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PROBLEM |
WHAT HAPPENED |
SOLUTION |
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DOUGH: |
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Dough too sticky to roll |
Dough is
not thoroughly chilled or too little flour. |
Cover and
chill dough. |
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Dough is too dry |
Too much
flour |
Measured
too much flour. (See How to Measure).
Dribble in water until the dough reaches desired consistency. |
|
Dough cracks when rolling |
Dough is
too cold |
Cover
dough and let sit at room temperature to warm slightly. |
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COOKIES: |
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Cookies crumble and are dry and hard
|
Over mixing the dough, over baking, dry
fruit/coconut, too much water or a lack of fat. Excessive salt can also
cause your cookies to be hard. |
Stop
mixing when the dough is just mixed. Do not overdo it.
Soak dry
fruit in water a few minutes to absorb some moisture so it won't
take it from the recipe.
Measure salt using measuring spoons. Level top. |
|
Cookies stick to baking pans |
Cookie
sheets not prepared according to the recipe.
Cookies are still hot from the oven. |
Use
parchment paper to line pans. Or, lightly grease pan before using. (Note:
cookies spread more on greased sheets so parchment paper is preferred.)
Let the cookies cool on the pans for a few minutes
before transferring to wire racks. |
|
Cookies break when removed from baking
sheets |
Cookies
are still hot from the oven. |
Let the
cookies cool on the pans for a few minutes before transferring to wire
racks. |
|
Cookies bake unevenly |
Dough was
not rolled or portioned to a consistent thickness or size. |
Spring-release ice cream scoops
are handy for forming drop cookies efficiently. They're available in a
variety of sizes at kitchenware or restaurant supply stores. |
|
Cookies are oily |
Type of
fat used.
Cookie dough was not chilled before baking
Too much fat. |
Do not
substitute shortening, stick butter or margarine for vegetable oil.
Margarine is softer and more oily than butter.
Shortening is the best to use in this case.
Not enough flour. See How
to Measure. |
|
Cookies fall apart |
Used diet
or whipped spreads. The products are full of air and water. |
Use stick
butter or shortening. |
|
Cookies too puffy |
All
shortening makes cookies puff. |
Use all
butter or half shortening and half butter or all butter.
Bring the dough to room temperature before baking.
|
|
Cookies too flat; they spread and thin out
while baking |
Need
proper recipe Dough was not properly
chilled.
Pans were greased too much.
Dough was placed on warm baking sheets
Used a low-fat margarine.
Butter makes cookies spread if the dough is too soft
before baking. |
Use
shortening instead of butter. Butter melts faster than solid shortening,
cookies will spread more if made with butter. Even half butter/half
shortening will melt more slowly than butter-only, so cookies made that
way still spread less than if made with all-butter.
Use cake flour instead of all-purpose, it has more moisture
and will therefore puff more (cookies will be softer and paler, though).
Additionally, add in 1 to 2 tablespoons flour can sometimes cause cookies
to puff more.
Acidic doughs and batters (such as those made with
baking powder, which has acids and does not neutralize other acids in the
cookie dough recipe) set faster, but do not brown as well (cookies will be
puffier).Use baking powder (1 teaspoon per cup of flour) instead of baking
soda; the resulting dough will set faster, be puffier, but do not brown as
well.
Use parchment paper to line your cookies sheets with for
less cookie spread.
Make smaller cookies, they’ll puff better.
Chill dough, form cookies and then chill on pans before
baking. |
|
Cookies not chewy |
All
white sugar makes cookies crispier. |
Remove
the cookies a few minutes before they are done, while their centers are
still soft and not quite cooked through. The edges should be slightly
golden but the middle will still look slightly raw.
Use 2 egg yolks instead of one whole egg, this will add
some extra moistness to the cookies thus helping to be a bit more on the
chewy side.
Using some high protein flour (such as bread flour) can
make the dough hold together better, and can make a chewier cookie – but
too much can make the cookies flatter and crisper – experimentation is
needed.
1/2 brown and 1/2 white sugar will make for more
chewiness. Use dark brown sugar (more molasses) instead of light brown
sugar. It attracts more moisture from the air, and will make a chewier
result.
Use baking powder (1 teaspoon per cup of flour) instead
of baking soda; the resulting dough will make a chewier cookie (it will
spread less, since it’s more acid). |
|
Cookies aren't crispy |
Type of
fat used.
Brown sugar makes cookies chewier. |
Bake
cookies a few minutes longer than suggested and immediately remove them to
wire racks to cool.
Make with all butter.
Replace the egg called for in the recipe with milk for a
crispier cookie.
Use more white sugar than brown to give more crispiness.
A less acidic batter spreads more and cookies will be crispier.
Substitute 1/2 teaspoon baking soda per cup of flour for the baking powder
called for in the recipe. The cookies will also brown better.
Use a little bit more liquid in the batter; that will
help cookies to spread more, and thus be thinner and crispier.
Substitute 1 tablespoon of corn syrup for 1 tablespoon
of the sugar called for in the recipe; it will make the cookies crispier
and browner.
Use
bread flour for drier, crispier cookies (they will be darker, too).
Bread flour absorbs more liquid from the recipe than any other type of
flour. All-purpose flour can also make a crispy cookie, which will be
more tender than a cookie made entirely with bread flour.
|
Problems
can occur during the making and baking of cookies.
