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Cookies are one of the best snacks in the world, as there is nothing better than a tasty cookie that has just come out of the oven, so it’s still warm, fluffy, and chewy. But for some, baking good fluffy cookies can be a challenge.
So, how do you make cookies fluffy?
To help make your cookies come out fluffy, you should chill your cookie dough for at least one hour before baking them. You should always wait for your baking pan to cool before your bake more, and you need to make sure that your baking soda or powder has not expired, to name a few tips.
What are the main mistakes that home bakers make when they bake their cookies that make their cookies come out flat? How can you make your cookies fluffier? Let us find out!
Why Are My Cookies Flat and Not Fluffy?
Baking a good cookie can test the skills of any home cook as there are so many variables to it that can make your cookies go flat while they are baking. This can be disappointing to most home bakers as you want to make the best cookies that you can.
Well, fret no more because the tips below will help you bake the fluffiest cookies you can; there will be no more flat cookies coming from your kitchen when you implement these tips!
1 – The Butter in the Cookies Melted Prematurely
The butter in your cookie dough is generally to blame for flat cookies, as it has a low melting point which can affect how your cookies come out.
Working with butter can be a challenging task because if it is too hard, you cannot mix it into the dough, but if it’s too melted, it can cause your cookies to spread too thin while they cook.
For this reason, almost all of the tips below have to do with the butter in your cookie dough and how to keep the butter just right. If you keep the butter in your dough at the right temperature throughout the cookie-making process, you are more likely to have fluffy cookies.
2 – You Did Not Chill Your Cookie Dough
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when baking your cookies is to not chill the cookie dough before you roll it out and cut it into the cookies. If you do not refrigerate your cookie dough before baking the cookies, your cookies will come out flat and chewy.
Most people leave this step out as they think it will save them time, but it is a curtail step in the process. You should always try to chill your cookie dough for at least one hour before baking them, but ideally, you should refrigerate the dough overnight.
This is because chilling the dough will help harden the butter in the cookie dough, which will help the butter take longer to melt when the cookies are placed in the oven. The butter staying hard for a bit while the cookies begin to bake is part of the reason you get fluffy cookies.
3 – You Used a Warm/Hot Baking Sheet
When you are busy baking your cookies, it can be really tempting to place more cookies on the baking sheet that just came out of the oven, as this helps speed up the cookie making. However, this is a big mistake and can contribute to your cookies coming out flat.
Once your backing sheet has come out of the oven with a batch of freshly baked cookies on it, you need to let the baking sheet cool down before placing the next batch of cookies onto it.
Moreover, you should not bake your cookies with a room-temperature baking sheet, as this can have the same effect if your house is warm. You should try and place your baking sheet into your fridge for a few minutes before you place the cookies on it.
If your baking sheet is warm or hot when you place the cookie dough onto it, this can cause the butter in your cookie dough to melt prematurely.
4 – You Greased Your Baking Sheet
Greasing your baking sheets is another mistake that most bakers make when they are making cookies. Most people grease the baking sheet to stop the cookies from sticking to the sheet, but when you do this, you add more fat into the cookie dough.
This extra fat will cause your cookies to spread out in the oven and become flat as they cook. Instead of greasing your baking sheet, you should use a silicone baking sheet or some parchment paper on your baking sheet pan.
If you are using parchment paper, ensure you use a fresh piece for every batch of cookies you make, and if you are using a silicone sheet, wait for it to cool before using it for your next batch.
5 – Your Ovens Thermometer Is Not Accurate
If you feel that you are doing everything right with your cookies and still coming out flat, then your oven’s thermometer could be to blame. Your ovens thermometer can become inaccurate over years of use.
This can sound weird, and you may think that it is unlikely for your oven to have this issue, but this is more common than most people realize. This is especially prevalent nowadays as most people use ovens that come with their house, so they do not know exactly how outdated the oven is.
You can fix this problem in two ways depending on your budget; you can call a professional out to come and fix your oven for you or buy an oven thermometer online and fix it yourself.
More Tips to Increase the Fluffiness of Your Cookies
If you know your oven’s thermometer is fine and you already do all the things above that help keep the butter at the right temperature in your cookie dough. However, your cookies are still not fluffy; then you can have a look at the following extra tips that should be able to help you make the best fluffy cookies!
- Ensure that your baking powder and baking soda have not expired, as this can cause flat cookies.
- If you use baking soda and your cookies are flat, switch to baking powder as this helps puff up dough more, making your cookie fluffy.
- You can add another egg yolk to your cookie dough, as this will make your dough more cake-like, which will add more fluffiness to your cookies.
- Substitute one cup of flour in your cookie dough recipe with one cup of oat bran; this will create a chewier and fluffier cookie than normal.
- Do not overmix your cookie dough when you make it, as this will add too much air into the dough, making your cookies rise fast in the oven but then fall flat as they continue to cook.
Final Thoughts
Having freshly baked cookies that are still warm from the oven is great, but when those cookies are fluffy and chewy, that is heaven! Making the few adjustments mentioned above in your baking process will help you create the best fluffy cookies that you can make.
Good luck with your cookies!
