Flat cookies

[tiggerbengal]

I am baking some chocolate chip cookies, and they are turning out flat. I am cooking them for 9-11 minutes as the recipe says. I take them out and let them cool for 2 minutes, before putting them on a plate, and they are falling apart. Why are they turning out so flat?

 

[kitchenelf]

I wish I could answer this for you but the LAST time I made them I put them on the cooling racks and only the chocolate chips were left and the dough fell under the racks - so I will be of NO use whatsoever!

 

[BubbaGourmet]

It is possibly whatever you are using as shortening. Butter melts at a lower temp than shortening and can result in flatter cookies. If shortening is old, it loses some of its properties as well. In addition, some recipes are designed to turn out flat cookies. These are typically the ones that have you drop batter onto the cookie. Thus, it may be NOTHING that you are doing wrong, but may merely be the recipe that you are using. I wish I could be a bit more helpful but, unfortunately, I am what is known as "flour-challenged" so try not to bake more than I absolutely have to. There are some good bakers here, maybe one of them can give you better advice.

 

[kyles]

You could write a book on the things that can go wrong with cookies! (I'm sure some good person somewhere already has). BubbaGourmet is right when he says that it depends on your recipe. In addition, make sure that your butter is not too warm when you start, and that the sugar and butter are well creamed before you add the next ingredients. Not enough time here can cause problems later.
Ensure your cookie trays are cold when you put the cookie dough on, or they spread too soon.
Flour can act differently depending on its moisture content, you could try adding a little more (around 10%)
Check your oven temperature too, preferably with a thermometer. You may need to reduce your temperature (again by 10%) they may be cooking too quickly.
IMHO two mins cooling isn't enough, give the little critters a bit longer to recover.
Good luck!

 

[Ms_Placed]

That happened to me many years ago when I greased the cookie pan. Never again! You may want to chill the dough for a while before dropping the cookies.

 

[kyles]

Good point miss placed. I use silicon paper (don't know what you guys call it, perhaps the same thing) instead of gerasing. Greasing the pan sometimes ends up frying your cookies.

 

[SEÑORMuttley]

I ended up with one giant, sad looking cookie, the last time I attempted to bake. I think the shortening/butter/margarine (don't use) observation was probably my problem.

Anyone have a good sugar cookie recipe?

 

[kitchenelf]

I had made many, many years ago what I thought was called Best Ever Sugar Cookies - but they are Best Ever Butter Cookies :-( But here's the link to them anyway - they were awesome!!

Best Ever Butter Cookies

 

[tiggerbengal]

Thanks! I am trying to bake some more right now. I decreased the oven temp a few degrees, and will let them sit longer. I also have my cookie dough & tray in the fridge.

 

[kyles]

Good luck tiggerbengal! I'm planning on making cookies tomorrow, not done any baking for ages! Let us know how they turn out

 

[kitchenelf]

I'm curious too! Thanks for letting us know if this does/does not help.

 

[tiggerbengal]

Ok. Here's the experiment:
I bought an extra cookie pan yesterday at the grocery store. It's made by baker's secret, and the edges are raised. I also have I think an air-bake pan, which doesnt have the edges that raised, just a flat pan. So, I put the cookie dough and new pan in the fridge for about 5 minutes. I tried the new pan first, and voila! Raised cookies! I also let them sit for 5 minutes before transfering to a covered pan to store them in. I tried the flat pan, and they turned out flat as a board So, IMO, it has to do with the pan. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the pan has raised edges vs. a flat air bake pan? :?: