Oatmeal cookies are among the most popular cookies available. Baking oatmeal cookies as a dessert is something that many families do.
If you’re just starting out making oatmeal cookies, things may not always go as planned. It is natural for an unskilled baker to make a few blunders.
Many individuals have difficulty making oatmeal cookies because they turn out flat. What would cause these cookies to flatten?
Continue reading to see why oatmeal cookies may come out flat. This should assist you in determining how to turn things around so that you may eat the most delectable cookies conceivable.
Contents
- 1 – You Didn’t Refrigerate the Cookie Dough
- 2 – The Butter Melted
- 3 – Don’t Beat the Dough Too Much
- 4 – Ensure That the Cookie Sheets Are Room Temperature
- 5 – Use Parchment Paper
- 6 – Make Your Dough Balls a Bit Tall
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs
- How do you fix flat oatmeal cookies?
- How do you fix flatten cookies?
- Why are my oatmeal scotchies so flat?
- How do you make cookies rise more?
- How can I make my cookies fluffier instead of flat?
- What can I add to cookies that are too flat?
- What causes cookies to go flat?
- Why do my cookies puff up then flatten?
- When baking cookies do you flatten them?
- Are cookies better with Crisco or butter?
1 – You Didn’t Refrigerate the Cookie Dough
Using cold dough may aid in the production of better-looking cookies. If you prepare your cookie batter and bake the cookies immediately away, the cookies are more likely to come out flat.
To avoid this problem, put the cookie dough in the refrigerator for a few minutes before beginning. To be safe, consider chilling the dough for a couple of hours.
Some individuals believe that allowing the dough to chill overnight is preferable. But, if you want to prepare cookies for the family to eat today, this may not be feasible.
The dough should be fine refrigerated for at least one hour. This will significantly improve the quality of the cookies.
2 – The Butter Melted
Why is it necessary to chill cookie dough? It’s largely because if you don’t, the butter will melt.
Butter does not take long to melt, and if the butter melts before you can put the cookies in the oven, the cookies will be flat. This is a bothersome problem that irritates many individuals.
The simplest option is to chill the cookie dough to guarantee that everything is really cold. Another option is to substitute shortening for butter.
Shortening does not melt as readily as butter. If you use shortening instead of butter, you can probably avoid refrigerating the cookie dough.
Many individuals, however, enjoy the flavor of butter. If you believe the cookies will be much more delicious if you add butter, it’s worth it to chill the dough for a few minutes.
3 – Don’t Beat the Dough Too Much
When it comes to mixing the dough, new bakers sometimes be a little too enthusiastic. You would believe that pounding the dough more will result in better-looking cookies, but this is not always the case.
Whether you’re beating things by hand or with an electric hand mixer, pay attention to how you’re doing it. You’ll be creaming the butter and sugar for quite some time, but don’t overdo it once the eggs are added.
When the eggs have been added, over-blending might cause the cookies to fall apart. That will increase the likelihood of flat cookies, but it may also create other issues.
You’ll also want to avoid being sidetracked if you’re using a stand mixer. Some individuals make the mistake of turning on the stand mixer and letting it mix the cookie dough while they take care of something else.
If you’re not cautious, you can leave the dough in the mixing basin for too long. The mixer will continue to run until you remember to turn it off.
Mixing cookie dough by hand using human strength or a small electric hand mixer is generally safer. You may use a stand mixer if you wish, but be sure not to leave the dough to mix for too long.
4 – Ensure That the Cookie Sheets Are Room Temperature
Using cookie sheets that are excessively hot may result in poor outcomes. You’re attempting to make cookies quickly, which means you’re probably yanking cookie sheets out of the oven and slapping extra cookie batter on them.
Letting the sheets to cool first might really be preferable. Because placing the cookie dough on a heated skillet causes the butter to melt.
As previously said, heated butter will cause the cookies to spread, causing your cookies to be flat. It is advisable to use room-temperature pans if you want well baked oatmeal cookies.
If waiting for the cookie sheets to cool is inconvenient, you may want to consider purchasing extra of them. Keeping numerous cookie sheets on hand ensures that you can always place cookie batter on room temperature sheets.
Otherwise, you’ll simply have to be patient. That may be inconvenient, but you’ll simply have to wait it out.
