I just saw another cooking question on here, too - I've always thought there should be something like "Mom Scouts," where "troops" of moms can get together and teach each other, or get guest speakers or do "field trips" and learn together, things like how to buy sporting equipment, play jump-rope games, memorize video game cheat codes, and generally do the things that the "cool" moms do.
Like bake chocolate-chip cookies. I don't know why, but I CAN'T DO IT. What is the secret?
I have tried it with butter softened an hour at room temp, or a few seconds in the microwave. I have used margarine instead. I have used cookie dough from the fridge, and room temp cookie dough. I have done it on humid days, and dry ones. I have tried baking at 350, 375, and 400. What is the secret, the magic combination of factors, that makes perfect (or at least passable) chocolate chip cookies? The things I CAN cook, I do well. But everything else is a disaster. Can you tell me how to make this one thing NOT be a disaster?
Okay, I'm going to try again. Keep the advice coming, though. First, some clarifications. The cookies inevitably sort of melt, until they're super-thin, with the edges crisp, but the middles gloppy. Not even good in the way raw cookie dough is good, but just - gloppy. But the edges are starting to burn, and they're so thin, I can't get them off the cookie sheet, anyway.
I want a nice, fat, soft cookie.
The thing is, my mom could bake. She was one of those wonderful people who is blessed with just knowing how to do things, but can't explain it - you know, you just - do it. I have resigned myself to not making brownies from scratch (she can, of course), but I am not ready to give up on cookies. (Aha! She just admitted to me on the phone, though, that there was a reason she preferred chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies – hers never turned out, either!)
The only recipe I have ever tried, is the Tollhouse, from the back of the Nestle bag. And I know there is something wrong with my oven - I had to buy a new thermometer, and just keep my eye on it, but this has been going on for 20 years, and spanned four different ovens.
ETA:
On another attempt yesterday afternoon, I tried Alton Brown’s recipe. The dough was excellent, and the cookies were soft, but spread so thin, that they sort of disintegrated. According to my husband, I still make miserable cookies, but have discovered an excellent ice cream topping.
I’ve printed all of the responses here, and am going to keep trying, though. Fortunately, I have a few willing guinea pigs!
(And, no, I don’t usually use margarine. But it was what I had, and it hadn’t worked with butter, so I tried it once. You know, I was in college, experimenting…)
I have 4 types of cookie sheets. I get different results on each one. Don't use dark, non-stick cookie sheets. Use parchment paper (best results). Buy heavy aluminum cookie sheets . I've also used the insulated aluminum and stoneware kind, with mixed results. I really believe that it is a combination of oven temp and cookware that makes or breaks my cookies. Thanks to the lady who included a website - I'm going to look that one up.
Ditto Stephanie---use the recipe on the Nestle's Tollhouse bag. Not the spread in pan one, but the cookie cookie one. And use the bright silver baking sheets, NOT non-stick sheets.
I always use real butter, not margarine. And make/bake them as soon as I finish mixing the batter--you can't mix it up and let it sit around or refrigerate it before baking. Well, maybe you can, but I never have. Mine come out great. I also always add about a cup and a half of m&m's to my batter mix, and the optional nuts they mention. I don't reduce the amount of anything else.
I saw this on pinterest the other day. This lady wrote a blog post about how to make the perfect chocolate chip cookies. Not only that, she took pictures of 10 cookies with different problems. You can look at the picture after her recipe and she explains what went wrong with each cookie. I like it because it doesn't just say try my recipe, it's the best. It shows you what went wrong with your recipe, and gives you an idea on how to alter it in the future. If you don't want to waste an entire batch of cookies only to find out they all went wrong, just cook one, then look at her picture and see where your cookie falls in place, then you can adjust it where it's necessary!
Alton Brown has three chocolate chip cookie recipes on foodtv.com. They are all good, you could try one of those. I like "The Chewy".
