How can I make cookies that wil remain thick when its done?

Question

I have tried numerous times to make homemade chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal and raisins and Everytime it comes out paper thin.
Help! What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

I am the baker for a coffee house and catering company, and here are a few of the "secrets" we use for a thick cookies that still have a soft texture.

1) Use a combination of butter and shortening, instead of all butter. (Cookie dough made with only butter will spread out more quickly in the oven because butter conducts heat more quickly than shortening, resulting in a thinner, flatter cookie.) If following an all butter recipe, replace half of the butter with shortening or, preferably, butter-flavor shortening.

2) Use a recipe that calls for cornstarch in the dough. The cornstarch will help to thicken up the dough and keep the texture of the baked cookie thick and soft. You could also beef up the cookie dough with extra flour instead, but cornstarch works well because a little bit of it has a big effect.

3) Use parchment paper to line your cookie sheets. This makes for an easy, non-stick baking surface, and helps the cookies to hold their shape (not spread too much); re-use the parchment over and over until all your cookies are baked.

4) Let the cookie sheets cool between batches. If you put your cookie dough onto hot cookie sheets, the dough will start to spread more quickly.

5) Rotate cookie sheets about halfway into cooking time. Most ovens have hot spots, so rotate your baked goods so that the items bake evenly.

6) Use a scoop to create evenly proportioned cookies. Scoop dough onto cookie sheets (use a large scoop for "bakery sized" cookies) and flatten slightly with hands or the back of a spoon to make a disk shape.

In Sources, there is a link to a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies that use cornstarch in the dough. If you do an online search, you will find other similar recipes, or you can probably adapt a favorite recipe by adding 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch and using the butter/shortening combination I mentioned earlier.

Happy Baking!
~ Maria

Answer 2

This is cheating, but I have found good results with baking a "fat" cookie using the Cake Mix Cookie recipe. Follow basic directions, add chocolate chips, nuts, etc.

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in the oil and eggs until well blended. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from pan to cool on wire racks.

Chocolate cake mix with peanut butter chips is good, or double chocolate chip cookies with chocolate cake mix and chocolate chips, or chocolate cake mix with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts -- the possibilites are endless!

Answer 3

I put the dough in the fridge for at least a 1/2 hour... take out & roll each one in a ball... put rolled balls back in fridge for at least another 1/2 hour... put into pre-heated over... after they are done in the oven... I set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool at least 5 min before taking them off the pan.

Answer 4

This might sound crazy, but I have found that using egg beaters instead of eggs makes my chocolate chip cookies much more fluffy and thick!

Answer 5

The ONLY way to make them stay fluffy or cake like is with cream of tar tar. I make the BEST pumpkin cookies with it and they're perfectly fluffy. Only a small amt is needed.

Answer 6

Try putting less butter/margarine.

Answer 7

More flour and less shortening/butter.