Why are my cookies spreading too much? More flour?
My chocolate chip cookie recipe spreads too much, even after I refrigerate the dough overnight. I have looked into the different answers on this site, but nothing seems to be working consistently. I'm wondering if the amount of four I'm using is too little? Should I add some baking powder? I know softened butter helps, but I like the taste of melted better...and I do chill the dough.
Here are the ingredients I use:
- 280g all-purpose flour
- .5 tsp salt
- .5 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 sticks butter (melted)
- 1 C brown sugar
- .5 C granulated
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, 1 yolk
- 1.5 C chocolate chips
Any tips are appreciated.
Best Answer
It looks to me like you could be using too much butter. My recipe for chocolate chip cookies has this:
2 c flour (this is ~240g)
1 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp b soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 or 2 c chocolate chips
Melted butter is supposed to make the cookies chewier than using softened. I'd reduce the butter to 1 stick + 2 Tablespoons (or even just 1 stick) and see how that works.
I'm also using twice the salt and twice the baking soda. If reducing the butter doesn't work then I'd try increasing the baking soda.
The only other thing I can see is maybe the vanilla, which is 3 times what my recipe uses, adds too much liquid, but given that you're using 1 egg + 1 egg yolk compared to my 2 eggs, I think it's unlikely.
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Quick Answer about "Why are my cookies spreading too much? More flour?"
Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.What happens if you use more flour in cookies?
Having too much flour in your cookies will make them tender, and even crumbly. This is apparent in shortbread cookies, which are well known for being dry and soft. What is this? This will often happen when you use a high amount of flour in cookies that have very few wet ingredients, such as eggs and butter.How do you stop cookies from spreading?
To prevent cookies from spreading you have options, like baking at a higher temperature, chilling the cookie dough thoroughly, increasing the amount of flour in the recipe, reducing the sugar slightly, playing with the amount of egg in the recipe, changing the fat used, and many more!How do you fix too much flour in cookies?
Too Much Flour It doesn't take much\u2014in this case, my mom and I added just 3/4 cup extra flour to the dough. The cookies tasted good, but were dry and definitely crumbly. To make the cookies more tender, Betty Crocker suggests adding 2 to 4 tablespoons of softened butter, or 1/4 cup of sugar, to the batter.10 Most Common Cookie Baking Mistakes
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Answer 2
I agree with Shannon. That said, if you're interested in trying something with a slightly different flavor, peanut butter will also help your cookies avoid spreading, and can make a tasty addition to chocolate chip cookies. Try adding 1 tbsp of peanut butter to the recipe, if you're interested.
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