# Flat cookies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997 "2010-12-13T17:24:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/1 "2010-12-13T17:24:08Z")
I am not a great cook, but I can usually follow a recipe. When I make chocolate chip cookies, they often come out totally flat. I don’t bake often, so I buy new containers of baking powder and soda. I use butter. Why don’t they rise? If I make oatmeal chocolate chip I have better luck, but the oatmeal is probably bulking them up. Help!! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/2 "2010-12-13T17:46:07Z")
You may not have enough flour for the amount of fat (butter), in which case your cookies melt and spread more during cooking. Try adding a little bit more flour. Actually too much liquid of any type to flour ratio gets you flat cookies. Add more flour. ---
**Author:** ![Sandra\_Battye](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sandra_battye/32/552_2.png) [@Sandra\_Battye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandra_Battye)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/3 "2010-12-13T18:17:28Z")
Try watching [Three Chips For Sister Marsha](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB-KVveLp3k) for an explanation of how some minor changes in the recipe can make major changes in the finished product. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/4 "2010-12-13T20:06:37Z")
My brother used to make flat chocolate chip cookies, it was because he’d melt the butter to almost boiling (steaming out some of the water). Just use soft butter. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/5 "2010-12-13T20:14:29Z")
I have had luck using half butter, half margarine or butter-flavored Crisco\*. This will make your cookies thicker and chewier. \*That is, take the amount of butter the recipe calls for, and replace half of it with margarine/Crisco. Another tip to make chewier, less crisp cookies, is to use all brown sugar – replace any white sugar with brown sugar. Also, chill the dough in the refrigerator before cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/6 "2010-12-13T20:15:54Z")
My wife and I found a recipe recently for insanely thick chocolate chip cookies. You can see 3 or 4 layers of chips when you bite into them. It’s like eating heaven. I’ll ask my wife for the recipe later today and post it. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/7 "2010-12-13T21:08:59Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > My wife and I found a recipe recently for insanely thick chocolate chip cookies. You can see 3 or 4 layers of chips when you bite into them. It’s like eating heaven. I’ll ask my wife for the recipe later today and post it. Thank you. They sound delicious! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/8 "2010-12-13T21:18:12Z")
I agree with the butter hypothesis. If you want a thicker cookie, use half Crisco (which has a higher melting point) and/or butter just soft enough to cream, and consider refrigerating your dough before you bake it. You want butter that takes long enough to melt in the oven that the gluten in the flour has a chance to firm up first. The cold butter holds space, then melts away, leaving teeny tiny air holes. If it melts too soon, there’s no space. Or your baking powder could be dead. But then you’d see a problem with your other recipes, too. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/9 "2010-12-13T21:22:14Z")
Are you at a higher elevation? > [@](#): > > With less air pressure weighing them down, leavening agents tend to work too quickly at higher altitudes, so by the time the food is cooked, most of the gasses have escaped, producing your flat tire. For cakes leavened by egg whites, beat only to a soft-peak consistency to keep them from deflating as they bake. Also, decrease the amount of baking powder or soda in your recipes by 15% to 25% (one-eighth to one quarter teaspoon per teaspoon specified in the recipe) at 5,000 feet, and by 25% or more at 7,000. For both cakes and cookies, raise the oven temperature by 20° or so to set the batter before the cells formed by the leavening gas expand too much, causing the cake or cookies to fall, and slightly shorten the cooking time. > > Flour tends to be drier at high elevation, so increase the amount of liquid in the recipe by 2 to 3 tablespoons for each cup of flour called for at 5,000 feet, and by 3 to 4 tablespoons at 7,000 ft. Often you will want to decrease the amount of sugar in a recipe by 1 to 3 tablespoons for each cup of sugar called for in the recipe. [SOURCE](http://www.ochef.com/327.htm) ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/10 "2010-12-13T21:31:05Z")
I’ve found that if you chill the dough for a couple of hours before you start baking the cookies, they don’t flatten out, and they come out of the oven nice and thick. I tend to take the cookies out a minute or so before they’re totally done, too. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/11 "2010-12-14T02:53:30Z")
