Cookies rise nicely in the oven, but then collapse
Just as every year, I have been baking spicy Christmas cookies with my Granny. And like always, they have expanded nicely in the oven, but collapsed afterwards. But this year I know to go to Seasoned Advice and ask how to prevent that for years to come!
The recipe calls for 625 g sugar, 250 g butter and 50 g various dry spices (cinnamon, coriander, succade, cloves) to be kneaded together, and then to be mixed with 875 g flour and 250 ml milk with 15 g baker's ammonia (Ammonium carbonate). The dough is laid to rest for a long time (4 days or so), rolled about 3mm thin, cut, and baked at 160⁰C for 10–12 minutes.
The cookies expand in the oven, growing a bit thicker in the middle than on the outside, but then collapse again during the remainder of the baking time. The resulting cookies are quite soft when coming out of the oven, but grow very hard during cooling.
What would we need to change so that the cookies keep their expanded shape?
Best Answer
First of all: What does cause the collapse?
The ammonium carbonate creates carbon dioxide under heat, which creates the gas bubbles that expand the dough. The gas bubbles are kept in place by a network of glutenin molecules, which make the dough elastic.
When your dough collapses after some time, it basically means that your glutenin network broke, much like a rubber band that was stretched too far. The carbon dioxide escapes and you have the not quite satisfying end result.
As you reach a level of carbon dioxide you are content with during baking, the best solution seems to be to just use less ammonium carbonate.
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Quick Answer about "Cookies rise nicely in the oven, but then collapse"
When you mix the butter and sugar together at high speed or for too long, you'll aerate the dough excessively, causing the cookies to rise—and then fall—in the oven. Dough that's too warm. Chilling solidifies the fat in the dough, which means that the cookies will melt slower under the heat of the oven.Why do my cookies puff up and then go flat?
It could be that your recipe just went a bit too high on the baking soda or baking powder amount. There's also a chance that you could have used too much because you made an error. Lots of people make little mistakes when they try to mix ingredients together too fast.Why do my cookies fall when I take them out of the oven?
Mistake: When cookies turn out flat, the bad guy is often butter that is too soft or even melted. This makes cookies spread. The other culprit is too little flour\u2014don't hold back and make sure you master measuring. Finally, cookies will also flatten if placed and baked on hot cookie sheets.How do I keep my cookies from deflating?
Room temperature pans. Be patient. Allow the pans to cool before putting cookie dough on it. Or buy a few more baking sheets so you can have those cookies scooped up and ready to bake quickly. Bake a small batch of cookies first to see how they will turn out.Why does my cookie sink in the middle?
That, or the dough wasn't cool enough before baking. Warm cookie dough or excess butter will cause the cookies to spread too much, baking quickly on the outside but remaining raw in the middle. Next time, chill your cookies in the fridge for 10 minutes before you bake them. If the problem persists, use less butter.The Cookies (Sonic SFM)
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