Rolling a log

A log is a cylinder of dough, rolled by hand on a work surface until it is smooth and the same thickness from end to end. It is the first step of the icebox cookie method, in which dough is shaped into a cylinder and refrigerated until firm.

Once the log is firm, it is cut into equal slices, which go on the prepared cookie sheet. A chilled log cuts cleanly, so the cookies come out round and uniform.

The dough for this method is a bit stiffer than that for drop cookies. Because it is shaped before it is baked, the log is a handy way to portion cookies of the same size, and the finished slices come out as round discs. Slices from a firm log are close to uniform in size.