My cookies are turning out like cakes
This is the basic recipe I used (taken from http://www.yuppiechef.com/spatula/the-science-behind-chocolate-chip-cookies/):
- 8 oz (about 225g) unsalted butter
- 10 oz (about 1.5 cups) sugar
- 12 oz (about 2.75 cups) flour
- 2 large eggs – these will soften the cookies and help make them nice and ‘puffy’
- 1 tsp baking soda – to help the cookies rise, and also to brown
- 1 tsp salt – to bring out the flavour
To clarify I definitely used bicarb (the UK version of baking soda). The butter was softened and I used everyday plain flour. I substituted half of the sugar with soft dark brown sugar, so about 5oz brown sugar and 5oz caster sugar. Instead of using chocolate chips, I used about 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract and about a dessert spoon of ground cinnamon for the flavour.
I followed the mixing and refrigeration instructions to a T and the dough was left in the fridge overnight. It came out of the fridge lovely and stiff and I was able to form balls of dough without any mess left on my hands.
I tested 2 balls of cookie dough, and they've come out nicely browned but they're flat cakes (spread out with a small hump in the middle), not cookies! The texture is that of a sponge that hasn't risen. The oven had been preheated to 160 degrees Celsius because it's old and a bit temperamental. If I'd had it at 180 degrees, they would've burned for sure.
I was hoping these would come out moist and chewy. Where did I go wrong?
Best Answer
The original author is in error adding baking soda (bicarbonate), and indicating it will help rise. For leavening, you require acid for the sodium bicarbonate to react with. The original base recipe has no significant acid ingredients; even the modified version you used has only a trivial amount of acid from the molasses in the brown sugar.
Therefore, the only effect of the baking soda is to increase the pH of the dough, which will encourage browning. However, as the cookies are full of sugar, encouraging browning is not generally a problem.
The creaming method creates bubbles in the solid phase butter, and encourages rising and a more cake-like result, especially when paired with an effective leavening agent.
Resting the dough also hydrates the flour, and allows the butter to re-solidify, both of which inhibit spread and contribute to a higher cookie.
For a chewier result, do not use the creaming method. Melt the butter instead, and then combine your ingredients.
You may also choose to reduce the baking soda to reduce the metallic taste it brings without anything to react with.
If the cookies are now too dense, you might try adding (starting with smaller amounts) 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp or so of baking powder which has its own acid to react with, to help leaven the cookies.
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- Cookie dough or batter was underbaked or overbaked. ...
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Why are my cookies coming out like cake?
Cakey cookies can be caused by dough that has too much flour, is overbeaten, has too much baking powder, or has too many eggs.How do I fix my cakey cookies?
To make cookies thinner and crispier, you will usually want to aim for more granulated sugar and butter. For softer, chewier cookies, you will want to add much less granulated sugar, slightly more brown sugar, and a fair bit less butter. For cakey cookies, you will often be including even less butter and sugar.Why did my cookies turn out like this?
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.10 Most Common Cookie Baking Mistakes
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Answer 2
The main problem is the bicarb. The recipe you are using is for a cakey cookie, not a chewy cookie. The bicarb is a rising agent which dramatically changes the structure of the cookie. Leave the bicarb out next time and you'll get a chewier cookie.
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