HelpQA Tags Search FAQ
Start a New Post Chat Login & Registration
St small 215x235 pad 210x230 f8f8f8.lite 1u1
Summer
last online: 02/20, 18:14
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0

Why are my chocolate chip cookies cakey and not dense and chewey?

1) too high temperature? 2) not enough butter? 3) using baking powder instead of soda?

Cooks enlighten me.

This open post was written |
Views: 65, Subscribers: 10 |
Leave a reply | Report Post

⇩ Zoom to bottom
Reciprocity (0)
Reciprocity
Since writing this post Summer may have helped people, but has not within the last four (4) days.
Post Tags (5)
baking, powder, soda, cooks, enlighten
Replies (18)
12
Jebus-Zeus
last online: 10/09, 19:48
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(4 minutes after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

yes

12
Jebus-Zeus
last online: 10/09, 19:48
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(7 minutes after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

It might be one of a few reasons....

1. too much baking soda, they rise higher (maybe decrease it slightly from the recipe)
2. too much egg (sizes of eggs differ at times) and too much egg in a recipe tends to make things "cakier"
3. maybe the silpat is not letting the cookies "crisp" on the bottoms, I bake my cookies directly on a metal cookie sheet
4. over baking - I tend to take my drop cookies out when they are just slightly golden around the edges and still "raw" looking in the center, they set nicely as they cool, let them cool on the pan for a minute before transferring to a rack
5. not enough sugar (I like to use dark brown and solidly packed into the measuring cup) sugar affects texture of baked goods, usually less sugar = tougher not as soft baked goods
6. over blending butter, sugar & eggs with a hand mixer. I've read in one of my cooking magazines (Cook's or Fine) something about overblending sugar & eggs for too long sort of "cooks" them. Something with about about a chemical breakdown in the proteins.

26177036 10215274775811609 2093060189 n
ProffVampy
last online: 05/07, 19:08
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(1 hour after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

might well be the type of sugar youre using. i find brown sugar works better for cookies. the picutre below kinda explains the difference sugars make to them.

[https://i.pinimg.com/736x/de/da/d5/dedad5404ba7...]

314sftf
Nix
last online: 11/28, 9:31
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(2 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

Oooh I read this a few months ago because mine always went the same, I wish I could remember the reason though....

1581744157174 1581744149313 miss bot
soco
last online: 03/19, 3:49
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(3 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

What is the difference between baking powder and baking soda? Are they the same? Can I sub one for the other without changing anything else?

If there is one thing that you take away from today’s lesson, let it be this: baking powder and baking soda are absolutely not the same.

Baking powder and baking soda are both leaveners, however they are chemically different. Let’s start with baking soda because it’s the most confusing. I’m going to geek out for a sec. First, baking soda is a BASE. Do you remember the science experiment we all did in school? Mixing baking soda with vinegar and watching an eruption of bubbles? Usually we did this in some sort of model volcano contraption. I know you know. When you mix baking soda (BASE) with vinegar (ACID) you get a chemical reaction (an eruption of bubbles!). A product of this reaction is carbon dioxide.

The same exact reaction happens in our cookies, cakes, breads, etc. When a recipe calls for baking soda (BASE), it usually calls for some type of ACID. Like buttermilk, brown sugar, yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar, cream of tartar, molasses, applesauce, natural cocoa powder (not dutch process), or honey. You need this ACID in the recipe to react with the baking soda, which in turn creates carbon dioxide and allows your baked good to rise.

Baking soda is strong. In fact, it is about 3-4x stronger than baking powder. More baking soda in a recipe doesn’t necessarily mean more lift. You want to use just enough to react with the amount of acid in the recipe. Too much baking soda and not enough acid means there will be leftover baking soda in the recipe. You do not want that; it creates a metallic, soapy taste in your baked goods. Ick.

Help me with:

We have another hurricane coming this way.

Screenshot 20201225 201925 google
BuckingFastard(JN)
last online: 12/25, 20:25
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(7 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

I'd say too low a temp.

You use lower temps to get softer texture.

Possibly could be too much butter as well.

Electric
BA1
last online: 01/25, 20:20
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(9 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

Too much water or baking powder or both.

Sherlock by olga tereshenko d9qdidc
Sherlock
last online: 07/08, 10:43
Verified User (7 years, 1 month)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(11 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

When I encounter these problems, it's usually because I have bought an inferior brand of cookies!

Electric
BA1
last online: 01/25, 20:20
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(11 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

Sherlock wrote:
When I encounter these problems, it's usually because I have bought an inferior brand of cookies!

