Help with spreading cookies

[Anna N]

I am making cookies from this (Dorie Greenspan) recipe.  I did not add the nuts but other than that I followed the recipe to a T including chilling the dough for an hour before scooping it. After 10 minutes in the oven I have a tray full of co-joined cookies!  I have returned the dough to the refrigerator  and wait with digits crossed for someone to suggest a solution. The trays are lined with Silpat. My oven temperature is good.  I just checked it.

 

 

 Edited to add they are not even firming up as they cool.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[pastrygirl]

Let the dough come back to room temp, stir in 1/4 c more flour, scoop then chill. 

 

I usually prefer to scoop before chilling, unless it's super sticky and gooey I'd rather deal with that than super hard dough.  The cookies will chill more quickly portioned than as a mass.

 

They look still raw after 10 minutes.  What baking temp is called for?  Might up it by 25F.

 

[KennethT]

Is it possible that the butter was over-creamed?

[Anna N]

43 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

Let the dough come back to room temp, stir in 1/4 c more flour, scoop then chill. 

 

I usually prefer to scoop before chilling, unless it's super sticky and gooey I'd rather deal with that than super hard dough.  The cookies will chill more quickly portioned than as a mass.

 

They look still raw after 10 minutes.  What baking temp is called for?  Might up it by 25F.

 

375°F. Thanks. 

[Anna N]

39 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Is it possible that the butter was over-creamed?

It's highly possible. I did further research after asking for help and I suspect that I may well have over creamed this batch since I was distracted by a pet emergency (now resolved!). 

[ElsieD]

59 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Is it possible that the butter was over-creamed?

 

You can overcream butter?

[Anna N]

1 minute ago, ElsieD said:

 

You can overcream butter?

Oh for sure!  

[ElsieD]

14 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Oh for sure!  

 

That's one of the many things I like about this forum.  There's always something to learn.

[Anna N]

21 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

That's one of the many things I like about this forum.  There's always something to learn.

I can remember many many years ago in a Cook's Illustrated, a black and white photograph showing over-creamed sugar and butter for cookie dough.  I don't know the science behind it but my suspicion is that it something like a broken emulsion when the butter fat breaks away from the water.  One of our SSBs will be able to explain it I'm sure. 

Edited May 29, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[KennethT]

During my senior year in college, I took a professional cooking class at the hotel school. Our first task was chocolate chip cookies. A few of my classmates' cookies spread like these and the chef said that they had overcreamed the butter. He didn't explain what caused it though.

[JohnT]

There is quite a high butter content in that recipe and thus I presume the cookies are meant to spread a bit due to this. As mentioned above by @pastrygirl, I would add some more flour to keep a higher profile. Also, this may sound like a dumb question, but are you sure you used baking soda and not BP or forgot to add the soda? I would have imagined a bit more browning evident from baking soda than what your photograph shows. It will be interesting to see what happens next, although quite frustrating for you!

[Anna N]

17 minutes ago, JohnT said:

There is quite a high butter content in that recipe and thus I presume the cookies are meant to spread a bit due to this. As mentioned above by @pastrygirl, I would add some more flour to keep a higher profile. Also, this may sound like a dumb question, but are you sure you used baking soda and not BP or forgot to add the soda? I would have imagined a bit more browning evident from baking soda than what your photograph shows. It will be interesting to see what happens next, although quite frustrating for you!

 I definitely know I used baking soda simply because the can is now empty.  I suspect I over creamed the butter and then the butter and sugar and I'm not sure that any rescue is possible. These were top-of-the-line chocolate chips given to me just a couple of days ago so I'm going to at least attempt to add more flour and see what happens.   Stay tuned you will either see cookies or some words that you didn't think I knew.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[cakewalk]

Try with parchment rather than silpat.

[Anna N]

3 minutes ago, cakewalk said:

Try with parchment rather than silpat.

Thanks but  they are baking now. 

[Anna N]

4 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

Let the dough come back to room temp, stir in 1/4 c more flour, scoop then chill. 

 

I usually prefer to scoop before chilling, unless it's super sticky and gooey I'd rather deal with that than super hard dough.  The cookies will chill more quickly portioned than as a mass.

 

They look still raw after 10 minutes.  What baking temp is called for?  Might up it by 25F.

 

They are not going to earn any blue ribbons but they are now at the very least edible so I say thank you very much. I did exactly what you said. I added more flour. I scooped them and put them in the refrigerator for over an hour but I did not up the oven temperature thinking that 375 was probably sufficient.  I really appreciate your help.  

