Why are my cookies going flat?

[rwalizer]

When I first take my chocolate chip cookies out of the oven they are nice and puffy but as they cool they flatten out. We like them chewy and not cake-y but these are thin and well, ugly. I tried fresh baking soda and that didn't help. Any suggestions?

[MyThreeSons]

My Betty Crocker cookbook says that adding more flour will give a softer, rounder cookie. The recipe calls for 3 cups flour, but suggests adding 1/2 cup for that softer result.

[melissel]

Yeah, I always thought the extra flour would make the cookies harder, but apparently it doesn't. I've had very good results with this recipe:

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/Detail.aspx

 

HTH!

[Alenee]

According to my handy dandy new cookbook,

 

-placed on hot cookie sheet

-not enough flour (this has been my experience using the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, so I add an extra 1/4 cup of flour)

-poor quality margarine

 

I also found that if the butter is too soft, the flattening happens as well but this usually happens while baking, not after.

[pianoplayer]

Shirley Corriher talks about this in her book, Bakewise. According to her, using butter in cookies will produce flat cookies, while margarine will produce puffier cookies. Hope this helps! It's certainly made a difference for me.

[Debbie in OR]

Shirley Corriher talks about this in her book, Bakewise. According to her, using butter in cookies will produce flat cookies, while margarine will produce puffier cookies. Hope this helps! It's certainly made a difference for me.

 

Exactly what I was going to say...butter is the culprit. Use margarine (if you like it) or (yikes, I'm going to say it) Crisco. They give the fluffiest, softest cookies (but just don't ever tell anyone).

[karensk]

When I first take my chocolate chip cookies out of the oven they are nice and puffy but as they cool they flatten out. We like them chewy and not cake-y but these are thin and well, ugly. I tried fresh baking soda and that didn't help. Any suggestions?

 

I used to have the same problem with a chocolate chip cookie recipe that calls for real butter (no margarine, no shortening). I finally figured out that refrigerating the cookie dough right after mixing it helped some.

 

What works best is to stick the entire bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for a few hours, covered w/plastic wrap. Then I remove the bowl from the fridge to form the cookie dough balls, placing them on plates or trays; these are put into the freezer for a few hours, covered w/plastic wrap. When the dough balls are frozen solid, I dump them into a freezer ziploc bag. This way, I only bake what we're about to eat. I bake them straight from the freezer by placing the frozen dough balls on a cookie sheet (chilled or at room temp.) just before putting them in the preheated oven; I don't let them thaw at all. This works with a toaster oven, too.

 

HTH!

[GSMP]

It could be a couple of things...are you using real butter?

 

With real butter if you over mix it the fat starts to break down and it will cause the cookie to go flat. Of it the dough is left out and gets to warm the butter melts in the batter.

 

Here is a great site....I go to this site when something doesn't go the way it is supposed to.....:lol:

 

http://www.baking911.com/

[Brenda in FL]

Exactly what I was going to say...butter is the culprit. Use margarine (if you like it) or (yikes, I'm going to say it) Crisco. They give the fluffiest, softest cookies (but just don't ever tell anyone).

 

You aren't the only one to use crisco! I use butter flavored crisco - and we make great chocolate chip cookies. According to my mom the toll house recipe she used way back when originally called for shortening.

 

I would never make them without crisco!

 

And also - getting them off the cookie sheet quickly prevents them from getting crispy. Let them cool on wire racks.

[JFSinIL]

I'd add a tad more flour. I also use half butter, half shortening for my "butter" cookies - all butter tends to end up flatter and crisper than if it is part shortening.

 

Alton would know the hows and whys of all this ;-)

[rwalizer]

but I though it was because I use cheap butter. I would have never guessed that I should use margerine or shortening instead or that I may need to increase the flour. Hmmm, now I have an excuse to make another batch!(and of course I'll have to make the sacrifice and taste test them before my family eats them.)

[AustinTea]

You aren't the only one to use crisco! I use butter flavored crisco - and we make great chocolate chip cookies. According to my mom the toll house recipe she used way back when originally called for shortening.

 

I would never make them without crisco!

 

And also - getting them off the cookie sheet quickly prevents them from getting crispy. Let them cool on wire racks.

 

:iagree: I haven't had a problem since I started using butter flavor Crisco. Before that, they always went flat.

[Linda in NE]

First, if you choose to use butter, be sure it's unsalted. If it's salted butter, be sure to leave out the extra salt the recipe may call for.

 

Second, soften the butter, "cream" in the sugar, and add the rest of the ingredients as you normally would. I ALWAYS add extra flour to get a soft, fluffy cookie.

 

Next, once everything is mixed in, refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes to an hour so the butter can "set" again. Once it's chilled, I take the dough out and shape enough for my two cookie sheets (that's all that will fit in my ovens at one time).

