Skip to main content

Does anyone have any tips on how to keep the shape of cookies. For some reason the batch i'm working with is baking weird....I've attached a picture of 2 dresses i baked tonight. I roll the dough & let it sit in the fridge for a while before baking. 

Some of the cookies seem to be shrinking rather then expanding too. 

 

Any tips/advice on how i can prevent these issues??

 

Thanks!

Attachments

Images (1)
  • IMG_1847
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

It's hard to say what's happening w/o knowing the recipe formulation, whether you're flouring your work surface (and if so, how much) and how you're otherwise handling the dough during rolling. I never chill my cookies after rolling (just beforehand, so I don't have to use too much flour to roll them out), and I usually don't get much, if any, misshaping.

 

Possible reasons for misshaping are:

 

1. Dough is too soft when you're rolling it, so it misshapes when you transfer cutouts to the cookie sheet;

2. Dough is overworked (with too much flour added), which develops the gluten in the flour and can cause the dough to shrink and toughen on baking. (However, shrinkage is not so common in cookie dough, unless you really abuse it, because the relatively high qty of sugar in it has a counterbalancing tenderizing effect);

3. The recipe has too little flour in it relative to fat to start, which would cause the shapes to spread more than desired, and often less uniformly especially if there are any hot spots in your oven;

4. The dough was rolled unevenly, so fatter areas spread more than others; and

5. Probably others, but #1 to #4 are the biggies.

 

I'd say chill the dough more before rolling and handle the dough as little as possible, and see what happens.

Thanks everyone....I think i left something out when making the dough, or I didn't put the correct amt of extract   By the last cookies, they were shrinking to about 1/2 the size!  Needless to say, i have a new batch of dough in the fridge now to bake!

Originally Posted by Julia M. Usher:

I don't think the amount of extract would affect the cookies in this way at all. Interested to hear how the second batch bakes up.

 

Really you don't think? I would think putting less liquid into the dough would effect it in some way. The new batch was much better! 

Attachments

Images (1)
  • IMG_1850

Not unless you're adding a ton of extract or an OIL, but a teaspoon or even two of an alcohol-based extract will have a very minor to non-existent effect unless the formulation of your dough is sketchy to start - if an extract, the alcohol in it quickly evaporates in the oven anyway.

 

(Too much fat relative to dry ingredients is what causes spreading and misshaping; too much flour and overworking the dough could cause shrinkage, or warming the dough to the point that it misshapes when you move it.)

I always had problems rolling my dough when it was firm from the fridge.  I now roll it between wax paper sheets when it's 'fresh' and soft.  I then put all the rolled 'sheets' onto a cookie sheet and into the freezer.  I let them get really firm and then cut out the cookies.  This is great especially if you're working in warm weather.  The dough holds it's shape nicely and is easy to cut and transfer to the baking sheet without warping it.  It's also easy to keep it frozen if you don't need all the dough.  I just put the rolled sections into Ziploc bags (cut in half if they're too big) and they're ready to go the next time I need them

 

Add Reply

Post
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×