Homemade Choc.chip COOKIES...HELP....tips??!
Do ALL homemade cookies have a more cake-like texture? (I even cooked them longer to see if they'd get that crispy crunch, but they just burned)
If yours do not have a cake-like texture what secret do u have??
If you are wondering here is the recipe I just made:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) package or 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Answers: Okay, I just made a batch of CC cookies from scratch cuz my 4yr old was craving some & we did not have any store bought ones. I found the recipe online & thought it was finally a good one cuz the bater was yummy. But they are like all the other cookies I've ever made from scratch.....cake like. I hate that cake-like texture. So here is what I am wondering.............
Do ALL homemade cookies have a more cake-like texture? (I even cooked them longer to see if they'd get that crispy crunch, but they just burned)
If yours do not have a cake-like texture what secret do u have??
If you are wondering here is the recipe I just made:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) package or 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Why are chocolate chip cookies soft and chewy one time, thin and
crisp another? Why do soft cookies get hard, and crisp cookies get soft?
Soft and chewy, dense and thick, thin and crisp are adjectives often used in pairs--even trios--to describe the ideal cookie. Clearly, perfection in a cookie is a matter of individual preference. And no cookie is judged more closely and more frequently than the chocolate chip, if our mail and the reactions of our own tasters are indicative.
The burning issue is how to make the cookie turn out the way you want, every time. Curiously, most cooks who asked for help use the same recipe--the one on the back of the Nestlé chocolate chip bag. It's a reliable recipe, but subtle changes produce surprising differences. To determine which factors influence the final cookie, we used the wrapper recipe and baked more than 25 variations. Each batch was slightly different, and changes in proportions, mixing methods, and baking were carefully controlled. The goal: to learn how to make the cookie that matches your favorite adjectives.
What makes cookies soft and chewy?
High moisture content does; so the recipe, baking time, and temperature must be adjusted to retain moisture. Binding the water in butter, eggs, and brown sugar (it contains molasses, which is 10 percent water) with flour slows its evaporation. The dough needs a little extra flour, which makes it stiffer. The stiff dough spreads less, less liquid evaporates, and the cookies are thicker. Mass also helps cookies stay moist--big dollops of dough make softer and chewier cookies than tiny spoonfuls of dough. Bake these thick cookies for a shorter time at a high temperature to firm them quickly and minimize spreading. Most important, don't bake them too long--remove from the oven when the cookie rim is brown and at least 1/3 of the center top remains pale. The cooked centers will be soft.
Why are some cookies cakelike instead of chewy?
A little extra liquid in the cookie dough from water, egg, or milk makes the dough more elastic and adds steam as the cookies bake, making them puff more.
What makes a cookie crisp or crunchy?
Reducing the amount of ingredients that hold moisture--flour, egg, and brown sugar--makes it easy for liquid to evaporate, producing crisp cookies. The fat, which goes up proportionately when other ingredients are cut back, gets hotter than the water in the dough and drives out the moisture. Fat also makes the dough softer and melts when hot, making the cookies spread. For crispness, bake cookies longer at a lower temperature to give them more time to spread before they firm. Then bake long enough to dry and brown them evenly to develop the maximum toasty flavor and crisp texture throughout.
What else makes cookies spread as they bake?
We've had many calls and letters from cooks having trouble with favorite recipes. All of a sudden, their cookies are spreading excessively. Most often the culprit is low-fat butter or margarine spread, which has about 20 percent more water, used in place of regular butter or margarine. It's this extra liquid that's causing the problem. Low-fat products can't be used interchangeably with regular fats for baking without recipe adjustments.
Cookies also spread when you drop high-fat dough onto a hot baking sheet; the heat melts the dough, and cookies spread before they're baked enough to hold their shape.
Thick, Soft, and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Cooking time: About 7 minutes per pan
Prep time: About 10 minutes
Makes: About 18 cookies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 package (6 oz.) or 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg, mixing well. Add flour mixture, and beat slowly to incorporate, then beat to blend well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop batter in 2-tablespoon portions about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
4. Bake in a 400° oven until edges of cookies are brown but an area about 1 inch wide in the center is still pale, 6 to 7 minutes. If using 2 pans in 1 oven, switch positions at half-time.
5. Let cookies cool on pan about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks with a spatula. Serve warm or cool. Store airtight up to 8 hours, or freeze for longer storage.
Per cookie: 160 cal., 46% (73 cal.) from fat; 1.7 g protein; 8.1 g fat (4.8 g sat.); 22 g carbo.; 124 mg sodium; 26 mg chol.
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Thin, Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Cooking time: About 20 minutes per pan
Prep time: About 10 minutes
Makes: About 32 cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 package (6 oz.) or 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. With a mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons water, and vanilla until blended. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture, then beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop batter in 1-tablespoon portions about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
4. Bake in a 300° oven until an even golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. If using 2 pans in 1 oven, switch places at half-time.
5. Let cookies cool on pan about 3 minutes, then transfer to racks with a spatula. Serve warm or cool. Store airtight up to 1 day, or freeze for longer storage.
Per cookie: 86 cal., 47% (40 cal.) from fat; 0.6 g protein; 4.4 g fat (2.6 g sat.); 12 g carbo.; 77 mg sodium; 7.8 mg chol.
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Thin, Crisp, and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Make thin, crisp chocolate chip cookies, preceding, baking until edges of cookies are browned but an area about 1 inch wide in the center is still pale, about 14 minutes.
Per cookie: 86 cal., 47% (40 cal.) from fat; 0.6 g protein; 4.4 g fat (2.6 g sat.); 12 g carbo.; 77 mg sodium; 7.8 mg chol.
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Thick, Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Make thin, crisp chocolate chip cookies, preceding, increasing butter to 2/3 cup and omitting water.
Dough will be dry and crumbly; pinch into 1-tablespoon-size lumps. Bake cookies until they are an even golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
Per cookie: 94 cal., 51% (48 cal.) from fat; 0.7 g protein; 5.3 g fat (3.2 g sat.); 12 g carbo.; 87 mg sodium; 10 mg chol.
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Try the crispy recipe if you do not like cakey cookies, but the soft and chewy are a fav of mine. Enjoy!
that crispy crunch you want is called added preservatives to have the cookies last longer. i like the pepperidge farm cookies, too but i don't want the added ingredients that aren't natural. if that's what your kids like then you might have to stick to chips a hoy.
Your recipe looks fine. I like to cook my Chocolate Chip cookies for exactly 10 minutes, and adjust the oven temperature to get the cookies just right. It takes a few runs to get the right temp. For crisp cookies try 350 Degrees. Softer cookies 325 degrees. Hope that helps.
My recipe has 2 cups flour, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 cup cornstarch. Everything else is the same and they come out flat and semi-crisp. Try changing your recipe around a little bit.
Did you use REAL butter or margarine? Margarine like Country Crock for instance makes them cake like. We don't like them that way either, so I always use real butter and they come out with a crunch and depending on how long you cook them a little soft inside (for me perfect combination). If you like them hard like store bought cookies cook them for a little longer.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 Cup butter flavored shortening
? cup firmly packed brown sugar
? cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
? cup mayonnaise
2 ? cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
? teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
? cup cashew pieces (optional)
Bake at 350 for 12 min
Cook em longer with less heat and or make them thinner...