Why are my cookies spreading when baking them?

Question

I have used the exact same recipes for more than 15 years. The past two years, they have spread when I baked them. I've tried various things: checking the oven temp (lowering it); adding more flour, using butter instead of margarine, etc. I usually make all my dough and refrigerate and bake when I can. Is it because the dough is too cold possibly? But honestly, last year I did not chill my dough and had pretty much the same problem. I bake over a thousand cookies so I really need to figure out my problem. Maybe the cookie sheets? It happens with peanut butter, choc. chip, and other drop cookies. How can you use the same recipes for 15 plus years and all of a sudden they fail? I've got to be missing something! Any ideas?

Answer 1

I have only found three reasons for that happening

1. over mixing the dough
2. cookie sheet to hot
3. butter to soft when starting out recipe

I have always used margarine instead of butter and have found my cookies to be much softer and not crisp, but I like my cookies soft and not crisp.

Answer 2

I bake a lot too. Here's what I've found can make a cookie spread:
1) Overbeating the dough. I especially have this problem with chocolate chip. If I use a mixer, they spread. If I do it by hand they don't.
2) If the cookie sheet is not completely cool (room temp).
3) If the dough is too warm.
4) If you used larger eggs than you usually do, they might spread because the dough is a little looser.
5) Butter cookies tend to spread before ones made with shortening because butter has a lower melting point than shortening.
Just a few thoughts. Hope it helps.

Answer 3

Well I bake all the time,
It should be one of those things that you are working on. I would add more flour.

They could have taken out an ingredient out of the butter or shortening as they have had to reduce the levels of Transfats etc.
You might just want to use a whole new recipe. I am looking at doing it now. I also found this year that hand beating the dough seems to be giving me better cookies and I have exact control over the consistency. I always taste them as well!
Pans- Ovens Temp, and ingredients are all about all we have to alter in the basic Cookie.
Yes check the baking Powder expiration I refrigerate all my grains and powders.

Answer 4

Are you using a different type of cookie sheet to bake them on? Sometimes if you use too much butter or margarine on aluminum cookie sheets, the dough spreads. Naturally it will spread a little, but in my experience with aluminum sheets, unless I used a little less butter or margarine than the recipe called for, the dough would begin to run. Best wishes and have a happy holiday season! :)

Answer 5

This used to happen to me all the time with my favorite cookie recipe, until I figured out what the culprit was.

The first problem was that I switched to margarine, instead of butter. That did terrible things to my cookies, and they ended up huge, burned on the bottom and raw in the middle. So, I learned my lesson there.

Then, I switched to butter. It was working great until one day, I used over softened, basically melted butter, and the very same problem I had with the margarine happened again. What I learned from this is that I should only use soft, but not melted butter.

If none of these work, try reducing the fat content, i.e., butter in the cookie. That should help.

Answer 6

That is a lot of flour and dry ingredients for the amount of liquid in the recipe. It may be that these cookies need to be flattened before baking: dip the bottom of a glass in water, then in sugar, and flatten the balls of dough. Or criss cross with a fork to flatten. Otherwise, I would add a little bit of milk -- no more than a tablespoon or so at first. Bake a couple of sample cookies and see how they spread. If it's better but not perfect, add more milk a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want.

Answer 7

I believe I have an answer to your problem. Any time I spray PAM or any other vegetable spray on my baking sheets, my cookies go flat when baking. Chocolate Chip cookies especially do not hold their shape. Always grease baking sheets with shortening. Not only will your cookies retain their shape, but the pans will clean up easier. Whenever you spray the baking sheets with PAM or other spray, whatever space you don't cover with your cookies actually burns on the baking sheet.....therefore leaving those impossible brown areas that will not scrub off. Try your recipes again---except grease the pans the old fashioned way instead of using the sprays as a shortcut!

Answer 8

Use parchment paper to line your cookie sheets, do not spray them with stuff to prevent sticking.
Also, make sure your cookie sheets are completely cooled before doing the next batch.
If they are still the slightest bit warm they cause the dough to warm up causing it to spread before cooking.

Answer 9

Sometime your baking powder or baking soda can expire, you only use a little bit at a time so a box can last forever, but once it is too old it will not work and things won't rise properly.

Answer 10

are you using the same brand of margarine / butter and flour??? butter and margarine cookies usually spread. and also the preparation with butter ie.cold butter or melted butter also will make difference..good luck