 

[pastrygirl]

Hooray!  Those look like proper chocolate chip cookies

 

[rotuts]

this reminded me of two books by

 

Shirley O. Corriher

 

https://www.amazon.com/CookWise-Successful-Cooking-Secrets-Revealed/dp/0688102298

 

and

 

https://www.amazon.com/BakeWise-Successful-Baking-Magnificent-Recipes/dp/1416560785

 

this was before ' Scientific Cooking ' really took off.

 

in the bake wise book there is a two page spread that suggests to you how to re-design your cookie Rx :

 

crispier ?   .....

 

spreading too much  ?  ..............

 

etc

 

for review purposes consider ;

 

 

 

 

I highly recommend  these books , and I brought them down from a very dusty shelf and will be reading them again over the next few days

 

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[MelissaH]

On 5/29/2017 at 3:59 PM, Anna N said:

 I definitely know I used baking soda simply because the can is now empty.  I suspect I over creamed the butter and then the butter and sugar and I'm not sure that any rescue is possible. These were top-of-the-line chocolate chips given to me just a couple of days ago so I'm going to at least attempt to add more flour and see what happens.   Stay tuned you will either see cookies or some words that you didn't think I knew.

 

On this side of the border, I'd say that if you had an empty can, you'd used baking POWDER and not baking SODA. I think I've only ever seen baking soda come in a box here. Baking powder typically comes in a can.

[Anna N]

6 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

On this side of the border, I'd say that if you had an empty can, you'd used baking POWDER and not baking SODA. I think I've only ever seen baking soda come in a box here. Baking powder typically comes in a can.

 

8 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

On this side of the border, I'd say that if you had an empty can, you'd used baking POWDER and not baking SODA. I think I've only ever seen baking soda come in a box here. Baking powder typically comes in a can.

[JohnT]

@Anna N , out of interest, what do you pay for that 340g can? I go through quite a lot of baking soda (labled bicarbonate of soda here), as well as baking powder. Both are available in small cans in the supermarkets. However, I buy in 1 kg bags and pay aproximatly C$ 0.72 per kg for the soda and C$ 1.05 per kg for baking powder. Butter has doubled in price in the last 6 months from C$ 3.16 in December to C$ 6.32 for a 500g brick today!

[Anna N]

 

 

1 hour ago, JohnT said:

@Anna N , out of interest, what do you pay for that 340g can? I go through quite a lot of baking soda (labled bicarbonate of soda here), as well as baking powder. Both are available in small cans in the supermarkets. However, I buy in 1 kg bags and pay aproximatly C$ 0.72 per kg for the soda and C$ 1.05 per kg for baking powder. Butter has doubled in price in the last 6 months from C$ 3.16 in December to C$ 6.32 for a 500g brick today!

 I'm hoping someone else will jump in here. I bought that quite some time ago at Trader Joe's in the US and I don't get down there very often so I can't remember what I paid for it.  Arm and Hammer baking soda at my local supermarket is $2.99 a kilo and Magic Baking Powder is $6.99 for 450g.  I am absolutely certain I could get these cheaper if I shopped around. I only buy very small quantities of each of these so that they are fresh when I come to use them.  

 

 The cheapest butter at the same supermarket is $6.29  for 454 g.  I try to wait for it to go on sale and then stock up.

Edited June 2, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[ElsieD]

@Anna N  I am in Syracuse right now and am going to TJ's in the AM.  I'll be happy to check the price of the baking powder and post it here.

[Anna N]

5 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@Anna N  I am in Syracuse right now and am going to TJ's in the AM.  I'll be happy to check the price of the baking powder and post it here.

 I thank you on behalf of @JohnT

[MelissaH]

9 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@Anna N  I am in Syracuse right now and am going to TJ's in the AM.  I'll be happy to check the price of the baking powder and post it here.

Nothing to add other than is it still sold in cans? (And you're brave for venturing into a TJ's on a Saturday!)

[blue_dolphin]

42 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

Nothing to add other than is it still sold in cans? (And you're brave for venturing into a TJ's on a Saturday!)

Yes, that TJ's stuff is still in cans.  I bought one not long ago because I like the small size and snap cap for baking.  Edited to add:  the fact that it's alarmingly similar in size and color to the can of Rumford Baking Powder does give me pause !

I've got a big ol' box from Smart & Final in the laundry room for cleaning the oven, etc.  

Edited June 2, 2017 by blue_dolphin (log)