How come my homemade cookies are hard?

Answer 1

Try replacing 1/2 of the white sugar with brown sugar. Then take them out of the oven right when they lose that wet gleam. Let them cool completely before touching. Also, try adding melted butter instead of just soft butter.

Answer 2

There are several things that could be making your cookies turn hard. Are you removing the cookies from the cookie sheet as soon as you take them out of the oven. If not, they are still baking on that hot cookie sheet, they need to be removed to cooking process. As for the butter, margarine or shortening thing. The best to use is pure margarine and to make sure that you are buying margine and not vegetable spread. Unless to cookie recipe specifies butter, margarine or shortening then foolow the directions. Also this adds air and make your cookies more thick. Let the margarine or the like sit at room temp, then whip in you mixture. Then add your sugar and whip that, then add your eggs one at a time, and then your vanilla, all the while everything is whipping in your mixture. Good luck and have fun.

Answer 3

Most cookie recipes call for a 350o oven for about 10 minutes. I prefer to bake cookies at 425o for approximately 5 minutes. The difference you'll see is that the cookies won't appear fully cooked and will just be turning a very slight brown around the edges when you pull them from the oven. When you wait for them to cool, you'll see that the texture will come out perfect this way.

Answer 4

I had the same problem when I was making homemade cookies. My mother told me to use shortening or crisco instead of butter. I guess it depends on how well the dough gets mixed up before they are cooked.

Answer 5

I have found that taking them out of the oven while they are still really soft makes for a nice PLEASANTLY soft cookie. They continue to cook from their own heat when you take them out, so if you leave them in until they seem just right---they will be too hard when they cool. Give it a try.

Answer 6

Possibly in the oven too long, or not enough butter or sugar. But first I'd find a better recipe than the one on the baking soda box.

Answer 7

Hmm, make sure that you are using softned butter to..not melted...that makes the cookies go flat and hard if you melt it in the microwave...you may try sealing them up with a piece of bread, and that may make them soft. worth a try.

Answer 8

perhaps you forgot to add some baking powder or soda? also, using all ingredients at room temp helps... did u use too much flour? try taking about 1 tbsp flour out next time

Susan

Answer 9

chefcheri has good advice. Learned the same thing in culinary school and working at the bakery

Answer 10

brown sugar is just sugar and molasses combined.

Try using DARK brown sugar instead of regular sugar or LIGHT bown sugar.

this will make your cookies more chewy and textured =]