Used a little more flour, half Crisco, chilled the dough, and had good luck and normal looking cookies. Thanks for all the help! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/12 "2010-12-14T22:46:54Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > My wife and I found a recipe recently for insanely thick chocolate chip cookies. You can see 3 or 4 layers of chips when you bite into them. It’s like eating heaven. I’ll ask my wife for the recipe later today and post it. We’re waiting. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/13 "2010-12-15T02:24:44Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > My wife and I found a recipe recently for insanely thick chocolate chip cookies. You can see 3 or 4 layers of chips when you bite into them. It’s like eating heaven. I’ll ask my wife for the recipe later today and post it. Yes, please! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/14 "2010-12-15T20:41:17Z")
2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 egg 1 egg yolk 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/15 "2010-12-16T00:21:47Z")
It seems you’ve found a variety of solutions, but I just wanted to mention that you don’t need to use Crisco to produce a non-flat cookie. I use all butter, all the time and get really good results. And I bake _a lot_. Crisco is yucky. I highly recommend refrigerating the dough for as long as you can. Even just ten minutes makes a difference in the final shape of the cookie. An hour makes for a significantly less flat cookie. A day in the fridge has the added benefit of doing very nice things to the flavor of the dough. One other potential source of your problem could be the size of the egg(s) you are using. The jumbo supermarket eggs are way too big for baking. One “large” (the term I see in a lot of cookbooks) cracked egg should weigh about 1.7 ounces. If I’m worried about the size of my eggs (not usually the case, as I pack my own cartons at the co-op), I weigh them before I add them to the dough and just discard the extra. In general, the first things I would recommend for fixing the dough for a flat cookie are refrigeration and the addition of a couple extra ounces of flour. Cisco just posted the best recipe for chocolate chip cookies I have ever found. The ingredient list is exactly the same as the recipe posted on Smitten Kitchen, [here](http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/crispy-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/). I can’t recommend that recipe highly enough. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/16 "2010-12-16T00:26:16Z")
Thanks Cisco! ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/17 "2010-12-17T00:47:58Z")
Well I just had a roaring success with my chocolate chip cookies tonight and thought I’d run back to this thread to let on that my secret to tall, somewhat puffy yet chewy cookies turned out to include butter flavor Crisco. Oh well. They taste damned good to me though. Didn’t have to refrigerate a thing either. I also used all brown sugar instead of a mix with white. This was the recipe I modified: [http://cooksrecipes.com/cookie/ultimate\_chocolate\_chip\_pecan\_cookies\_recipe.html](http://cooksrecipes.com/cookie/ultimate_chocolate_chip_pecan_cookies_recipe.html) I only had a half cup of pecans and all Crisco. I’ve never used Crisco before but I had a recipe last week that called for it so I had it on hand. I think it made a better than usual cookie and I don’t taste any yuckiness at all. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/18 "2010-12-17T02:11:17Z")
Flat crispy choco chips are great! ---
**Author:** ![Abisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@Abisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abisha)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/19 "2010-12-17T02:23:59Z")
Great website Chum. Its like food porn. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997/20 "2010-12-17T15:43:12Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > … cream together the … butter … and … sugar … IMHO this is the step that isn’t as understood as well as it should be, > [@](#): > > … The technique is most often used in making buttercream, cake batter or cookie dough. The dry ingredients are mixed or beaten with the fat until it becomes light and fluffy and increased in volume, due to the incorporation of tiny air bubbles. These air bubbles, locked into the semi-solid fat, remain in the final batter and expand as the item is baked, serving as a form of leavening agent. …[RIGHT][CITE](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creaming_%28food%29#In_baking)[/RIGHT] CMC fnord! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-cookies/563997.md?page=2)