What caused this cookie disaster?
What caused this cookie disaster?
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What caused this cookie disaster?
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Post #1 - April 22nd, 2012, 6:35 pmI am totally at a loss.
I made cookies from this recipe, as I have plenty of times in the past. Actually, I pulled out a Ziploc of frozen dough I set aside from a previous batch and baked that. Despite all the variables I can identify being the same (oven temp, bake time, dough temp, etc) this batch turned out poorly. Instead of being thickish crispy-chewy discs, they spread enormously, covering the entire cookie sheet with one large, thin, flabby-textured cookie. And yes, they taste fine, but I sure can't give them away as a gift, as intended.
So what gives? Why would these cookies fail so spectacularly when cookies baked from the exact same batch earlier turned out just fine?As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett
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Post #2 - April 22nd, 2012, 6:43 pmMaybe the dough warmed up too much?
http://www.landolakes.com/TestKitchen/TipsAndTechniques/FAQ/cookies.aspx#2233ab22-100b-4545-bdba-2feda6887b09"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington
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Post #3 - April 22nd, 2012, 6:50 pmThe website for the recipe also suggested that a loss of leavening power could contribute to flat cookies. However, I agree that the dough may have warmed up too much. Do you have any dough left? Bake some straight from the freezer or just barely warmed. At least they taste good-- best kind of kitchen disaster.
Cheers, Jen
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Post #4 - April 22nd, 2012, 7:05 pmYou can always get out the cookie cutters and improvise--that and some kind of decorating will usually fix just about anything..."Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington
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Post #5 - April 22nd, 2012, 7:41 pmice cream sandwiches!
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Post #6 - April 23rd, 2012, 1:08 pmI think the dough was at the same temperature - it defrosted for about the same amount of time, and didn't feel extra goopy or anything - but that could certainly have caused the problem. Even so, delicious. I may even try to recreate the mistake, as the super-thin, crispy cookies were awfully good.As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett
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Post #7 - April 30th, 2012, 2:39 pmWell, I tried it again, using dough that had defrosted for a shorter period - same result. Since I froze the dough in chunks, I need to defrost it at least a bit...but at any rate, the cooler starting temp made no difference.As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett
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Post #8 - April 30th, 2012, 6:44 pmHow old was the baking powder you used? If the baking powder failed, the soda might have been enough to give the first cookies a rise but it likely wouldn't hold up in freezing, especially if the dough sat around a while before it got into the freezer.
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Post #9 - April 30th, 2012, 7:15 pmLAZ wrote:How old was the baking powder you used? If the baking powder failed, the soda might have been enough to give the first cookies a rise but it likely wouldn't hold up in freezing, especially if the dough sat around a while before it got into the freezer.
I think you're on to something . . . I would assume the baking powder was the issue.
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Post #10 - April 30th, 2012, 8:30 pmPretty new, I think - certainly less than a year old. It's cheap, though, so it might be worthwhile to toss the rest and get another can.As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett
