[kelleybean]

Hi Everyone,

Not too long ago someone posted a question regarding their chocolate chip cookies spreading too much. Mine do the same darn thing and I don’t know how to prevent that from happening. Can anybody help me out?

TIA,
Kelley

 

[mezzaluna]

Kelley, please post your recipe. It could be the fat you're using; Silpats (I think my cookies spread more on them) or your oven. Posting your recipe will be a huge help.

 

[kelleybean]

Here is the recipe.

Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are about as good as cookies get, so make several batches and watch them disappear fast.

joj 15 minutes preparation plus ffl chilling, 10-12 minutes baking per batch
Makes 4 dozen cookies
1
1
1
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown
sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 Mix together flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.
2 Beat together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3 At low speed, beat in flour mixture until blended. Fold in oats and chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap; chill for 1 hour.
4 Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 2 baking sheets.
5 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place cookies, 2 inches apart,

on prepared baking sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly.
6 Bake cookies until lightly browned around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool slightly. Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

 

[shaloop]

Too much butter. Try half the amount of butter.

 

[mezzaluna]

I'm no baker, but isn't that also a lot of sugar?

 

[fliggie]

Also check the temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer. I was surprised to find that the culprit in my spreading cookies mystery was, in fact, an oven which showed it was about 10 - 15 degrees hotter than it actually was. Cookies baked at a temperature too low have to stay in too long, causing the fats to melt and spread before the cookies are baked...or something like that. Anyway, worth checking out if the ingredients are not the issue.

 

[foodnfoto]

The problem with this recipe is two-fold.
First, there is not enough flour to balance the butter and sugar. I've checked several of my successful cookie recipes and usually, the ratio of flour to butter to sugar is 1:1:1.5.
Secondly, there is no reason to beat air into your butter and sugar mixture ("cream until light and fluffy"). This technique is useful for producing cakes that are light in texture with a soft even crumb, but that's not the goal of a cookie. Air pockets (even tiny ones) in cookies let the hot air of the oven penetrate too quickly allowing the fast melting of the fat, hence causing spread. Also, that overprocessing warms up the butter leaving it even warmer when entering the oven, again contributing to spread.
As an alternative, beat the butter until just softened and smooth textured before adding the sugars. Then only beat the sugar mixture until even textured, yet preserving a little stiffness. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix only until evenly combined.
Of course, check your oven temp to make sure it's accurate.
Good Luck

 

[m brown]

if the cookies spread too much try:

not to flatten them before baking, just roll or drop

measure your flour before sifting, this will give you the additional flour and structure you may be looking for.


How much to they spread? are they like floretines or just flatter than usual?
You could also add a pinch or two of baking powder to puff them up.

What kind of flour are you using?

 

[kelleybean]

Hi m brown,

They are pretty flat. It's like they have no sort of hight at all. Every body loves them but they just don't look right to me.

I use AP flour.

Kelley

 

[panini]

try retarding the portioned cookie on parchment only.
Think about going to a little harder flour and possibly some short.

 

[norma]

Refrigerate the dough overnight. Cold dough and hot oven. That's the perfect combination for mine

 

[kelleybean]

Hello,

Well I’m going to try and answer a few replies in one.

M Brown: After I made this recap I realized that it was a ridicules thing to be flattening my cookies since they did a good job of that on their own.. This time I sifted after I measured my flour and that may be why they turned out this time.

Panini: Sorry man, I guess you’re just too go for me. I have to say you lost me on the “retarding the portioned cookie on parchment only”.

Norma: I took your advice and what do you know, they came out great.

Thanks for every bodies help. I really appreciate it.

Kelley

 

[smalltruck]

I'm robbing the cinnamon idea for my cookies
George

 

[panini]

Panini: Sorry man, I guess you’re just too go for me

Kbean,
You're right. I'm also to sexy for my chefs coat:lol:
retarding is just a bakery term for refrigerating. Sometimes when using only butter it's best to scoop your cookies and then chill them well. Butter changes temp very fast. When they hit the oven The cold cookie will keep the butter from seperating and reaching the point of frying your flour. I prefer parchment over nonstick or silpat.

But you seem to have figured it out. Are you using unsalted butter?
Don't ever be afraid to put a pinch pf salt into almost anything sweet. I will bring up the flavors a little.

 

[chefraz]

I used to work at a small cookie shop in long beach years ago, the owner would have me make cookie dough. and when she baked it if it didn't bake right she would change the recipe, weekly . I think she thought it was me making mistakes .but I knew it wasn't , cookies depend on a lot more then just the ingredents. mixing is important once you add the flour don't over mix you will develop the glutin. make the cookies scoop with a ice cream scoop then freeze. take out what you need. if you bake when frozen they will spread less, but you should lower your temp. also a tasty addition would be quick oats

 

[kelleybean]

Hee Heee Heee! You funny guy.:

See know, I learned something new today. I’ll have to try that. I put the dough in the fridge for a few hours this time but it was pretty difficult to work with because it was so stiff. It’ll be a lot easier to shape the cookies first and then refrigerate them. Thanks my friend.:bounce:

Kelley

 

[panini]

Kelly,
This is a great place to learn.
I also mentioned shortening.
I just wanted to explain why. When your using butter or short you have to keep in mind that the butter has a lower burn point. So even a little shortening will lengthen the burn time. By burn time, I mean the time it takes the butter to reach a temp where it starts to cook ingredients around it.
1 simple rule usually when putting together a formula is cookie ingredients are wet (eggs,etc.) first then dry (flour etc.) and cakes are usually dry then wet.
:smiles:

 

[pastrycake]

Hey,
I love the chewy cookies but do have problems with it spreading. Yet, other recipes don't spread enough!

I found that if too much butter in the recipe makes it spread. Try a recipe that is part butter and shortening. Also always refrigerate dough before baking. Using a silpat and a dark cook pan makes it spread more.

I love to make chocolate chips cookies and I found a bette recipe that you can look up called "The fat and chewy chocolate chip cookies" which calls for melting the butter in the recipe.

Good luck!

 

[pastrycake]

Hey kellybean,
I went and found that exact recipe in my recipe collection that was printed in a magazine a long time ago. It was my first recipe I used to make choc. chips cookies ever. I have long since used that. But mine says 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour. I could have been wrong since my ink was fading was fading on my recipe. Perhaps you should confirm to see if that would be a problem with the spread! I agree that it is a good recipe but there maybe others you can try if it is not working for you. I actually got a book that has 100 best chocolate chips cookies recipes and I found that the "Joyous chocolate chip" got good review from my friends.

Hopes that helps!