 

Finally, I stash the remaining dough in the fridge while the first two cookie sheets full of cookies are baking. When those cookies come out of the oven, I remove them from the sheets and cool on wire racks. I ALWAYS clean the cookie sheets and run cool water over them then dry them before I put more dough balls on there to cook. Placing the cold dough on a hot cookie sheet causes the dough to melt, defeating what you accomplished by refrigerating the dough in the first place.

 

This always works for me, and it really isn't much extra trouble. I do it because I think butter-based cookies just taste better, less "greasy" somehow. That's just my opinion.

[momee]

Thank you for the tricks.

 

I have been making mine with butter, flat as a pan. Today I decided to make more (good excuse) and used crisco (don't ask why I even had it, hate the stuff).

 

So, I feel guiltier than normal taking a cookie knowing crisco is in them.

 

Now, you've given me hope.

 

:)

[The Governess]

My dh discovered that baking the cookies using the convection setting makes them way fluffier than just using the basic "bake" setting. He makes some delicious cookies that way. :001_smile:

[wagnfun]

Thank you for the tricks.

 

I have been making mine with butter, flat as a pan. Today I decided to make more (good excuse) and used crisco (don't ask why I even had it, hate the stuff).

 

So, I feel guiltier than normal taking a cookie knowing crisco is in them.

 

Now, you've given me hope.

 

:)

 

This is me. I stay WAY FAR away from things made with crisco. Interesting thoughts though-- I think I'll try the extra flour first!

 

Thanks for the tips!

[TraceyS/FL]

Normally around here they are flat because of overly soft butter. IT's about IMPOSSIBLE to get it right in the summer here.

 

Never mind the last time DH & DD made cookies they didn't even have the right number of eggs. Gee guys, what i WRONG with these cookies?!?!

 

I prefer butter too - and will have to try the extra flour bit!

[JennyB]

You are supposed to COOK the cookies? I love, love, love chocolate chip cookie dough. :drool: When I do cook them though I just add in extra flour. Almost 3/4 to 1 cup extra will make a great soft cookie. Now I am going to have to go make some cookies. :D

[Liz Mc in SC]

I don't think I saw anyone post this but I use less butter (I stay away from Crisco and any Hydrogenated Veg. Oil -- yuck)

 

If the recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, I use 1 and 1/2. Or if it calls for 1 and 1/2 I'll cut it back to 1 and a tablespoon. I don't know who told me to do this but I've been doing it for years and they don't spread out and get flat. Good luck!

[Rose in BC]

but I though it was because I use cheap butter. I would have never guessed that I should use margerine or shortening instead or that I may need to increase the flour. Hmmm, now I have an excuse to make another batch!(and of course I'll have to make the sacrifice and taste test them before my family eats them.)

 

I think lining the pans with parchment paper has allowed for a more even baked cookie.

[HomesteadMommy]

I always use real butter in our cookies, but if I want a fluffy cookie I chill the dough for a few hours in the fridge. Works great!

[Brenda in FL]

Second, soften the butter, "cream" in the sugar, and add the rest of the ingredients as you normally would.

 

"Creaming" the sugar and butter - another fine point to mention. So many recipes now call for mixing cookie dough with an electric mixer. I never, never, never use a mixer when making cookies. It's the old fashioned wooden spoon for me! I've noticed flat cookies in the past when I followed a recipe and when friends have used a mixer. (It might be OK for some recipes - but except for rainbow cookies - I haven't found a need to use an electric mixer when making cookies - YMMV).

[Starr]

Dd says that more flour does the trick or when all else fails, more chocolate chips!!

[TraceyS/FL]

OK, i'm BTT this post..... why???

 

Because i have tried these to no avail....

 

Which isn't totally true - i realized we haven't tried the refrigerate the dough - which is why i went hunting for the thread. I'm not sure how the heck that will work around here though.... i'm not thinking DH is going to wait a few hours when he starts mixing them up at 10pm :lol:

 

But i've tried since reading this:

 

* more flour

* margarine (really, when he's making a batch a night i can't afford to keep him in butter)

* Cricso - just now tried this.... man is that a greasy cookie! Give me butter!

 

So next up, planning for the refrigerated dough. I need to do the frozen thing - maybe then he'd only make 9 cookies a night?!?!

 

(he's not overweight either - he could eat the whole stinkin' batch every night and never gain a pant size :glare:)

[Michele B]

Go to Cook's Illustrated online and sign up for the 2 week free trial. Then look up their chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is great! It goes into great detail about how they made it stay chewy - melting the butter first, extra egg yolk, cooling ON the pan etc. Yum!

 

[ma23peas]

I always use real butter in our cookies, but if I want a fluffy cookie I chill the dough for a few hours in the fridge. Works great!

 

 

YES! Here's the key! I also cook them at 365 for 10 minutes instead of 375 for 8....

 

I always use butter, but I also use baking powder and salt instead of baking soda and salt...don't know if that makes a difference but mine are always chewy and not runny...

