Snickerdoodle help!
This has probably been brought up before, but I cannot for the life of me bake cookies that are cute and puffy like my mother's or the ones in the magazines.
I baked wonderfully soft and chewy snickerdoodles over the weekend that were less than 1/2 inch high.
I cooled the baking sheets between baking, rotated the cookies halfway, took them out 1 minute early while they were still underdone in the middle, aerated the butter as best I could, chilled the dough before rolling cookies.... all tips I've heard before on this.
Anyone else have conclusive advice?
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12 Comments:
Did you beat the butter and sugar by hand or with a mixer? You usually need to beat the butter till it's light and fluffy, so the sugar is incorporated in the butter ( no longer gritty) which is about 2-3 minutes with a mixer.
Your procedures were spot on...
Sometimes it's the quality of the butter. too- where there is too much water compared to the butterfat. I always use Keller's, Hotel Bar or Land o'Lakes.
julie527 at 5:39PM on 11/03/09
I live at 3500 feet in Bend Oregon, and I always have to double any leaveners in my recipes.
I made Snickerdoodles this past weekend to send to my Air Force son in Texas. Although mine were not soft and chewey they did rise just fine. I did use 2 t. of baking powder in my recipe.
I hope this helps.
rlwycoff at 5:59PM on 11/03/09
Many recipes call for 1/2 shortening + 1/2 butter - I stick with all butter because I like the taste, and I sacrifice some fluffyness. But my snickerdoodles are not flat. Are you sure your mother used all butter?
Here's some ideas:
Did you use room temperature butter, not warm and runny or coldish? The eggs should be room temp too.
What size eggs did you use? I use extra large.
I've been using the recipe from "Rosie's Bakery Chocolate-Packed Jam-Filled Butter-Rich No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book" for years - I love this cookbook. A quick Google turned up the recipe & tips here, but you'll have to sign in to the Fresh Direct site:
http://www.freshdirect.com/recipe.jsp?recipeId=rec_wk_bak_bst_snkrdoo&trk=rsrch
MMinNYC at 6:00PM on 11/03/09
I agree with creaming the butter and sugar well so that it's light and fluffy--get as much air as you can into this mixture before incorporating other ingredients. Another thought is what size eggs are you using? Large is standard for most baking, although Ina Garten prefers extra large; going up one size may provide the extra boost you're looking for, but hopefully they wouldn't be too cakey. Also, how fresh is your cream of tartar and baking soda? That could also be affecting how your snickerdoodles bake up. Lastly--do they taste good? The taste is where it's at, and most people would gladly eat a tastie cookie rather than a pretty, yet bland cookie. Good luck, and if you modify your recipe/technique with success, PLEASE let us know. I always wonder how people make out in their endeavors.
dhorst at 6:08PM on 11/03/09
Hmm, this is really great advice. I creamed the butter/shortening mix (it was 50/50) and sugar with a mixer (I don't have a paddle attachment, just used the beaters), but not nearly for long enough, and the butter was right out of the fridge.
I used large eggs. Maybe adding half a beaten egg would give them that XL feel next time. I also think I need a new box of baking soda... mine's been open in a humid kitchen all summer.
Many thanks for all the tips! I'll be sure to take them all in next time I bake and report back!
PS - @rlwycoff half of my cookies went to my Air Force brother on the hockey team at USAFA!!
ec_washington at 6:12PM on 11/03/09
I don't know about anyone else, but I've never made or seen a tall puffy snickerdoodle, even in magazine photos. They come out of the oven looking puffy, but quickly deflate into a flat, chewy circle.
If you want puffy, you'll probably need to add baking powder. My snickerdoodle recipe calls for cream of tartar and baking soda, which is what baking powder is made from. I think that adding more baking powder would throw off the recipe's chemistry of rising.
But. . .I just happen to have a recipe that's been in my collection of things that sound/look interesting that I might like to try. . .someday. But I love my flat-ish snickerdoodles just the way they are and never felt the urge to try anyone else's recipe. This one, from Gale Gand, calls for baking soda, one tablespoon (yes, tablespoon!) of baking powder, and no cream of tartar. Sounds to me like the cookies would come out really puffy--like pregnant.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/snickerdoodles-recipe/index.html
betteirene at 6:45PM on 11/03/09
How accurate is your oven temp? May be worth checking out.
finewinendine at 6:53PM on 11/03/09
@ec-washington - The butter should be good quality as in Land O Lakes and room temperature. I have tried all butter, but get a puffier cookie when using half butter and half Crisco. The recipe I use is from Betty Crocker and this recipe also calls for cream of tartar. Wishing your brother well.
Suzzanne at 8:42PM on 11/03/09
Overmixing will make the dough tough. Not incorporating the fat to the flour also a problem. Oven temp not right problem. Snickerdoodles are sugar cookies they are not supposed to be puffy. For puffiness add half shortening and half butter and more baking powder (2 tsp).
JerzeeTomato at 9:13PM on 11/03/09
You're not supposed to roll out snickerdoodles. You roll the dough into balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar then bake.
Mares at 1:17AM on 11/04/09
A couple years ago I was making snickerdoodles when I discovered I was out of flour, I used cake flour instead - and it makes light fluffy cookies. I still follow the recipe as is, just substitute the cake flour...
karenw at 7:33AM on 11/04/09
This is an interesting thread. ALL of my cookies come out flat, and I've never been able to figure it out. I use only butter, always room temp, and I cream for 3 minutes with a handheld mixer. America's Test Kitchen FAmily Cookbok says you should no longer feel the grains of sugar in properly creamed butter, but I have never managed to make them disappear--does that sound right to you all?
My cookies TASTE great, but sometimes I wish they were a little thicker to bite into.
Robin Bellinger at 2:35PM on 11/04/09