Soft Cookies

"Ed Thomas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi:

I'm an enthusiastic cookie baker, but I only am able to
make crunchy, crisp cookies and suspect this is due to
the baking time. I prefer soft cookies. When I follow a
recipe, and the timer signals, I find the cookies seem
undercooked, so I add 3-5 minutes to the time. I let them
sit for a minute or so on the cookie sheet before
removing them.

And when they cool, they are crisp. What should I be doing
to bake soft cookies?

Ed Thomas

Cook them less. Experiment by taking a single cookie out
at different times and see which time gives you the
desired result.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ed Thomas said:

I'm an enthusiastic cookie baker, but I only am able to
make crunchy, crisp cookies and suspect this is due to
the baking time. I prefer soft cookies. When I follow a
recipe, and the timer signals, I find the cookies seem
undercooked, so I add 3-5 minutes to the time. I let them
sit for a minute or so on the cookie sheet before
removing them.

And when they cool, they are crisp. What should I be doing
to bake soft cookies?

If cookies look done when in the oven, they're overbaked.
They should still be a little soft when you take them out--
the edges should be browned and set, but the centers still
soft. They'll set as they cool.

Also, double check your oven temperature with a good oven
thermometer. Many ovens don't really go to the temperature
they're set to. Your oven may be too hot.

Use brown sugar--or part brown sugar--instead of white (the
molasses in the brown sugar holds moisture).

Use some butter-flavored shortening. Since shortening has a
higher melting point than butter, the cookies spread less,
creating a softer, thicker cookie. When substituting, keep
in mind that shortening has more fat and less moisture than
butter, so you may need to add a little more liquid.
Shortening is 100% fat, while butter is about 80%, and about
15% water.

If you chill the dough before baking, it'll also spread
less, making the cookie puffier and softer.

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at Wed, 28 Apr 2004 17:35:40 GMT in <MXRjc.4828$nn3.284
@twister.socal.rr.com>, [email hidden] (Ed Thomas) wrote :

Quoted message said:

Hi:

I'm an enthusiastic cookie baker, but I only am able to
make crunchy, crisp cookies and suspect this is due to the
baking time. I prefer soft cookies. When I follow a recipe,
and the timer signals, I find the cookies seem undercooked,
so I add 3-5 minutes to the time. I let them sit for a
minute or so on the cookie sheet before removing them.

And when they cool, they are crisp. What should I be doing
to bake soft cookies?

Someone will no doubt post to use shortening instead of
butter. Since that introduces IMHO unnecessary flavour
compromises, I will recommend the alternative - increase
the relative proportion of eggs in the recipe, and then you
can use all butter. You don't need much of an increase in
egg ratio, just a tweak. A bit of experimentation should
get what you need. Baking a little less time shouldn't
hurt, either.

Be aware that many older recipes are designed to produce
crisp cookies. From what I can tell, it appears that an
older generation preferred smaller, crisper cookies. So
that's what older recipes produced. Younger generations seem
to lean towards larger, softer cookies, so newer recipes
lean that direction.

--
Alex Rast [email hidden] (remove d., .7,
not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

I have found that cookies taken off the baking sheet before
they get cool makes for a softer cookie, and putting them
away before they get room temp seems to help.

take care Liz

Hey! Look what "Ed Thomas" <[email hidden]> wrote :

Quoted message said:

Hi:

I'm an enthusiastic cookie baker, but I only am able to
make crunchy, crisp cookies and suspect this is due to the
baking time. I prefer soft cookies. When I follow a recipe,
and the timer signals, I find the cookies seem undercooked,
so I add 3-5 minutes to the time. I let them sit for a
minute or so on the cookie sheet before removing them.

And when they cool, they are crisp. What should I be doing
to bake soft cookies?

Ed Thomas

As for the soft-cookies--thanks for the help. I'll start
experimenting today with some of the suggestions. Also, the
recipes I use all came out of the same (1950s style)
cookbook, so I'll check out some of the newer ones... and
buy an oven thermometer to be sure things are working right.

Ed T

Ed Thomas said:

Hi:

I'm an enthusiastic cookie baker, but I only am able to
make crunchy, crisp cookies and suspect this is due to the
baking time. I prefer soft cookies. When I follow a
recipe, and the timer signals, I find the cookies seem
undercooked, so I add 3-5 minutes to the time.

Don't add the 3-5 minutes. They're done.

Pastorio

Quoted message said:

I let them sit for a minute or so on the cookie sheet
before removing them.

And when they cool, they are crisp. What should I be doing
to bake soft cookies?

Ed Thomas

Ed Thomas said:

As for the soft-cookies--thanks for the help. I'll start
experimenting today with some of the suggestions. Also,
the recipes I use all came out of the same (1950s style)
cookbook, so I'll check out some of the newer ones...
and buy an oven thermometer to be sure things are
working right.

Check out foodtv.ca or other food related web sites. You can
also go to www.google.ca and hunt for recipes. If you are
going to buy some books look for ones that have variations
on the same recipe. I have often seen a recipe for cookies
and it will give three recipes: 1) very crisp and thin,
2) soft and chewy and 3) something in between. Looking at
how the ingredients change will help you understand how
you might want to experiment on other similar recipes.

--
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