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Fixing Flat Cookies
KAREN QUESTION
Feedback: I can not bake cookies. All of my baked cookies go flat. I have cookies look great fresh out of the oven and then go flat in minutes and I have had cookies go flat in the oven. I have an oven thermometer, I have tried hand mixing and have tried margarine versus butter to no avail.
ROSE REPLY
use a lower protein flour such as bleached all-purpose flour. unbleached has higher protein which ties up the liquid keeping it from turing to steam and puffing up the cookie. also, after shaping the cookies, refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes or freeze them for 10 minutes if you have freezer space. that way they can set in the hot oven before they start to spread. if this doesn't help enough, try increasing the oven heat by 25 degrees.
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Comments
I was just glancing over the section in CookWise called "Fine-tuning Cookies".
For more spread:
use all butter
add 1-2 tbsp liquid (water, milk, cream - NOT egg)
Use a low-protein flour like bleached AP
(but not one that is chlorinated)
add 1-2 tbsp sugar
let dough stand at room temp
For less spread:
use shortening or reduced-fat spread
use an egg for liquid
use cake flour
cut sugar by a few tbsps
use baking powder instead of baking soda
chill dough before it goes into the oven
Reply to this Posted by: Patrincia | November 20, 2008 9:33 PM #
Hi Catherine - is there a particular kind of cookie you'd like to make? My favorite choc. chip cookies are flat and chewey - the recipe can be found in Shirley O. Corriher's CookWise cookbook and calls for butter, bleached AP flour, milk, corn syrup, sugar, light brown sugar, baking soda, salt, lots of vanilla, choc. chips, and NO eggs. The recipe also calls for pecans, but we're not fans of nuts in our cookies so I omit them.
Reply to this Posted by: Patrincia | November 20, 2008 4:11 PM #
Thanks for the reply. To get it straight...for a flatter cookie I should use an unbleached (higher protein) flour? If that's the case, I already use unbleached flour! Maybe I'll try lowering the oven temperature.
Reply to this Posted by: Catherine | November 20, 2008 3:52 PM #
if you go to the top of this thread and see the original posting and my response just reverse it! i.e. higher protein flour will tie up the water so it won't turn to steam and make the cookies puffy!
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | November 20, 2008 1:34 PM #
I bet altitude has something to do with it. I've heard there are some great books on high-altitude baking -- try searching this blog for "altitude" and see what comes up -- and I'm sure some other folks will have some good suggestions.
Reply to this Posted by: Barbara | November 19, 2008 10:53 PM #
All of my cookies turn out puffy and cake-ish. I want to make a flat, chewy cookie. I've tried different recipes and even different ways of mixing the ingredients (high speed, low speed, wooden spoon) but I keep getting the same puffy, cakey result. Do you have any suggestions?
on a side note, I used to live in northern Alberta, Canada and could easily make wonderful flat, chewy cookies. I now live in Vancouver, BC. Could altitude or humitidy be preventing the cookies from flattening?
Reply to this Posted by: Catherine | November 19, 2008 9:27 PM #
I use butter flavored crisco to make my chocolate chip cookies as I had trouble with the cookies spreading when I used all butter. My cookies turn out great....I also bake them at 350 degrees for 12 minutes and wait a few minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet.
Reply to this Posted by: Pat Doubleday | June 7, 2008 9:11 AM #
scalding the milk will improve texture giving you greater height. letting the sponge sit gives more flavor but try doing it without and see if you're happy with the results--the extra time may not be worth it to you.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | February 4, 2007 5:02 PM #
I have a fabulous bread recipe from my grandmother, but must I let the 'sponge' sit overnight and must I scald the milk? Maybe this needed to be done many years ago; hopefully, I can save some time and be able to make this bread more often.
Reply to this Posted by: Lisa | February 4, 2007 7:56 AM #
lesley, people often blame themselves for baking failures but it's more often than not the recipe. proof is that your chocolate chip cookies come out well. my first cookie ever (100 years ago!) was the oatmeal cookies from the back of the box which turned out to be one giant cookie!
try someone elses recipes (dare i suggest mine from "rose's christmas cookies"!) usually flat cookeis are the result of too high a protein flour which ties up the water keeping it from puffing.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 11, 2006 9:01 PM #
I bake chocolate chip cookies great but when it comes to baking oatmeal cookies they go flat. I can't figure out why?
Reply to this Posted by: Lesley | November 11, 2006 4:46 PM #
use a higher protein flour and don't over bake them.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | July 20, 2006 6:30 PM #
My cookies don't flatten. They always end up puffy and dry tasting. Help!
Reply to this Posted by: Lori Neumann | July 17, 2006 5:51 PM #
i just experienced a great stollen demo by hans welker at the french culinary institute and he used unbleached all purpose bc stollen is really a very rich yeast bread. but ask your mother which flour she used. flour variety makes such a difference in baked goods.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 26, 2005 4:52 PM #
Thanks for the hint...I've wondered for a while why my mother's recipe for Christmas stollen has not turned out for me the same as it turned out for her...I bet it's the unbleached flour that I use. I never thought it would have an impact. Thanks.
Reply to this Posted by: jean | December 26, 2005 4:35 PM #