Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies - OwlbBaking.com Cookie Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good cookie? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

Generally speaking, you should chill your cookie dough before baking it. But for how long? You want to give it at least 2 hours to chill through.

So if you're hoping for a crispy cookie, try using more granulated sugar. Granulated sugar absorbs moisture better, giving you the nice crispy texture you're craving! Weirdly enough, eggs also contribute to soft cookies.

Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

To keep cookies from spreading as much, resulting in a thicker, chewier cookie, chill the dough before baking. This is a good technique to use on butter cookie dough recipes when you're looking for a thicker, gooier, but not necessarily cakey cookie. Baking a cookie for longer will also result in a crispier cookie.

Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.

Should you chill chocolate chip cookie dough before baking? ›

Since most cookies are made with softened butter, which is then creamed with the sugar to act as the foundation, it's best to chill the dough after mixing to allow that butter to cool off. “Cookies made from chilled dough expand more slowly as they bake,” Hill says.

Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon flour onto work surface; coat all sides of dough with flour. With rolling pin, roll out dough 1/4 inch thick, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Brown sugar

Brown sugar is also hygroscopic (more so than granulated sugar) and will therefore also attract and absorb the liquid in the dough. The difference is in the molasses that makes brown sugar brown: It adds moisture and slight acidity, resulting in a moist and chewy texture.

If your chocolate chip cookies always seem to get hard after baking, why? They're drying out! Either there wasn't enough moisture left in them during the baking process (baked a couple minutes too long), or they haven't been stored properly, so they've continued to dry and harden.

The best cookies have layers of texture. A slightly crisp outer shell that holds up to some heat with an inner core that's soft and chewy. Premium cookies taste great at room temperature, straight out of the fridge or slightly heated. Creating cookies in small batches is key.

Not over baking them.

One way to make sure they always turn out perfectly baked is to set your timer for five minutes less than the recipe states. You want your cookies to be barely browned and not look wet in the center. When you press on them, you should be able to make an indent but it should not feel raw.