Instead of pressing the dough into a pan, scoop it into balls (a teaspoon or tablespoon scoop works well). Flatten the dough balls and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges.
You changed the recipe
Or in some cases, the cookie recipe will require you to flatten the cookies before baking if they haven’t been designed to spread naturally. If you reduce the amount of butter or oil in a recipe, your cookies won’t spread as much. If you add too much flour, your cookies won’t spread as much.
Fix: Flatten The Dough Balls Slightly Before Baking
If the dough balls are quite firm, you can help them bake by pressing them down slightly. Instead of having them in the traditional ball shape, push them down into more of a puck. This helps them to spread out more evenly during baking.
Mistake: When cookies turn out flat, the bad guy is often butter that is too soft or even melted. This makes cookies spread. The other culprit is too little flour—don’t hold back and make sure you master measuring. Finally, cookies will also flatten if placed and baked on hot cookie sheets.
Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn’t enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. … If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough. Don’t overmix the cookie dough ingredients.
Rolling the dough creates an easier reference of size. If a recipe calls for flattening with a sugar coated glass or fork, I’ll still roll them first to ensure that the pressed cookies are the same size. Rolling the dough into equal size balls also gives each cookie the same surface area.
Hints To Prevent Flat Cookies
- Refrigerate the cookie dough. …
- Butter vs. …
- Don’t use margarine. …
- Don’t overbeat the dough. …
- If you’re rolling the cookie dough, form the dough balls tall instead of perfectly round. …
- Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. …
- Room temperature pans.
Oven Temperature
If you still notice that your cookies are spreading, another thing you can do to help cookies keep their shape, is increase the heat 10-25 degrees higher than the suggested temperature on the recipe. Every oven is different, so you may need to try this for yours.
If your cookies are flat, brown and crispy, that means you need to add flour to your dough for the next batch. … Though the culprit is usually a flour deficit, butter could also be to blame for this problem. Adding too soft or slightly melted butter to the dough can also result in flat cookies.
Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you’re more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.
Water vapor escaping from the dough in combination with the carbon dioxide released by our baking soda is ultimately what makes our cookies light and airy. … Baking powder creates extra leavening and a fluffier cookie. Many recipes call for either one or a combination of both.