5 – Use Parchment Paper
Parchment paper might also assist you get better outcomes. Using parchment paper will essentially aid to protect the bottom of the cookies.
It ensures that the cookies bake evenly. You’ll be able to decrease instances of spreading, and the cookies will be significantly less likely to burn.
If everything goes as planned, you should be able to eat perfectly browned cookies. Parchment paper is also reasonably priced.
It will be worthwhile to invest a few dollars to make making cookies simpler. You won’t need to spend much time lining the cookie sheets, and you’ll be pleased you used parchment paper.
6 – Make Your Dough Balls a Bit Tall
Lastly, you may want to make your dough balls a little higher than usual. Many individuals like to shape the cookie dough into precisely round balls.
This may be what you’re accustomed to, but you may get better results if you don’t produce precisely spherical balls. Make them roughly oblong so that the dough balls are little higher than normal.
As the cookies bake, they should be less likely to be flat. You will get a more typical cookie with the desired proportions.
You won’t have any trouble making the dough balls somewhat taller. It’s another little thing you can do to make a difference.
Final Thoughts
Oatmeal cookies that are flat might be frustrating. If you’ve been having trouble getting your cookies to come out correctly lately, the techniques above should help.
You may try chilling the dough for a time to prevent the butter from melting too much. It is also feasible to make things simpler by using shortening for dough.
Yet, not everyone will like shortening as much as conventional butter. This implies that you should chill the dough for at least an hour before using it.
You should also be mindful of how you shape your dough balls. Raising them a little higher should keep them from flattening out too much.
It is best to lay the dough on room temperature cookie sheets. Placing dough on hot cookie pans causes the butter to melt too quickly, resulting in flat biscuits.
Using parchment paper should also help the cookies bake evenly. This is a low-cost method for making cookie baking simpler.
Use all of this knowledge and put it to good use. You’ll be enjoying delicious oatmeal cookies with your family and friends before you know it.
FAQs
The Solution: Run the baking sheets under cold water to cool them.
Let your baking sheets to cool for a few minutes so they are warm but not hot. Finally, rinse them under cold water until they are no longer hot to the touch. Place your cookies on the magically cold sheets after drying them.
Lastly, if cookies are put and cooked on hot cookie sheets, they will flatten. To begin, keep it cool. How to Repair It: If it was too soft butter, try chilling the cookie dough for 1 to 2 hours before baking. If too little flour was the problem, try adding 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour to the dough.
Why are my oatmeal scotchies so flat?
What happened to my Oatmeal Scotchies? If you do not refrigerate the dough immediately before baking, the cookies will spread excessively. I prefer to freeze them for 10 minutes before baking them.
Baking soda. The sort of leavening you use in your cookies impacts not just their rise but also their texture and structure. Baking soda produces a denser cookie with craggy topping, but baking powder enables cookies to rise higher during baking, resulting in a cakier texture.
In two ways, butter keeps cookies airy. Then, creaming cold butter with sugar generates small, homogeneous air pockets in the dough that will remain after baking. Second, it takes longer for cold butter to melt in the oven.
If your first batch of cookies comes out flat, add 1-2 teaspoons flour to the remaining dough. Then bake a test cookie before proceeding with the remainder of the cookies or adding a little extra flour.
What’s the deal with my flat cookies?
The butter was too soft.
The oven is overheating.
We used hot cookie sheets.
The ingredients were not properly measured.
The incorrect kind of fat was utilized.
Before baking, the cookie batter was not cooled.
The butter and sugar were either under- or over-mixed.
The cookies were too thinly rolled.
More to come…
•Nov 21, 2022
Q: How come my cookies are so fluffy and cakey? Too much air is whipped into the dough. The fluffy texture you desire in a cake is achieved by pounding a lot of air into room temperature butter and sugar, and the same is true for cookies. Don’t overwork the butter and sugar while creaming them together.
While experimenting with impressions, seek for the following characteristics: The recipe instructs you to flatten the dough. If you are not instructed to flatten the dough before baking, it signifies that it is soft enough to spread on its own and that the cookies will not retain an impression.
Cookies made with butter vs. cookies made with shortening
Cookies made entirely of butter may not rise as much and will spread more, but the edges will be crisper and have a deep buttery flavor. Cookies made entirely with shortening will bake higher and maintain their form better throughout baking.