Why won't my cookies bake?!


Question: I made a batch of of these graham cracker cookies yesterday and no matter how long I left them in the oven for, the insides wouldn't make. It was extremely hard on the outside and completely doughy on the inside.

I made a batch of oatmeal butterscotch cookies a couple months ago and they turned out the same way - dough on the inside and hard on the outside. What am I doing wrong? I followed all the directions.

I want to make more of them today (for the holidays), but I don't want a bunch of rejects again - help?


Answers: I made a batch of of these graham cracker cookies yesterday and no matter how long I left them in the oven for, the insides wouldn't make. It was extremely hard on the outside and completely doughy on the inside.

I made a batch of oatmeal butterscotch cookies a couple months ago and they turned out the same way - dough on the inside and hard on the outside. What am I doing wrong? I followed all the directions.

I want to make more of them today (for the holidays), but I don't want a bunch of rejects again - help?

Did you really cream the butter and sugar first? You might have added too much flour (even if you followed the recipe, sometimes there's too much flour).

It sounds like you're either making the cookies too big or your oven. Try making them smaller. Are you using a convection oven or regular? That can effect the outcome as well.

Put a thermometer in your oven to make sure the temperature is within the vicinity of the temperature setting. There could be a problem with your oven burner(s). This basically sounds like you're not getting enough heat. A interior oven thermometer hangs on one of your racks and will cost you just a few bucks at any store that sells kitchen supplies.

maybe try a little less flour. not alot, just a little. i made this one batch of chocolate chip cookies and it was like that, we made a big heart, and on the inside it was half gooey and on the outside it was crispy. we ate it anyway, me an my 2 friends.

it might be your oven, like the thermostat. my moms oven was like that, it would either burn orr it would not bake we got a new oven and its all good.have someone who knows check it first.

You have a problem with your oven. I suspect that you have a burned out element so your oven is never coming up to temperature correctly.

You can check this by turning on the oven, waiting a minute or two and then opening the door and looking to see that both the top and the bottom elements are red. The one that is not red is not working. Not very expensive to replace and these are pretty much "plug and play." Just remember to shut off the electricity to the stove first.

The other problem that comes to mind is that your thermostat is substantially off. You can check that with an oven thermometer, but check the elements before you bother to go buy one.

If you have a gas oven, call the repair man.

i would go out and buy a thermometer for my oven - it sounds like your oven calibration (temperature control) may be somehow messed up. this happens - more with gas ovens than with electric. when you get the thermometer put it in your cold oven, turn your oven on to the reading the recipe tells you to cook the cookies at, wait about 30 minutes, then read your thermometer. i would bet a dollar that you will find your oven temp to be too low. oven thermometers are usually pretty cheap. it is a small investment compared to all of the ingredients you are taking a loss on.

if that isn't the case, if your oven temp. is fine, i would look at two things: 1) are you preparing the recipe correctly. have you added too much sugar, fat, or liquid? 2) are you doubling the recipe. sometimes, doubling some recipes can mess them up.

i have had this happen to me, too - and it was the oven temp. hope this helps a bit.

I'm guessing, of course, but sounds to me that your oven is not heating properly and not coming up to temperature (it could be that the oven was not pre-heated but if you are following the recipe you would have done that). It could also be that the temperature gauge is now faulty. I would call the repair man, if you can get one this close to Christmas. You will need that oven working properly for the rest of your meal. You may have to buy your cookies this year but you still have your dinner to prepare if you are having the meal at your house.
Try something else in the oven today i.e. see how long it takes a chop to broil or see how long it takes to bake and brown a pie shell in the lower oven.

Are you using margarine or low-fat butter instead of normal butter? This can make all the difference. I had the same problem, and couldn't get my cookies to set properly no matter how long I cooked them. It wasn't until a relative told me that I had to use full-fat butter to get them to cook properly, that I realized what I was doing wrong. So much for trying to save on the calories!

Hope this helps : )

it is definatly your oven





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