I just got another plea for help through my flickr group from a frustrated baker with spreading sugar cookies. Ugh. I know that angst of looking through the oven window at your cookies losing shape and mushing into one another. You watch, helpless. I've been contacted by others with this problem as well, so here are some tips that I hope will help:
Good, thick baking trays are a must for baking cookies. A useful investment. Williams-Sonoma, Sur la Table, other fine kitchen stores carry these items. I line my trays with parchment paper, too.
Check your oven temperature. Many ovens lose their accuracy. I have a thermometer inside that I go by, rather than the dial. (Do ovens HAVE dials anymore? I'm old beyond my years. I mean digital readout.) Your oven should be fully preheated.
Your recipe. Make sure you aren't using any old sugar cookie recipe. Many sugar cookie recipes are for "drop" cookies (similar to chocolate chip cookies, as in, you "drop" spoonfuls on the tray and they are meant to spread a bit.) You should use a sugar cookie recipe for "rolled" cookies (meant to hold their shape.) These recipes will probably have more flour (usually about 2 1/2 cups) and less eggs (one, not two).
Brrr...chill your dough. I ALWAYS chill my cookie dough at least an hour before rolling out, and I keep unused dough in the fridge while the cookies are in the oven.
I hope these tips help prevent those silly cookies from spreading!
Happy baking and happy decorating,
Meaghan
Meaghan, don't forget to remind your readers that, for safety reasons, they SHOULD NOT attempt to reach inside the oven and simply push the cookies back into shape with their fingers. I learned the hard way, and now it hurts to even type this message!
ReplyDeleteAh, I was going with the assumption that was understood. Shame on me! For those desperate and angst ridden enough to try this, I should have warned you: don't! Spreading cookies is not worth the pain of burnt fingertips.
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