Why are my cookies too crumbly?

[richo]

I tried a recipe for double fudge cookies from a TV show. They turned out pretty good but they were a bit crumbly and not as chewy as I'd like. They were not dry but when you would hold one in your hand it would have a tendency to break apart while you're eating it. Some of the ingredients are real melted chocolate, cocoa powder, butter, brown sugar, eggs, etc. What needs to be adjusted in this recipe to make the cookies hold together better?

Thanks for the help.

 

[kitchenelf]

Scotchtape?

I can't bake worth a lick Richo, sorry. I make these sugar cookies that do the same thing. They melt in your mouth but they just break apart in your hand. They are supposed to have icing (not a stiff one either) and they do not hold up well to this task.

Soooooo, hopefully a baker will happen along and help both of us. In the meantime the crumbled pieces of cookie are quite good

 

[BradTheDog]

are you sifting the flour before and after measuring? if not that is likely one of your problems. Traditional recipes are written for 4 ounce cups of flour, which is what a sifted cup weighs, a cup of flour out of the bag off the shelf from the grocery will wegh between 4.75 and 6 ounces per cup because it has settles and is compacted. Thusly you are adding and extra 20 to 50% more flour than the recipe calls for giving you dry and brittle baked goods. The reason for sifting all your dry ingredients togeather is for better incorporation giving consistent texture and structure to the end product making it much less likely to crumble and fall apart.

 

[spearmint45]

Try adding another egg yolk for structure and tenderness. Add about 1 tbsp. more flour and 1 tbsp. more of sugar to keep the balance.

In addition, you could also replace a little bit of the fat with vegetable oil (canola works fine). This will give you a moister cookie.

Happy Cookieing