TOLL HOUSE cookies, Sherlock. Not TROLL HOUSE....

Sherlock by olga tereshenko d9qdidc
Sherlock
last online: 07/08, 10:43
Verified User (7 years, 1 month)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(12 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

Big-Al-One wrote:

Sherlock wrote:
When I encounter these problems, it's usually because I have bought an inferior brand of cookies!

TOLL HOUSE cookies, Sherlock. Not TROLL HOUSE....

The difference is astounding!

Helpcomanimatedyetiwithdot256
𝕐ͤͭͥ̇𝕖𝕥𝕚。(Yeti.)
last online: 06/22, 14:37
Verified User (7 years, 5 days)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(17 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

Perhaps it would be easier to assess the cause given the recipe and any irregularities / errors you may have noticed in following the instructions (that is, if you have some experience with it or baking in general) - note you asked anent high temperature yet didn't state what you had tried. Image of the cookie's interior as well.

I'm only a dabbler, but here are some personal insights:
- Temperature is variable, as is baking time. The base is 180c, in general higher produces crunchy exterior & soft (or unprepared) interior, and lower is used for even spread, such as the delicate cheesecake. Erring on the high side here is unlikely to have been the primary cause.
- Butter is crucial, although it may seem excessive on paper. Gives the dough a few notable characteristics: greasy, malleable yet retains shape, can't be stretched yet sticks together. Almost no other wet ingredients besides egg - one should suffice for a medium batch - as far as I can recall. Inaccuracies with these seemed to engender my failures for the most part - during baking, they would appear to melt completely.
- Not much of a notable difference twixt baking powder & soda, latter perhaps saltier, usually use a 50-50 mix; correct quantity is significant, however.
- Straight out of the oven they might be quite soft, after ~1hr of cooling they harden greatly.

Help me with:

[quote]Test.[/quote]

Sherlock by olga tereshenko d9qdidc
Sherlock
last online: 07/08, 10:43
Verified User (7 years, 1 month)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(17 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

And . . . not all ovens are at the temperature the indicator dial says they are. Some are hotter, some cooler. You might think your oven is at 400 degrees, when it is really 350.

Helpcomanimatedyetiwithdot256
𝕐ͤͭͥ̇𝕖𝕥𝕚。(Yeti.)
last online: 06/22, 14:37
Verified User (7 years, 5 days)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(17 hours after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

Sherlock wrote:
And . . . not all ovens are at the temperature the indicator dial says they are. Some are hotter, some cooler. You might think your oven is at 400 degrees, when it is really 350.

Yeah, just yesterday read another reminder to acquire a proper thermometer. Always neglect to remedy that...

Help me with:

[quote]Test.[/quote]

St small 215x235 pad 210x230 f8f8f8.lite 1u1
Original Poster
Summer
last online: 02/20, 18:14
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(1 day after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

Guys: I tried another batch because this body isn't gonna feed itself - solution is baking soda not powder, little of it, lower temperatures and not overbaking, and more brown sugar ratio + high gluten ( bread) flour for denser and chewier cookies.

1581744157174 1581744149313 miss bot
soco
last online: 03/19, 3:49
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(1 day after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

Summer wrote:
Guys: I tried another batch because this body isn't gonna feed itself - solution is baking soda not powder, little of it, lower temperatures and not overbaking, and more brown sugar ratio + high gluten ( bread) flour for denser and chewier cookies.

Winner, winner. Chicken dinner!

Help me with:

We have another hurricane coming this way.

26177036 10215274775811609 2093060189 n
ProffVampy
last online: 05/07, 19:08
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(1 day after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

huzzah! as we helped do we get to sample some? :)

1581744157174 1581744149313 miss bot
soco
last online: 03/19, 3:49
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(1 day after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

ProffVampy wrote:
huzzah! as we helped do we get to sample some? :)

im greedy. Want more than just one or two.
Willing to pay shipping on my 3 dozen....

Help me with:

We have another hurricane coming this way.

Doop
danihatesyou
last online: 10/21, 16:53
Help-QA Volunteer Moderator
Verified User (7 years, 2 months)
Long Term User
Shoutout0
#
(5 days after post)
Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators

my cookie is

use the back of tollhouse but cook cookies on 8 minutes (only because my oven cooks too fast)
and use real hard butter

A
⇧ Zoom to top

Help-QA supports basic Markdown, emoji 😁, and tagging friends with @username!

To use this site you must be 13 years or older and occasionally submit your email address. Your email address is only shared with your explicit permission.

Home Page - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Feedback