What's the worst that can happen if you forget to put 1 teaspoon of salt in a cookie dough recipe?!


Question: Your cookies will be bland without salt. Strangely enough, the salt you add to cookie dough will make the cookies taste sweeter. Your recipe will work, it just won't taste as good. As far as the people who are trying to cut back on salt, I doubt the 1/4 to 1 tsp. of salt required in cookie recipes is going to cause a problem, unless you eat the whole batch at once. And then your problem isn't too much salt intake, its called binging.


Answers: Your cookies will be bland without salt. Strangely enough, the salt you add to cookie dough will make the cookies taste sweeter. Your recipe will work, it just won't taste as good. As far as the people who are trying to cut back on salt, I doubt the 1/4 to 1 tsp. of salt required in cookie recipes is going to cause a problem, unless you eat the whole batch at once. And then your problem isn't too much salt intake, its called binging.

probably nothing

Nothing, it just doesn't taste as good. You will definitely notice it.

Nothing I never put salt in my cookie dough, there is not much of a difference.

who needs salt in a cookie anyways if forgot sugar well thats touble but salt ithink will be ok trust me on this one please

Yikes it would be catastrophic!!!!

... only kidding ... salt is a seasoning that brightens up certain foods.

The cookies would taste sweet and would taste like a cookie only they would be just a little flat tasting ... would not have that extra zip so to speak.

I never put salt in my recipies and I don't have any problems. Baking Soda and Baking Powder are another story - those tend to be necessary for proper raising.

who has salt in their cookies anyway?

probably nothing...in fact, I almost always leave out the salt in cookie recipes...my dad is watching his salt intake so I decided to try it without and they turned out normal, so that's what I do all the time now.

Salt enhances the flavors and softens the taste of flour and leveners. Worst thing that could happen is they may taste a bit flat, nothing major. If it's a flavorful dough, like chocolate, you may not notice at all!

The taste will be off.

In cookies, you will not likely notice a difference if you omit the salt.

In baking, salt has a few functions, but the main function (and the one that would come into play for cookie dough) is to enhance the flavor/sweetness of the other ingredients.

Salt can also have a chemical effect; in breads, it helps control the fermentation rate of yeast, when combined with eggs or whipped egg whites, it can help them hold their volume. Some also believe that salt reacts with leavening agents (such as baking soda or baking powder), effecting the overall appearance and texture of the baked good.

If you simply forgot the salt this time, no worries. But it would be interesting to prepare the exact recipe both with and without salt to see if there is a noticeable difference in taste or texture.

Happy Baking!
~ Maria





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