Cookies

[Karol]

Why would a cookie recipe that I made several times the last month go totally flat on me now. I made three batches last night to make sure it was not me and each one baked out flat instead of full and more cakie. The baking soda isn't that old... less then a year old and I wouldn't think it would go bad in two weeks. Any thoughts

[Andy M.]

Hi, Karol.

If you used butter in the recipe, the cookies will go flat when baked because the butter melts faster so the dough spreads out on the cookie sheet before the heat can set it.

Try chilling the dough for a couple of hours before baking the cookies and also cool the cookie sheets in the freezer between batches.

[cara]

can you post the recipe?

even if the baking soda is not that old, I would try it with a new one...

other possibilty:
your oven got broken and is too hot/to cold now. Check it with a oven thermometer

[Selkie]

Both Baking powder and baking soda have expiration dates printed on the bottom of their containers. I would check those first. Often, when Grocery stores restock, they pull the oldest items from the rear of the shelf and move them to the front, which is OK as long as one doesn't get forgotten and spends too much time before being rotated and sold.

Baking soda has a useful life of about 36 months, while baking powder only about 24 months. This usefulness begins from the time they are manufactured - NOT when you take it home from the store.