Ok,so twice this week I made some chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I followed the directions on the nestle choco chip bag except that i halved the recipe. Both times, my cookies came out too cakelike. They did not spread. They pretty much stayed in the little balls. What am I doing wrong? Its so frustrating!
While I'm on the subject, do any of you have a good recipe and instruction for soft chocolate chip cookies? I want them just like the ones that come out of the Pillsbury dough tube that you take out of the oven early so they are nice,hot,and doughy...YUM!!!!
Alexandra,
I must repeat what has been said. I use the butter flavored crisco, they have the recipe in the packaging, and the cookies are wonderful. I also use Pampered Chef stoneware to bake them on. Happy Baking....:)
L.
I always use real butter and usually they come out great. Make sure your baking soda is in date. Maybe if you are cutting the recipe in half, the salt might not be the right ratio. Try adding a bit more. Do not use self rising flour, use all purpose.
There's several things that could be going wrong: Type of shortening (you didn't say if you're using butter, margarine, crisco, or a combination thereof); the method by which you measure the flour (scoop lightly into the measuring cup and then level off the top (don't smash it into the cup); leavening agents; if you're preheating the oven, etc. Someone else said there must be some kind of additive in the tube of cookie dough--I never buy that because it tastes like preservatives to me, but do know that the baked product there and what you bake from scratch will never come out the same.
Are you using self-rising flour instead of all purpose flour? Are you using baking powder instead of baking soda? You might also get an oven thermometer to test your oven temperature. If it's not spot on, you might want to adjust the oven temp. Our's is about 10 degrees off so I always have to preheat at a higher temperature to match any recipe.
For a good chocolate chip cookie recipe, I recommend going to www.recipezaar.com and searching for chocolate chip cookies. Select one that already has a high rating by users who've already tried it. I've found tons of great recipes that way.
Good luck!
Ugh! I know!! Mine always come out tasting "floury". I hate that. They must have some sort of preservative that they add to that delicious tube of devil cookies.
One more tip to add to this great mix already posted:
When you are measuring your liquid/dry ingredients, are you using the "correct" measuring cups? Your liquid ingredients need to measured in a liquid cup, and these usually have a "pour spout" on them; the dry ingredients need to be measured in a dry cup ~ these are the ones that "nest" in each other. For the flour, try putting the flour in your measuring cup by "spooning" it in a little at a time, then level it off with the flat side of a table knife. I agree with the ladies about the cookie mix in the tubes ~ just about anything you buy "ready made" has some form of preservative in it to extend the shelf life of the product!
Okay...try buying the bars of butter flavored Crisco - I know it sounds disgusting - however the cookie recipe on it is amazing if you cook them on a silpat, use a small scoop so the cookies are all the same size and use two cookie sheets so that they are cool when you put them in the oven. I like mine squishy not crispy!
another little tid bit to add, try not halving the recipe, and just use half of the dough, you can roll the other half in parchment paper and plastic wrap and put it in the fridge or freezer to use later. Works great, that way its ready when you just want a couple of cookies.
Other than that it sounds like what everyone else is saying, the type of butter you use, butter is better than margirine, never use tub margirine, and all purpose flour.
Use the bars of butter and make sure it is at room temperature..that's the key to having them thiner and not so "cake like". Good luck!
