Everyone seems to have their own preference when it comes to baking cookies. There are people who like their cookies thin and crispy, cake-like, or soft and chewy. I personally gravitate to the soft and chewy type. But how does one achieve this? That is one of the most frequently asked questions in the baking world.
To start off, let’s talk about measuring the flour. Too much flour can be the culprit in many cases. It can make the cookie hard, dry and cakey. Using the “dip and swoop” method works the best. Dip your measuring cup into the flour and fill it clear to the top. Use the dull end of a butter knife and drag or swoop it across the top to even it out. Some people are tempted to tap the measuring cup before swooping. This can result in too much flour. Also, I found that substituting part of the all-purpose flour with white bread flour helps to achieve a soft and chewy cookie. I learned that tip from Alton Brown, cookbook author and T.V. personality on the Food Network.
The type of sweetener that you use in your cookies can make a big difference, too. A cookie baked using only white sugar will be crunchier than one that has brown sugar. Brown sugar has a bit of molasses in it to make it softer. The molasses adds moisture to the cookie. Adding honey, corn syrup, agave syrup or maple syrup also will help achieve chewiness.
If you are making cookie dough in hot or humid conditions, your dough may appear to be warm and soft. If you bake with the warm dough, the cookies will spread out too much and risk getting crispy. That is also why you should let your cookie sheets cool completely before placing more cookie dough on them. It’s best to chill the dough before baking in less than ideal conditions.
What I feel is the most important step in making soft and chewy cookies is the baking time. Removing the cookies from the oven at just the right time will prevent hard or crispy cookies. Over-bake them by only 1 or 2 minutes and you’ve lost them. I recently started baking all of my cookies at 325 degrees. I feel the slower bake helps them not to brown too quickly and stay soft. The cookies are ready to come out of the oven when the middle is just set. That is, the dough no longer looks shiny. The cookies will continue to bake when you remove them from the oven. Leave them on the baking sheet for 5-7 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Finally, you must take care in storing your baked cookies. Only store them in an airtight container once they have completely cooled. Storing warm cookies can turn them mushy.
With a bit of practice, you can have a soft and chewy cookie every time. Good luck!
Happy baking,
Pam
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