Don't You Dare Do Any Of These Things While Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies
In the test kitchen, there’s no shame in a failed batch of cookies. We went through trays and trays of burnt-edged, overly-sweet, unappealingly-textured cookies on our quest for the perfect recipe. And though it’s a bummer not to get the best batch every time, each of these trails taught us something new. As Miley Cyrus once said, “It’s the climb.”
Want to know what we've learned? Perfect, because we've organized it all in a pretty little chart for you.
1. Amount of Flour
Getting the flour ratio right is crucial to a nicely textured cookie. Too much and your cookie will be dry, crumbly, and chalky. Too little and your cookies will burn easily, spread a TON, and will feel greasy to the touch. No bueno.
2. The Mixing Method
We know the temptation to dump all your ingredients into a bowl and stir them together all at once. In fact, we did it! Surprisingly the results weren’t terrible, but the cookies were inconsistent in flavor. On the other hand, our over-creamed batch resulted in overly tough, puck-like cookies. Finding a happy medium between doing the most and doing the least is important for both the texture and flavor of your cookies.
3. Baking Powder
There’s a reason baking powder is never called for in cookies: Adding it results in cookies that have a Play-Doh texture and a vaguely chemical taste. We are NOT fans.
4. Eggs
You gotta have ‘em! Leaving them out will result in overly sweet balls of dough. Crunchy on the outside, doughy in the middle, and completely unsatisfying.
5. Sugar
Not enough and your cookies will taste more like shortbread, too much and they’ll be crunchy, burnt, and obviously way too sweet.
6. Bake Time
We’ve all burnt a batch of cookies, so you likely know the deal with over-baked cookies. They’re dry, crumbly, and come with a slightly bitter burnt flavor. Still edible, though! (Or if they’re really burnt, you can still pick out the chocolate chips, right?!) Under-baked cookies are doughy, soft, and slightly greasy. Luckily, if that’s your issue, you can pop ‘em back in the oven and give them a little more time.
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