What's the best spice cookies recipe that is NOT crumbly?

Cafe Society
1

Hey all,

So I haven’t made cookies in awhile, and yesterday I made some for my writers’ group… and I don’t think they turned out very well. I was hoping for cookies that were both chewy and crunchy. That’s basically the kind of cookies you get at any grocery store bakery… but that’s not how they came out. Instead, they were kind of muffin-y, and after about an hour, they were nothing but a big plastic bag of crumbs. :eek:

It just seems like it should be pretty straightforward, but it’s been such a long time since I made cookies… were there too many eggs? Not enough of something? What?

2

ginger snaps are a good cookie.

3

Hard to tell what happened without the recipe, and whether you followed it as written.

I love snickerdoodles. I’ve made them with pumpkin pie spices in addition to rolled in cinnamon and turned out well.

4

Most likely too much flour. Either because you didn’t level the measuring cup or the flour had settled and was packed too densely in the container. Sifting is always best, but even fluffing it in the bag with a fork or whisk will help. Then don’t pack it into the measuring cup of course.

Then, if the dough still seems dry or crumbly, mix in more liquid until you get the right consistency. Oil, Milk, melted butter, whatever fits best with the recipe.

And if time permits and it’s a new recipe, make up a test batch. For research obviously. :wink:

5

Moving to CS.

6

Okay, so here’s the original recipe: (the long version is there, but here’s the snipped one:

Original recipe makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

8 minutes at 350 degrees.

I substituted nuts for raisins and used all butter. Also, I cut down on the sugar a LOT… 1 c of coconut sugar, not 1 c of white sugar and 1/2 c of brown sugar. Maybe that had something to do with it? Substituting coconut sugar works really well in pies…

Okay, I’ll admit it, I did NOT sift the flour. But…

Here’s the thing: I’ve done basically the same exact thing with the classic recipe on the Quaker Oatmeal box pretty recently (didn’t sift flour, sub coconut sugar and a lot less of it, nuts instead of raisins) and it turned out really well. it was crispy rather than chewy, but it was NOT “muffin-y.” And it’s basically the same recipe!

1/2 Cup(s) (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 Cup(s) firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 Cup(s) granulated sugar

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon(s) vanilla

1-1/2 Cup(s) all-purpose flour

1 Teaspoon(s) Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt (optional)

3 Cup(s) Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

1 Cup(s) raisins

(8 min at 350.)
:eek:
What on earth HAPPENED??

7

I’m quite fond of On the Fence Molasses Cookies, so-called because they are crunchy outside but chewy inside.

I generally decrease the sugar to not quite 2 cups and bump up the dry spices a bit as well.

8

I’ve never used coconut sugar so I’m not familiar with it’s properties. But while different sugars will affect the final result, I’m still inclined to blame the flour. Could you have used self rising flour instead of the all-purpose called for in the recipe? Self rising has baking powder and salt already mixed in which could cause your cookies to muffin up.

Here’s a sample of what altering ingredients can do to basic chocolate chip cookies.

Beyond that, I dunno unless it has something to do with the oatmeal you used. Knock out another batch and see what happens.