Method and dough compositions for making shelf-stable soft or chewy cookies

A method for producing a cookie having an extended shelf stable soft or chewy texture throughout the cookie comprising: (a) coextruding an inner cookie dough which is adherent to dough forming and transferring equipment and which is bakeable to a soft or chewy texture and an outer cookie dough which is non-adherent to dough forming and transferring equipment and which is bakeable to a soft or chewy texture, said inner dough comprising a liquid humectant in an amount which is from about 30% by weight to about 120% by weight, based upon the weight of the flour and which is sufficient to impart a longer lasting shelf-stable soft or chewy texture to the baked outer cookie dough than that attainable by baking the outer dough alone to a shelf stable soft or chewy texture of the same moisture content as that of said cookie having both said inner and outer doughs, said outer dough comprising flour, less than or equal to 45% by weight sucrose, based upon the weight of the flour, and a liquid humectant in an amount of from about 10% by weight to about 50% by weight of the flour, said liquid humectant being selected from the group consisting of corn syrups, invert syrups, high fructose corn syrups, honey, molasses, and mixtures thereof, (b) forming the coextrudate into pieces with dough forming equipment so as to enrobe the inner cookie dough without contact between the inner adherent dough and the dough forming equipment, and (c) baking the pieces to a moisture content of at least about 6 percent by weight of the cookie wherein said cookies retain a shelf-stable soft or chewy texture throughout the cookie for at least about two months in a closed container.