Monday, 06 April 2009

• Help! My Cookies Are Flat!

  Ed's note: Tom, a long time Xangan, is known for his passion for cooking and love of food. Below he shares with us how to prevent flat cookies.

  

  (source)

  Hey, Tom

  Okay, I have the dumbest question.  So, I go to the cookie guru.  My son and I baked some cookies.  And they came out completely flat.  Like little crackers with the chocolate chips sticking up. Why is that?

  A. Over-mixing is the likely culprit. Ingredients should be mixed just to the point of coming together; sometimes I even under-mix cookie dough a little bit if I'm going to be adding things like chocolate chips, candy, nuts. etc. Otherwise, mix the batter just until it comes together then fold-in the add-ins.

  Another or additional culprit may be expired baking powder or baking soda. Baking powder, too, can be rendered ineffective if it hasn't been used in a while. Why? Because baking powder is (essentially) a combination of baking soda and corn starch and the baking soda can sink to the bottom of the container over time. I've made it a habit to stir my baking powder just before measuring to make sure the baking soda and cornstarch are evenly distributed.
  
  Also, if too much baking soda is used, that can render cookies flat. I do a version of chocolate chip cookies than contain no baking soda and they don't melt/spread at all. They maintain whatever shape I form them into (typically a "nugget" or "mound").
  
  Lastly, if none of these fit into the equation, you might try chilling the dough before scooping out on to baking sheets and baking.

  Have your homemade cookies ever turned out flat?  What's a common cooking or baking problem you encounter?

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