We all love freshly baked, homemade cookies, but sometimes things don't turn out exactly as we imagined. There are many little things that can go wrong when you make your own cookie dough. Are your cookies not quite perfect? With these baking tips to avoid common cookie baking problems, we can fix them!
Here we discuss the most common cookie baking problems and their solutions. Read on if you want to learn how to bake your cookies correctly and what mistakes to avoid using our tips! If you make cookie dough yourself, most of these problems can be solved with very simple steps. Even small changes can lead to significant improvements in your cookie baking!
Why does the dough become tough?
The most common reason for a tough cookie dough is that it has been overmixed. When flour is mixed into the dough, gluten begins to form. Gluten helps hold baked goods together, but too much gluten can be too toughlead to cookies. When mixing flour into the cookie dough, you should only mix the dough until no streaks of flour are visible.
If you add nuts, chocolate chips, or another ingredient after the flour, you can even stop mixing the flour into the dough if you see a few streaks of flour in the dough. Then add the other ingredients and the flour will finish mixing into the dough while the other ingredients are stirred into the dough.
You can also let the dough rest before baking to allow the gluten to relax a bit. Many cookie recipes recommend chilling the dough before baking to reduce the spread of the cookies.
Is your cookie dough too crumbly?
One of the most common reasons for crumbly cookie dough is not enough fatis in the dough. This could be because there wasn't enough fat in the recipe or it was simply measured incorrectly. The fat in the cookie dough helps lubricate the dry ingredients so they bind together well.
If your cookie dough is too dry, it may be due to over-mixing or using too much of an ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk, or softened butter) to your mixture.
Cookie dough tears when rolling out?
To develop a strong gluten network that prevents the dough from tearing, you need to knead the dough long enough. The most common mistake people who struggle with their dough tearing make is not kneading the dough long enough to develop gluten.
What should you doif the doughbreaks when rolling out? If your dough cracks and crumbles when you roll it out, it's probably too dry. This is relatively easy to fix. Simply add some cold water to the dough with your fingers and work it in - gently until the dough holds together.
Why are my cookies browning unevenly?
If some of your cookies are browner than others, the dough may not have been portioned evenly. If you use the same amount of dough for each cookie, they will bake in the same amount of time. If some are too small, they will be too brown. If some are too big, they won't brown enough.
It is best to use a cookie scoop for drop cookies. These are spring-loaded portioners that come in different sizes. When cutting and baking, use a ruler or other device to ensurethat the cookiesbe cut equally thick. This may seem a bit of a hassle, but this extra step rewards you with beautiful, evenly baked cookies.
With cut-out cookies, you have to make sure that the dough is rolled out to an even thickness. A ruler is also very helpful here. There are also rolling pins with removable guides that allow you to measure the thickness of the dough as you roll it out.
Why do the cookies spread too much?
Many of the reasons why cookies over-spread have to do with the temperature of the ingredients or dough. The most likely problem is that the butter was too soft when whipped. It is also possible that the dough became too warm before baking. In this case, just put it in the fridge for half an hour before baking.
Another cause of the dough spreading can be that the baking pans have been greased too much or that the cookie dough has been placed on warm pans. If youa baking panIf you need to reuse cookies to bake a batch, let the pan cool to room temperature before adding more dough.
Make your own cookie dough: do the cookies stick to the mold?
If baking pans are not greased or lined, cookies may stick to the pans. Cookies can also stick if removed from the pans before they have cooled properly.
To prevent sticking, you can line the pans with parchment paper or silicone liners, or lightly grease the pan with butter or cooking spray. Keep in mind that over-greasing can cause the cookies to spread too much.
Set thebaked cookiesonto a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan. This allows air to circulate around the pan, allowing the cookies to cool more quickly and preventing them from being overbaked by the heat in the pan.
How long does cookie dough last in the fridge?
Homemade cookie dough should be stored in small containers in the refrigerator for two to four days or frozen for two months. Alternatively, small amounts of dough can be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator if necessary. So we saw how easy it is to make your own cookie dough and enjoy the delicious cookies!
