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Baking Powder Vs. Baking Soda in Cookies

post #1 of 11
1/19/05 at 6:27am
Thread Starter 
I still prefer all butter in my chocolate chip cookies but like most who use the traditional recipe, they come out FLAT. I do not overbeat my batter, use cold pans, chill dough, and use only the freshest baking soda and ingredients. I'm wondering if a little baking powder might do the trick? Any comments on baking powder versus baking soda (combination or alone) for chocolate chip cookie recipe OR any suggestions on how to keep it all butter but how to corrrect the flattening problem? Thank you all!!!
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post #2 of 11
1/19/05 at 7:07am
Use one of the premium higher fat butters. Standard butter is about 18% water. That water is contributing to your spreading problem.

Phil
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post #3 of 11
1/19/05 at 7:39am
Do you chill the dough completely? Overnight?

Do you re-chill the cookies after you form them?

Do you shape the dough into a ball? I cut my cookie dough out of a long column so I have nice tall pieces of dough. When they flatten out in the oven, I get a nice mound of a cookie.

Baking powder could end up making your cookies more cakey and less chewy. I wouldn't use it.

They won't be quite so buttery, but a little extra flour is a foolproof way of preventing spread. I would try my first suggestions first, though.
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post #4 of 11
1/19/05 at 11:37am
does your recipe have cream of tarter or butermilk in it? or maybe it doesnt have enough?

Baking powder is more or less 2 parts baking soda, 1 part cream of tartar. it is a leaving agent on its own. Baking soda, need the acidy to 'jump start' it (similar to the volcano science experiment, you need an acid to make the baking soda work.

some info on spreading

sugar - high sugar content increases spread. coarse granulated sugar increases spread, while fine sugar or confectioners sugar reduces spread.

leavening - high baking soda content causes spread

Creaming - the craming together of fat and sugar contributes to leavening by incorperating air. Creaming a mixture until light increases spread. Blending fat and sugar just til a paste without creaming in alot of air reduces spread.

Temperature - Low oven temperature increases spread. High temperature reduces spread, because the cookie has a chance to set up before it spreads too much

Liquid - A high liquid content butter spreads more

Flour - strong flour (bread and clear flours) or activation of gluten decreases spread.

Pan grease - cookie spread more on a heavily greased pan.

stacey <- took the last part (spreading) from one of my text books
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post #5 of 11
1/19/05 at 12:00pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you, makes me think!

I'm wondering if the new high fat butters will work better since they have less water content!!! Less Spread too.
By the way, I never knew about the oven temp and spread. I always thought I might have to LOWER the temp for less spread. It's good to know that it's actually the opposite. I'm going to try it. Thank you so much.
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post #6 of 11
1/20/05 at 12:19pm
I use cold butter and 1/3 cup cake flour + 2 cups ap flour. I get a consistent, controlled spread.

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post #7 of 11
2/7/05 at 5:39am

Steps

How about listing a step by step instruction on how to make cookies. I hate when mine go flat. I even mix half white with wheat thinking this wouls stiffen up the cookies. Most of the time i let the stuff sit for an hour on the table to come down to room temp.

I was told you should not add sugar & flour by the cup but the oz. since both asorb water. But if the recipe calls for 1 cup do that mean you add 8oz?
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post #8 of 11
2/7/05 at 12:47pm
I don;t have an A-Z How To, but 2 things come to mind. Try working with butter that is much cooler. A stick of butter should bent but still be very firm. I actually use butter right out of the fridge. About weighing ingredients, it tends to be more accurate than dry measure.If you have access to a scale, 1 cup of flour weighs about 4.5 ounces. 1 cup of white, granulated sugar weighs about 8 ounces.
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post #9 of 11
2/8/05 at 4:35am
oh man thanks for that info. I thought since both are cups they would be 8oz each :eek: YOu saved me for making a big mistake, thanks :) . What if you cook with spleander or whey low is it the same? I bought whey low type D granulated sugar and gold which is their brown sugar to try. Matter of fact i ordered their winter sample pack which is all the sugars they make to try them.

So it's goes like this:

1 cup Flour (any kind)? is 4.5 oz.
1 cup granulated sugar (any Brand)? is 8 oz.
1 cup Powder sugar is ?
1 cup Brown Sugar is ?

I bought a Salter Add & Weigh Scale from Sur La Table to give it a try. I also have the KitchenAid Silicone baking mat to protect my cookie sheets which always seam to rust :chef: .
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post #10 of 11
2/8/05 at 9:33am
http://www.culinarycafe.com/UK_US.html

This site has a bunch of weights. No info on the artificial stuff or whey low, but brown sugar, powdered sugar etc...
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post #11 of 11
2/8/05 at 12:52pm
I asked Whey Low this question and they sent this reply

Thank you for your question. Whey Low is an exact one-for-one sugar
replacement. Therefore, 1lb of Whey Low equals 16oz. One cup of Whey
Low equals 8oz. This is true for all of our products. If you have any
other questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me anytime.

Best Regards,

Josh Wheaton

Operations Manager, Whey Low Products Division
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