I don't like the Nestle recipe for the reasons you describe, the cookies turn out really thin, flat and unimpressive, but if you want to stick with that recipe, try adding more flour (1/2 cup or so) and chilling the dough before you bake. And please promise me you will never bake with margarine again :)
I always omit the baking powder/baking soda...usually omit the vanilla (but if I DO use vanilla, I use the REAL stuff!)...and typically only use 1/2 the salt. I always add 1/3 c cocoa powder to the dough (yum!) and therefore decrease the flour by an equal amount. I always bake at 375 (basically I follow the Nestle recipe!) Like somebody else already mentioned, I take mine out when they still look gooey. I leave them on the pan for 2 minutes, then gently move them to a paper bag.
Margarine is nothing but chemicals, and I would rather eat dirt. :)
If the cookies get thin and gooey on the baking sheet, then perhaps you didn't add enough flour to the batter? Also, make sure the oven heats up and stays at temperature for about 10 minutes before you bake them. Cookies can dry out if you put them in the oven right when you turn it on. And don't open the oven when they're baking.
I always mix up the batter (but never over mix), then let it sit for about 20 minutes before I bake them. I always use butter, and when you cream the sugar and butter together, do it for a couple of minutes. Really whip the butter up. Use a little ice cream scoop to get consistent sizes. When they're done baking, I always let them sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes, then gently remove to a cooling rack.
Hope some of this helps! You made me want cookies! :)
Don't over mix! Roll your dough into balls and freeze. Then cook from frozen for the same amount of time on a single layer, parchment paper covered, non-dark pan. This limits how far the cookies spread out.
Follow the Barefood Contessa's Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe. If you want them thinner, bake the dough from room temp. If you want them thicker, refrigerate the dough for several hours. Use parchment paper to make sure they cook evenly. Put them on the sheet like like balls, not smushed down. They are awesome cookies... I was cluess too before this.
This always happened to me and I finally have figured out at least two things that have helped and I use the Nestle recipe. Make sure your ingredients are fresh and I found out that you should vary the temperature based on the type of cookie sheets. It sounds like your oven/cookie sheet is getting too hot - cooking the cookies too fast. Some cookie sheets cook faster and heat faster then others. With dark and nonstick sheets and I have a pair of cheap silver ones, I go 25 degrees less than the directions state.
I had the same issue a couple of years ago...I can make everything except good chocolate chip cookies. Another mother on this site asked a similar question to yours and after sorting through those responses, I now make a fantastic chocolate chip cookie...no burnt edges, no flat cookies, just soft and gooey just like I like them. I think the biggest things (if you want to stick with your recipe) are:
1. Use Parchment paper (I didn't even own any) and let them cool on the parchment paper still on the pan. There is something about that cooling it on the pan that makes a huge difference.
2. Bake at 325 (not at 350 like most of my cookie recipes).
3. Use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar
4. Remove from the oven a little early (when they don't look quite done yet), they will continue cooking a little bit while they are cooling on the pan.
Hi! I can bake, really I can. I make croissants from scratch, I bake bread without measuring, pie crust so yummy it will make you cry, a wedding cake or 100 isn't a big deal, but I have never figured out cookies. My poor cookie deprived daughter finally started making them for herself and her brother when she was about 10. They are SO good!!! What does she do that I don't do? I haven't a clue. It's the family joke, if you want a cookie ask Sarah. Oh, and she doesn't cook anything else, just cookies. I don't know, same recipe, same equipment, same ingredients...
I use the recipe on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip bag and add a little extra flour. I don't like it when the edges spread and get crunchy. I also make small cookies and I don't leave them in as long as they say to. I do add some cinnamon and nutmeg to the mix too :) yummy!!!
Not sure if you have tried any of those things, but it's worth a shot if you haven't.
What, exactly, makes your cookies a disaster? That might help in answering your question.
Here are a couple things to try: (and yes the Tollhouse recipe on the bag is a good one, but you can make some adjustments).
