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What am I doing wrong?

post #1 of 32
8/20/09 at 6:28pm
Thread Starter 
I bake cakes. I bake brownies. I can even make a mean old fashioned banana pudding.

But I cannot bake cookies. I following the recipes word by word. I preheat my oven. But they always turn out thin, crispy, and quite frankly.. they just suck.

This evening I baked a batch and my son, the cookie monster, didn't even want to try one. Gah!
-Christy
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-Christy
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post #2 of 32
8/20/09 at 6:33pm
Two things come to my mind first:
Have you checked the accuracy of your oven temp.?
OR
What about your baking powder/ baking soda? Is it old?

Other than those two, I really don't know what else to suggest.
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post #3 of 32
8/20/09 at 6:43pm
I dont know if I can Help, But I suggest you post the receipe you used. Atleats others can browes by and see what you may be doing wrong with the cookies!!

Depending how much/little of an ingrediant I use and the heat of the oven usually creates different outcomes of my cookies.
Its just Identifying the cause.
Caitlin Loves Cooking Cookies
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Caitlin Loves Cooking Cookies
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post #4 of 32
8/20/09 at 6:52pm
My Choc chip cookie reciepe calls for

Butter
Brown Sugar
White Sugar
Egg
Vanilla essence
Self Raising Flour (Plain flour with baking powder also works)
Choc chips

I Roll the dough into balls - place on try, cook 10mins - if oven is low, the balls melt and spread. if the oven is high, they come out all raised!! Same Receipe but many ways the damn thing turns out.

Either way they taste Yummy.... lol, so I'm sure you will perfect it one day
Caitlin Loves Cooking Cookies
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Caitlin Loves Cooking Cookies
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post #5 of 32
8/20/09 at 6:58pm
Try an insulated cookie sheet and a cookie scoop. The cookie scoop looks like an ice cream scoop except it's smaller. Also, if your cookie recipe says butter, use butter, not margarine. I never knew what a difference it made until recently, but it does.
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post #6 of 32
8/20/09 at 7:01pm
True. It does make a difference between butter, margarine, and shortening.
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post #7 of 32
8/20/09 at 7:02pm
I can't get cookies right either - never could. I have tried underbaking them (picture gooey and/or cake-like cookies) and if I leave them in the oven for another fraction of a second to make sure that they are not UNDER-baked, they come out like hockey pucks. I never find the in between, never. It doesn't even matter what kind of cookie I am making - drop, cutout, whatever... I've given up on cookies entirely.
Mommy to Colette (b. Oct. 4, 2006) and to my four-legged "baby" Otto (b. July 7, 2004)
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Mommy to Colette (b. Oct. 4, 2006) and to my four-legged "baby" Otto (b. July 7, 2004)
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post #8 of 32
8/20/09 at 7:05pm
Ok the cookies should look slightly underbaked when you take them out of the oven. Let them rest on the sheet about 5 minutes thentransfer to a cooling rack. They shoot be soft enough when they come out of the oven that they fall apart if you try to take them off immediately.
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post #9 of 32
8/20/09 at 8:29pm
I love making Cookies, and I always say - never over react when you try and pick a cookie up hot and it falls apart. after they cool they harder up. So its not always good to over cook them!!

When I said Butter up there - Sorry, I meant Marg. Its just a habbit that I call it butter!! I get a type of Marg that call its self "soft Butter" which is basically Marg. My cookies turn out fine!!

And stuff waiting for them to cool, I do a lot of batches... so i slide about three off at a time with my large spatula and place them on the bench.... hehe!! Well no one else it eating them bar me and the family... they are all gone within 3days, so I cook ALOT!!

Goodluck next time - agentdorkfish.
I say experiment, and take on everyones advice!!
Caitlin Loves Cooking Cookies
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Caitlin Loves Cooking Cookies
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post #10 of 32
8/20/09 at 8:51pm
Check your oven temp - could be the culprit.

Also, do you use a stand mixer? I find that cookies can get over-creamed quickly in a stand mixer. (if that is even a word!) Try making the toll-house recipe with a hand mixer or by hand. Use regular flour. See what happens.

One last thing, you can scoop your cookies and refrigerate for about 10 mins before baking. That should help minimize spread.
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post #11 of 32
8/21/09 at 10:51am
Thread Starter 
Thanks, everyone! I'm going to try one more time. I'm going to try the sugar cookie recipe that's on here.

And I don't have a stand mixer. I'm asking for one for Christmas, haha. Most of my baking stuff I mix the old-fashion way.. by hand! Except for creaming stuff, of course. I have a hand held mixer for that.
-Christy
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-Christy
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post #12 of 32
8/21/09 at 11:01am
Oh, if it's sugar cookies, just roll them thicker icon_biggrin.gif

Don't bake too long, take them out while they're still white on top and let them sit on the cookie sheet for a while.
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post #13 of 32
8/21/09 at 11:14am
I use parchment paper under my cookies. When I take the cookie sheet out of the oven, I slide the sheet with the cookies onto my counter. This stops the baking process so they won't continue to bake and get too crispy on the bottom.

You may need to add a touch more flour to your recipe since it sounds like a little too much butter/margarine to flour ratio. That makes thin and crispy cookies.

I use to be a Mrs Fields Cookie manager a long time ago and that's what she does.
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post #14 of 32
8/21/09 at 11:38am
Also, you might want to read the wrapper of the margarine you are using. I was making triple chocolate walnut cookies, along with a bunch of others, and the triples were the only ones coming out flat and "hollow". i read somewhere that you need to make sure you are using a margarine that has at least 80% vegetable oil. I was using Parkay sticks, which is only 65%. That fact didn't affect any of the other cookies, but it sure changed the triples! Thick and delicious now! YUMMY!! icon_biggrin.gif
A GOOD MOM LETS YOU LICK THE BEATERS,
A GREAT MOM TURNS THE MIXER OFF FIRST!!
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A GOOD MOM LETS YOU LICK THE BEATERS,
A GREAT MOM TURNS THE MIXER OFF FIRST!!
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post #15 of 32
8/21/09 at 11:45am
How soft is your butter? Are you melting it first? Some people do that so it is easier to incorporate into the other ingredients not realizing it goes though a chemical change (omg I used the ef-word in baking chemical)

But umm where was I, melted butter turns into butter fat, some milk solids and some water so you have a much different composition to work with. If we do this we are adding water to our cookie dough and it's just not the same.

But I mean whatever fat you use even if it's shortening should not be melted.

Cookie making thoughts about melting moments. icon_biggrin.gif

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1610,159172-229206,00.html
 
 

 

 

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