What determines the shape-holding ability of cookies?

What determines the shape-holding ability of cookies? - Young man finishing skateboard stunt on ramp in sunlight

What things can you vary to make cookies hold their shape better during cooking, and not spread out like a pancake? From my experimenting, the initial temperature of the dough before cooking seems to make a difference - refrigerated dough spreads less than room temperature. What else can I do without making the cookies too dry? (Obviously if I add enough flour, the cookies will hold their shape, but at the cost of ending up with hard, dry bricks).

Does trying different fats like butter/shortening/margarine make a big difference? Is it worth buying heavier pans?



Best Answer

Cookies really only spread out because of their fat content: when it gets warm it flows, and if it flows too much before the glutens start binding to give it structure, you get flat cookie. So, in this case, if the dough is colder at the start the fat stays stable longer, and lets the cookie set up.

You can try experimenting with your fats: maybe butter instead of crisco, or vice versa. Lot of vegan types will roll in some banana to counteract the lack of eggs and animal fats. Or you could maybe add some more egg?




Pictures about "What determines the shape-holding ability of cookies?"

What determines the shape-holding ability of cookies? - Active young male skateboarder riding skateboard on asphalt ramp
What determines the shape-holding ability of cookies? - From above of anonymous young sportsman performing stunt on skateboard on asphalt ramp during outdoor training on sunny day
What determines the shape-holding ability of cookies? - From above full body of determined male athlete riding skateboard on ramp during workout in skate park



Why do cookies not hold shape?

Butter too warm or too cold \u2013 If your butter is too warm, your cookies won't hold their shape well. If it's too cold, that leads to overmixing, which we'll discuss a little further down.

How can the shape of the cookie affect the baking process?

Shaping Round dough balls take longer to bake, resulting in softer, thicker cookies. Flattening the balls yields thinner, crisper cookies. Spacing High-fat dough or cookies baked at low temperatures spread more during baking and need about 2 inches between them.

How do you make cookies stay in a ball shape?

Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Coating your baking sheet with nonstick spray or butter creates an overly greasy foundation, causing the cookies to spread. I always recommend a silicone baking mat because they grip onto the bottom of your cookie dough, preventing the cookies from spreading too much.

What keeps cookies in shape?

Chilling the dough a second time before removing the cut-out cookies from the bottom layer of parchment paper keeps the shapes in tact while they are moved to the cookie sheet. Baking chilled cookie-dough on parchment paper is what keeps the cookies from spreading in the oven so they hold their shape.



How to Cookie with Science




More answers regarding what determines the shape-holding ability of cookies?

Answer 2

Things like the type of flour, gluten content, etc., make a lot of difference, in addition to fat ratios and temperature. If you're interested in the details, I'd suggest getting a copy of Bakewise, which talks a lot about exactly this issue.

Answer 3

There are actually numerous factors that contribute to cookie spread - not just the fat content.

(1) Sure, too much fat can contribute to spread.

(2) Cookies made with melted butter (or margarine or whatever) tend to spread more than cookies made by creaming fat with sugar first - but most modern cookie recipes seem to be using melted butter these days.

(3) Using too much white granulated sugar contributes to spread.

(4) Using pastry/cake flour (any weak flour) contributes to spread.

(5) A greased cookie sheet contributes to spread.

(6) Refrigerated cookies might spread less, but the spread is more dependent on ingredients rather than temperature of the dough.

You might consider re-posting your question based on the specific recipe or recipes that are giving you a problem. It is difficult to propose a workable solution to a general problem.

Answer 4

It seems to me that whole wheat flour spreads less, but I may be biased. I just don't like white flour.

I am all about freezing my cookie dough! I usually make a double batch & only bake 1-2 trays, ball up the rest in a Tupperware & throw them in the freezer. It's important to put it into balls first, or you'll have to defrost the cookie dough block & that defeats the whole purpose. I learned that the hard way! My cookies come out more plump, with a satisfying chewy (not soft, not crunchy) texture.
My friend's grandma actually ROLLS OUT the dough of her oatmeal-chocolate chip-walnut-whatever else amazing cookies, then balls them up & freezes them. I don't know if the rolling actually does anything (maybe aerates it in a unique way?) but they are the best cookies.
Sometimes I just make 2-4 cookies in the toaster oven (save energy!), then freeze the rest. Then you always have fresh, warm cookies.
Finally, the frozen dough balls are tasty on their own. Sometimes I get through those before I even bake the 2nd batch. It's especially awesome in the summer when you don't want your house to get a single degree warmer.

Definitely don't use melted butter! Softened holds together better. I think this is why freezing the dough helps them maintain their structure.

Answer 5

The proportion of flour and the oven heat are also related to spreading.

When I make cutout cookies, it sometimes happens that the first batch spreads a lot, because the dough was a tad too wet. But since I roll in flour/starch, not on foil, once I have to collect the cutout pieces and reroll, they keep their shape much better.

Also, if your oven is not yet up to temperature, they spread more. You really want them to start setting very quickly after the fat's melting, else they spread.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Budgeron Bach, Budgeron Bach, Budgeron Bach, Budgeron Bach