Use the best butter you can find. Real butter, not margarine. Melt it in a pan on the stovetop, and let it cool. Just softening it is sometimes not enough. It can still be soft when you add it to the batter, but shouldn't be very warm.
And try using a little less butter than the recipe specifies. Just a tablespoon less.
Add one extra egg yolk.
Instead of the half brown sugar, half white sugar in the recipe, use the same total amount of sugar, but make it 3/4 brown, and 1/4 white sugar. Or try it with all brown sugar. Make sure it's light brown sugar, not dark.
Don't use a non-stick cookie sheet, or a dark-colored sheet. Use a light-colored regular cookie sheet and put parchment paper on it. Bake the cookies on that. And don't use one of those insulated cookie sheets with the air trapped between two layers of metal. If you look on sites like King Arthur Flour, and Domino sugar, you can read discussions about not using dark or non-stick or air-insulated sheets because they cause cookies to spread too much, or bake unevenly, or cause too-brown edges, etc. And make sure the cookie sheet is cool, even cold (stick it in the fridge for a couple minutes).
I have been told I make the best chocolate chip cookies people have ever had. I make it from the back of the Nestle bag, but use 1 cup of brown sugar instead of 3/4 cup. I soften the butter either on the counter or in the microwave - just to the point of where it's soft, not melted much. I also noticed the cookies don't come out as well if I mix it too much after the flour is put in. I make the cookies on a Pampered Chef cooking stone and I think that makes a big difference, too.
These are amazing!! Use parchment paper on your cookie sheets. I use a cookie scoop to get them the perfect shape. Seriously, the best!
Amanda I think you are on to something with your idea for Mom Scouts. I know alot of people that would sign up. You could have a calendar with weekly outings. Even a trip to somewhere where they make good choc. chip cookies.
I used to make the recipe on the back of the Toll House choc. chips, but now they sell them in the aisle with the biscuits etc. and they are great. Just pop in how many you want and they come out perfect so I quit mixing all that stuff.
Someone will run with your idea, if you don't. It is a great one.
I also do the nestle, but refrigerate the dough for at least an hour or more before baking, that helps with the spreading thin edges.
Let us know how your next batch turns out!
Some of it could be the pan you're using. Cheap cookie sheets tend to turn out bad cookies. I have discovered and LOVE parchment paper. I also use air bake cookie sheets. My cookies vastly improved doing those two things.
Have you tried the Nestle Toll House recipe on the chocolate chip package? Probably.
Make sure your ingredients are fresh and after that I don't know what to say - I do the same things you mentioned above. Keep trying... I take mine out before they start to brown, otherwise they are too crunchy.
Good luck.
Try lowering the temperature. I set my oven to 325, because I know it runs a little hot. That doesn't matter too much for most things, but for cookies it really matters. If they still don't turn out the way you like, try 300. But 350 is already too hot, so definitely don't go any higher.
Follow the Toll House recipe to the letter! They should turn out great!
I use an oatmeal recipe and add chocolate chips to it. Though it
says 'butter', I use margarine. Until I got my new oven that has a fan in it to ciruclate the heat, I always switched the cookie sheets racks half way through the baking. I spray with PAM and scrap off the tray before adding the next batch of dough. (But I have discovered parchment paper recently, and it is so much easier to bake and clean up!) When washing the trays, I always scour them with an SOS pad. Food sticks less often when cooked on shiny surfaces, I also scour my pots (NOT the iron ones, though) after each use.
What is your perfect cookie? Soft, firm, thick, thin, with nuts?
It would help it you told us what is not working about your cookies. Are they dry, overcooked? I take mine out when they still look like gooey dough (9 min). Then cool.
Maybe something is wrong with your oven.
thanks for the cookie description in your "what happened". it sounds like you have too much liquid in the mix. put more flour. also baking is a science and you need to use exact measurements. i usually roll my cookie dough into balls to make them perfectly round. about the size of a ping pong ball. it seems like i pat them down slightly ( like just a bit not flatten )
