Looking for the question “How To Fix Cookies That Spread Too Much“? Then don’t worry as this article will be a game changer for your kitchen.
So, you’re one of bakers who still thinks to melt the butter before putting it in the oven? To evenly space cookies on sheet pans as directed by the recipe? Or, instead, chills cookie dough for the entire two hours, gasp, nightly?
I’m not one of those bakers, to be sure. I admit that, in an approach to make as many cookies as practicable in as few quantities as possible with as few baking parchment as possible, I don’t often allow my cut-outs or ball the space they require. (Wait, how? Commercial property on a baking sheet isn’t relatively inexpensive!) When detached, the effect is almost often intertwined cookies that are semi-circular (if uncoupled at all).
Their deformed appearance will serve as a constant indicator of my impatience and abstract thinking. But, before I reorganize my cookie baking area, buy sheet pans I don’t need, or begin aggressively preparing (sigh!) for melted butter needs, I believe the most pressing issue is: How to fix cookies that spread too much?
Detailed Guide On How To Fix Cookies That Spread Too Much
So, what really is the bargain? What Causes Cookies to Spread?
There are several reasons why cookies lose their shapes and spread too much. Some of them are mentioned below:
- Greased cookie sheets: Spreading is easier for lubricated baking sheets. Allowing the cookies to adhere to something with friction, such as an ungreased baking sheet or one lined with parchment or Silpat, will help them spread more slowly. A lubricated baking sheet just allows the thick, molten cookie dough to spread out ever further.
- Butter that’s too cold: When using room temperature butter in a recipe, you should be able to quickly make a slight incision with your finger. If the butter becomes too warm or stiff, you’ll have to prepare the cookie dough for further long to fully incorporate it, which may result in.
- Dough that’s too airy: As Dorie Greenspan states in Dorie’s Cookies, the very first step in several cookie recipes—creaming everything together sugar and butter not be overdone. Typically, the aim is to always add the two ingredients to avoid the “soft and airy” level. You’ll aerate the dough unnecessarily if you beat the butter and sugar together at high speed or for too long, allowing the cookies to soar then descend the oven.
- Dough that’s too warm: Since the fat in the dough solidifies after chilling, the cookies can melt more slowly in the oven. As a result, the cookies are taller and heavier, and they retain their initial, shaped noticeably better.Many bakers prefer freezing cookie dough thoroughly—for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator—to minimize spreading and make the dough easier to deal with, even though a recipe does not really directly mention for it (as in the case of cut-out or slice-and-bake cookies).
- A peculiar sugar, butter, and fat ratio: Cookies on the go can be caused by too much sugar, too much butter, or too little flour. (In the situation of cookies that scatter no matter how nicely the flour and/or baking sheets are prepared, I’d definitely try a different recipe.)
What am I able to do with it?
I experimented with drbabs’ Magical Marvelous Memorable Cookies and see if a few basic variables like cool time, temperature conditions, and cookie sheet lining will really make a significant difference. I picked this version because these cookies are considered to expand and that they’ve come out differently at different times.
What effect would modifying a few basic variables have on how (and how much) the cookies scatter (bearing in view, of example, that the intensity and spread of M&Ms, granola, and pretzels would affect each ball somewhat different manner)? I divided a batch of cookies into four equal parts and baked each one somewhat differently:
Also Read : How To Freeze Cookie Dough In A Log
Against the recipe’s instructions, I baked the dough at 375°F right after it was mixed:
The cookies I baked right away, without cooling, spread the most, but this had no effect on the flavour or look. This verified what drbabs warned about in his recipe, and why he suggested chilling or freezing it for a while. Fat in a dough that hasn’t been allowed to cool or solidify encourages it to spread more easily.
That got me wondering whether I had creamed the butter and sugar less aggressively than the initial test kitchen baker, or whether I had been too generous with the flour when weighing it. Maybe the same test kitchen baker wasn’t a cookie angel after all, and baked the first batch without cooling the dough at all.
Refrigerated for twenty minutes, then baked at 375°F, as directed in the recipe:
The cookies baked after twenty minutes in the refrigerator were the next flattest, and were slightly smaller than any of those that had been in the fridge for an hour. I anticipated the dough balls that had only been frozen for 20 minutes to expand less than those that had been cooled for an hour, but the dough just hadn’t been as cold as I thought.
The time spent cooling, rather than the degree of chill, seems to have had the greatest effect on cookie distribution. Could things have been different if I had preserved the dough for an hour instead of just 20 minutes? It’s very possible. Regardless, in the oven, all cooled samples scatter less dramatically: And 20 minutes makes a difference.
Kept in the fridge for 60 minutes before baking at 375°F, as directed in the recipe:
Many cookie experts recommend regarding using an oven temperature that is too low. It will lengthen the time it takes for cookies to prepare, giving them an unfair advantage in the spread-fighting race. However, I discovered that the batch cooked at a lower temperature held their form the highest.
However, often (actually, much of the time), the difference among crisp edges and soft cores that arrives with baking for a brief time at a high heat is just what you’re looking for. Still, as necessity, it was the dough’s warmth that had the biggest influence: The findings would almost certainly have been different if the dough had not been cold from the fridge when it went into the lower-temperature oven.
Through baking the cookies at a low temp for a longer period of time, they can be kept in the fridge for 1 hour before baking at 300°F. According to the hypothesis, the cookies will set until the fat melts at a lower temperature:
Also Read: How To Moisten Dry Cookie Dough
Some of my trusted tips for making thick cookies:
- It’s not like all cookie dough has to be chilled, and I usually judge this based on how the dough feels and tastes. Chilling the cookie dough is recommended whether it is especially sticky, muddy, or greasy. As well as yours! It’s easier to keep cookie dough from spreading if you cool it first.
- The cooler the dough, the less greasy puddles the cookies can form. You’ll end up with cookies that are thicker, sturdier, and more stable. When I make cookies, I prepare the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it beforehand. Allow the cookie dough to come to room temperature after freezing for about ten minutes (or longer, depending on how long it has refrigerated) before forming into balls and baking. Allowing the cookie dough to soften slightly helps if it’s as hard as a brick.
- Use parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Using parchment paper solvent or butter to coat the baking sheet provides an excessively greasy base, allowing the cookies to scatter. A silicone baking mat is often recommended because it grips the base of the cookie dough and prevents the cookies from spreading too far. These mats also help to ensure that the browning is uniform. Mats are prone to being greasy. These mats also help to ensure that the browning is uniform. Mats are prone to being greasy.
- Instead of perfectly round balls, roll the cookie dough into tall balls. Chip dough balls that are taller result in smoother cookies.
- Butter becomes too fragile as it becomes too hot. The cookies will scatter all over the baking sheets if the butter is too warm. Butter at room temperature is naturally cold to the touch, not sticky. Your finger will make an impression when you press it. Your finger will not sink into the butter, nor will it slip all over the place.
To end, remove your baking sheet from the oven when you notice your cookies are spreading so far. Push the sides of the cookie back into the middle with a spoon. Your too much spreading cookies can be reshaped with a spoon. Return the pan to the oven. If required, replicate during the baking process, and once more after the cookies have stopped baking.
Reference
- Jampel, Sarah. “Why Are My Cookies Flat?” Food52, 22 Dec. 2020, food52.com/blog/18820-why-cookies-spread-how-to-stop-it-with-tests-video
