate Chips Cookies
Ingredients:
Wet Mixture
1 cup (2 sticks) Imperial Margarine
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Mixture
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz. total chocolate chips, toffee chips, peanut butter chips, nuts, etc. Whatever you like!
Directions:
-
Soften the margarine, but do not melt it. If it gets too runny, put it in the refrigerator to let it set a little while. Then put into a large mixing bowl and add granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Mix well.
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In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda together.
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Pour about half the dry flour mixture into the bowl with the wet butter/sugar mixture. Blend the flour in well, then add the rest of the flour.
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Mix in chocolate chips (or whatever you want to add). Refrigerate the dough for a few minutes to let it get firm.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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Use a teaspoon or cookie scoop to drop cookies on parchment paper. Leave about 3 inches between each 1-inch scoop of dough.
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Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven, pick up sheet of parchment paper with cookies on top, and place on a cooling rack until the cookies become firm (when they are soft but don’t fall apart when you pick them up).
Just to take a different tack – you can get a hand mixer for $10 or $15. Small, convenient easy to clean (pop out the beaters and wash them). Doesn’t have enough of a motor for tough jobs, but great for cookie batter, cake batter, mashed potatoes, etc.
I personally don’t own a stand mixer, just a hand mixer.
For as minute I thought you meant one of those manual mixers with the handle that you turn. Those are Satan’s contribution to cooking.
Nope, an electric hand mixer. (I notice that it’s been longer than I realized since I last bought one – they’re now more like $20-$25, and can go way up from there.)
That’s not a mixer, that’s an egg beater. My mom always used one for making meringue. I can’t imagine trying to use it to mix dough or batter!
It’s still possible to get one for about $10, if you get a less known brand.
I use an electric hand mixer to cream the butter (because I’m lazy), but other than that, a mixer just tends to over-combine ingredients. I posted a killer oatmeal cookie recipe in another thread that you might try. Less mixing is better for that one.
People use mixers to make cookies? Really?
I do find that making sure the butter is thoroughly warmed up to room room temperature makes it a LOT easier to cream the ingredients. Actually, warming it up to about 80 degrees is even better, but using melted butter will change the texture of some recipes.
(Really? People need mixers to make cookies? Then again, I still make all my bread by hand kneading, sometimes enough dough for four loaves at a time. I don’t find mixing cookies arduous)
I remember the three years my mother was without a stand mixer.
they were dark, dark times. We resorted to making brownies a lot. My mom likes cake style brownies.
Your sympathy is apreciated.
as for the OP, try making chocolate crinkles or cake mix cookies. Both use cooking oil and are very easy to mix up by hand.
I’m not the only one surprised, then? I’ve made many types of cookies over the years, but I can’t think of a single recipe that has asked you use a mixer. Cakes, of course, want you to use a mixer, but cookies?!
Since I advocated buying a cheap mixer, I’ll respond –
The mixer makes creaming the butter (never margarine, chez twicks) and sugar way easier. I’ll use it for adding the flour as well. If there’s “junk” of whatever sort involved (chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, oatmeal), I’ll add that by hand to avoid pulverizing it – but I find the mixer makes the first couple steps way faster and easier.
God bless you for doing it by hand, though.
That sounds AWESOME. I wonder if I can talk one of my friends with a stand mixer into making that.
This was my suggestion - just leave the butter out on the counter overnight. Unless you have pets that climb on the countertops, you won’t get cooties from it. Then make a standard drop-style cookie, like chocolate chip or oatmeal. The hardest part will be mixing in the chocolate chips after you’ve added all the flour.