 

Tara (we just made some tonight! :))

[LadyAberlin]

If I've tried to soften the butter by microwaving it and I left it in there too long they will go flat. They do the best with room temp butter.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Yep, refrigeration is the key. I heard this on NPR a few days ago. Somebody actually did a study on how to make the best toll house cookies. I turned out that the longer the dough was refrigerated the better the results, even up to 3 days.

[TraceyS/FL]

OK, the fridge it is.

 

Room temperature butter in my kitchen is about melted.......

 

And Virginia Dawn - after 3 days there wouldn't be any dough to bake! :lol:

[unsinkable]

I used to have the same problem with a chocolate chip cookie recipe that calls for real butter (no margarine, no shortening). I finally figured out that refrigerating the cookie dough right after mixing it helped some.

 

What works best is to stick the entire bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for a few hours, covered w/plastic wrap. Then I remove the bowl from the fridge to form the cookie dough balls, placing them on plates or trays; these are put into the freezer for a few hours, covered w/plastic wrap. When the dough balls are frozen solid, I dump them into a freezer ziploc bag. This way, I only bake what we're about to eat. I bake them straight from the freezer by placing the frozen dough balls on a cookie sheet (chilled or at room temp.) just before putting them in the preheated oven; I don't let them thaw at all. This works with a toaster oven, too.

 

HTH!

 

Great ideas!

[unsinkable]

First, if you choose to use butter, be sure it's unsalted. If it's salted butter, be sure to leave out the extra salt the recipe may call for.

 

Second, soften the butter, "cream" in the sugar, and add the rest of the ingredients as you normally would. I ALWAYS add extra flour to get a soft, fluffy cookie.

 

Next, once everything is mixed in, refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes to an hour so the butter can "set" again. Once it's chilled, I take the dough out and shape enough for my two cookie sheets (that's all that will fit in my ovens at one time).

 

Finally, I stash the remaining dough in the fridge while the first two cookie sheets full of cookies are baking. When those cookies come out of the oven, I remove them from the sheets and cool on wire racks. I ALWAYS clean the cookie sheets and run cool water over them then dry them before I put more dough balls on there to cook. Placing the cold dough on a hot cookie sheet causes the dough to melt, defeating what you accomplished by refrigerating the dough in the first place.

 

This always works for me, and it really isn't much extra trouble. I do it because I think butter-based cookies just taste better, less "greasy" somehow. That's just my opinion.

 

 

Linda,

 

We must be secret sisters! I do all this except the extra flour. I put in extra chocolate chips...3 cups instead of 2 in the toll house recipe.

 

I called the Land o' lakes butter hotline and talked to a home ec teacher. SHe told me the point about the putting the dough back into the frig.

 

Another thing to think of is the size of each cookie in relation to the other cookies on the sheet. If you put the dough too far apart, it will spread too much. So I use a scooper so I get the same amount of dough each time and only place it two inches apart.

 

HTH

[hornblower]

In addition to the butter/shortening/room temp/fridge variances, I've also noticed a big difference based on the type of brown sugar I use - assuming your recipe calls for brown

 

We have some that's golden, some that's med brown & some that's dark brown & they all produce a diff cookie. I think the dk brown was the flattest.....

 

Also I have choc chip cookie recipe that calls for a bit of rolled oats & I find that helps the cookie dough firm enough to stay "up" during the baking.

[materursa]

So many recipes now call for mixing cookie dough with an electric mixer. I never, never, never use a mixer when making cookies. It's the old fashioned wooden spoon for me! I've noticed flat cookies in the past when I followed a recipe and when friends have used a mixer.

 

:iagree: Yup, what she said. :001_smile:

 

I use butter in my cookies... and even melt it before mixing it in(the recipe calls for that). But, I use a good old-fashioned spoon to mix it. My sister on the other hand uses margarine and a mixer. Her cookies are flat, mine aren't. ;)

 

~Amanda

[H.S. Burrow]

I'm scratching my head here because...

 

I have used cheap salted butter at room temp and an electric mixer with no extra flour for the past 14 years and always have nicely rounded, non-flat chocolate chip cookies.

 

The only times I've ever had flat chocolate chip cookies was when I used margarine...before they removed all the trans fats. I have made chocolate chips cookies once using butter flavor Crisco and they were awful.

 

Just curious because no one's mentioned this but, could this be an altitude/humidity problem instead of a butter/margarine/shortening or extra flour/chilled dough problem? I know that some recipes and cookbooks have adjustments on ingredients depending on the altitude.

[melissel]

I have used cheap salted butter at room temp and an electric mixer with no extra flour for the past 14 years and always have nicely rounded, non-flat chocolate chip cookies.

 

ROFL!!! I recently started using the recipe I posted above with extra flour AND I use a mixer and I get beautiful cookies now! And the times when I've used melted butter, I've ended up with crispy, crumbly, flat cookies. I think this is like the cloth diapering thing--everyone has different results using the same materials :lol: