Chocolate Chip Cookie Help

[mrscobbler]

I bake Chocolate Chip Cookies a few times a year. Any ideas on how I can bake the cookies without them flattening out? I have chilled the dough for an hour, put the dough on room temp cookie sheets and did not use the same one twice and still....flat as pancakes. Help!!

[cat lover]

First thing I can think of is are you greasing the baking sheet? If so don't; there should be enough shortening or butter in the recipe that you would not have to do this.

You could be creaming the butter too long, butter can't hold air bubbles like shortening;so if you cream it too long that makes a cookie flat.

Use your eggs & butter for chocolate chip cookies right out of the refrigerator, room temp eggs will create a "softer" dough

Too many chips in the recipe will cause the cookie to spread also, I never use quite the amount the recipe calls for if using regular chips, use the mini ones and then use the stated amount

Also cook your cookies on the center rack of the oven and don't have your temp too hot as that will cause they to spread too much.

Don't let the dough sit on the counter as you wait to bake each pan; keep it in the refrigerator in between each batch.

Hope these ideas help, let us know!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

You should be using cold butter instead of room temperature butter. If the dough is cold, your cookies shouldn't be flat. Also, use a light colored pan when you bake them. Good luck.

[dallasalice1]

I was thinking maybe it was the bakings soda or the baking powder. Isnt it one of these 2 that help the batter rise. If the product was old it might not be doing its job.

Alice

[Yummys_Girl]

Also, sometimes if you use regular butter instead of unsalted, the cookies will flatten out. I had this problem making peanut butter cookies until I changed to unsalted butter. Let us know what you try that fixes the problem for you!

[mrscobbler]

I appreciate all of the advice. What if I bake the cookies at a little lower temperature then the recipe suggests? I have been using just regular margarine sticks. They are just out of the fridge and I let the microwave soften. I guess I should use unsalted butter and set them on the counter so they soften on their own. As hot as it has been, that won't take long at all :)

I think I will buy new baking soda and powder since I will have holiday baking just around the corner. I should start making my list of what I want to make this year for the holidays!! I love Christmas Cookies!! My late aunt used to start her baking the beginning of November and freeze her cookies so we could eat all the different kinds throughout the whole holiday season. She would make approximately 20 different kinds each year. She loved to bake.

[cat lover]

That has probably been the biggest part of your cookies spreading too much; the margarine; you don't want to "soften" it at all!~ You want to cream it with the sugars while the margarine is COLD!!! Good luck!

[Hummingbird_0331]

Great Ideas/Tips Ladies! I will def try them as well, as mine always come out like that! lol

[Yellowstone]

Hello mrscobbler,
I had the same problem with my choc chip cookies until I switched from using margarine to butter flavored crisco. I know they may have more sat. fat, but just eat less! LOL! It really worked for me and several people have asked me how I keep them from spreading on the pan.