6 Reasons Why Your Cookies are Spreading (2024)

FAQs

6 Reasons Why Your Cookies are Spreading? ›

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. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

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. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

What are the 6 factors that determine the spread of a cookie? Flour, sugar, liquid, baking soda, type of fat, and baking temperature.

Reduce the leavening in the cookie recipe by about 25% if you live between 3,000-7,000 ft above sea level, and by about 30% if you're higher up in altitude. This helps the cookies spread less as they bake- leavening agents can work a bit differently at high-altitude!

Baking soda also serves another important purpose when it comes to cookies: It encourages spreading by raising the mixture's pH, which slows protein coagulation. This gives the dough more time to set before the eggs set, which results in a more evenly baked cookie.

Kind of like how crumbly dough is usually because there's too much of the dry ingredients, runny cookie dough comes from having too much of the liquid ingredients.

The spread factor of the cookie was calculated by dividing the diameter of the baked cookie (D) by the height of the cookie (H).

The temperature of your oven plays a critical role in the amount of spread your cookies can achieve, as it affects the speed at which these solid fats melt. Essentially, the faster the fats melt, the quicker the cookies will spread, resulting in that perfectly crispy, chewy texture we all crave.

Use an Ice Bath to Quickly Chill Cookie Dough

Squish it down into a flat shape about a half-inch thick and check the seal to make sure no water can get in. Plunge it into an ice bath, either in a bowl or in a larger baking pan if you need more room.

Use less baking powder or baking soda. For each teaspoon, decrease 1/8 teaspoon at 3000 feet; 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon at 5000 feet; 1/4 teaspoon at 7000 feet. Decrease the fat. If your recipe calls for oil or shortening, decrease 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup of fat.

What makes cookies spread too much? ›

Mixing Butter & Sugar

If it's over-mixed, the air pockets decrease in size and are unable to hold their shape in the oven—causing your cookies to spread. It's best to cream butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

If your cookies come out of the oven looking flat, you may not have adequately chilled the dough before baking. Chilling times may vary depending on the cookie you're making, but you should typically chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours before you pop it in the oven.

Using Warm Cookie Baking Trays

Ideally you want to cut your cookies and then chill them with the baking sheet. that way the tray is still cool when it goes in the oven and the cookies have no time to spread before they are baked through.

Always pop the cut cookies back into the freezer for a few minutes until solid again. From there you can put them straight into the oven. Even better is that once frozen you can re wrap your pre-cut cookies in cling film and place in an air tight container and keep them this way already pre-cut and ready to go!

1. Cookies. Cornstarch does kind of incredible things to cookies. I mean not only does it give them soft centers, prevents them from spreading, and makes them somewhat thick (in a good way), but it also contributes to the chewiness factor, which, in my opinion, is the most important cookie attribute.

They rise.

As the butter melts, the cookie's structure loosens, so that the water in the dough is able to combine with the baking soda, dissolving it. The baking soda then reacts to the acidic components present in brown sugar, creating gases that cause the cookie to rise.