Machine Production of Filled Cookies and Sandwich Cookies

There are many kinds of filled cookies: Taiwan has all sorts of small filled pastries, and abroad there are fig rolls, ma'amoul, and more. Sandwich cookies (夾心酥) are two crisp cookies with a layer of cream or jam filling in between. The two are mechanized in different ways.

How Are Filled Cookies Made?

There are two common methods for filled cookies:

• Single-piece encrusting: Like steamed buns, an encrusting machine wraps the filling in cookie dough and cuts it into individual balls, which are then flattened or placed in molds and baked. Suited to round, thick filled cookies.
• Co-extruded bar cut into sections: The dough and filling are extruded at the same time to form a continuous bar with "dough outside, filling inside," which is then cut into sections by length. The cut ends can show the filling or be pressed closed. Suited to bar-shaped or square filled cookies.

According to the company history on the website of Japan's RHEON, the eight-row multi-row encrusting machine "Multi Co-Extruder" (マルチ コ エクストルーダー), released in 1986, was used for mass-producing filled cookies. The products the CORNUCOPIA KN551 can make, listed on RHEON's U.S. website, also include Cookies, Filled Biscuits, Design Cookies, Sliced Cookies, and more.

Characteristics of Cookie Dough

Cookie dough is high in fat and sugar and low in gluten, unlike bread dough:

• Temperature-sensitive: Dough with a high butter content softens and releases oil as soon as it warms up and slumps after extrusion; too cold and it is hard and cracks easily.
• Filling and dough should be similarly firm: If they differ too much, the co-extruded bar bulges on one side and flattens on the other.
• Spread during baking: Cookies spread in the oven, so spacing and thickness of the cut sections must take this into account.

Is a Multi-Row Machine a Good Fit?

A multi-row encrusting machine produces several bars at once, with several times the output of a single-row machine. Whether it is a good fit depends on several things:

• Volume of a single product: Multi-row machines suit high-volume, long continuous runs of a single product. With many products in small batches, changeover and cleaning time drags down efficiency.
• Whether downstream can keep up: Multi-row machines output fast, so panning, baking, cooling, and packaging all need matching capacity.
• Space and investment: Multi-row machines and their peripheral lines take up a lot of space and require high upfront investment.

Many businesses start with a single-row machine and only consider a multi-row machine once a particular product has stabilized at high volume.

Methods for Cutting Bars into Sections

Common methods for cutting a co-extruded bar into sections:

• Blade cutting: The most direct, but with sticky fillings, the blade tends to stick and drag.
• Wire cutting (steel wire): A thin steel wire cuts through the bar, giving a flat cut face that is not easily squashed. The options on RHEON's Japanese website include a "layered nozzle wire cutter slicer" (重合ノズルワイヤーカッタースライサー) for cutting co-extruded materials.
• Ultrasonic cutter: The blade vibrates ultrasonically, so it does not easily stick when cutting sticky materials and leaves a clean cut. RHEON's Japanese website lists a "Sonic Slicer" (ソニックスライサー).
• Metered dividing: Cut into sections at a set length so every section weighs the same.

The suitable products listed on Dong-Yih Machinery's website for both the DY-528MS Taro Ball and Sweet Potato Ball Dividing Machine and the DY-528M Automatic Dough and Filling Dividing Machine include "dividing cookie dough bars of all shapes," with an output of 3,000–12,000 pieces/hour at 10 g–30 g per piece or heavier; they can also divide fillings such as mooncake filling, mung bean paste, and red bean paste.

Sandwich Cookies

Sandwich cookies are "two crisp cookies + a layer of filling." The common method is to bake and cool the cookie wafers first, then pipe the filling onto one and top it with another. RHEON's Japanese website lists a "Multi Sand System" (マルチサンドシステム), described as an automatic forming machine for sandwich confections. Some businesses also use piping machines or metered depositing equipment for the filling and assemble the cookies by hand.

Cleaning and Safety

Cookie dough is high in fat, and residue easily turns rancid. Before cleaning, stop the machine, cut the power, and apply lockout/tagout in accordance with Article 57 of the Occupational Safety and Health Facilities Regulations (職業安全衛生設施規則).

For pineapple cakes and sun cakes, see Machine Production of Pineapple Cakes, Sun Cakes, and Flaky Pastries.

FAQ

Q: What machine is used to make filled cookies?
A: Round filled cookies are mostly encrusted individually on an encrusting machine; bar-shaped and square ones are mostly made by co-extruding a long bar and cutting it into sections.

Q: Is a multi-row encrusting machine suitable for a small factory?
A: Multi-row machines suit continuous high-volume production of a single product; with many products in small batches, changeover and cleaning time cancels out the benefits, so we recommend starting with a single-row machine.

Q: What should I do if the filling keeps sticking to the knife when cutting cookie bars?
A: Switch to wire cutting or an ultrasonic cutter, and adjust the temperature and firmness of the filling and dough.

Q: Can Dong-Yih's dividing machines cut cookie bars?
A: The suitable products listed on Dong-Yih's website for both the DY-528MS and DY-528M include dividing cookie dough bars of all shapes.