COOKIE TIPS & TROUBLE SHOOTING
These tips are based on pretty basic recipes. There are always going to be special or fancy recipes that won't fit well into any recommendations I make here. Knowing what you're trying to accomplish helps a lot, and please be sure we're talking COOKIES and not CANDIES, CAKES, or BREADS. They all require different things as well.
Adding flavors to a dull recipe, or just to liven it up or make it more appropriate for certain occasions.
To Add Flavor IN the recipe:
To Add Flavor ON the cookie:
This really only works on white chocolate since you can't do much with milk or semi-sweet due to the color. Customizing really means to make it whatever color you want to go in cookies to add a splash of color or holiday flare.
In a small sauce-pan melt one package of white chocolate over medium low heat, stirring frequently. White chocolate does not cream up as nicely as darker chocolate. Once fully melted add several drops of food coloring (or split the batch into as many different ones you like, I don't recommend more than 3 and make different colors). The more drops you add the darker the color. Mix colors (such as red and blue to create purple) as desired. Just remember you cannot take color out once added, so add slowly and continue to stir. Then with wax paper over a cookie sheet spread the colored chocolate as evenly as you can at about 1/2 inch thickness (give or take). Careful, melted chocolate is HOT so use a spatula or even two if necessary, don't touch it. It does not have to be perfect. Chill until completely hard and then chop up the chocolate into small dices (slightly larger than chip size) and use these in your cookies for a splash of fun color.
Variations
These can take a little bravery, but don't be afraid to omit chocolate chips and use raisins or something else, use more nuts and less chips, or put coconut in, or other flavors to change the overall taste of the cookie. Raisins can easily be substituted with dried cranberries for a more tart flavor and extra color, coconut can be added instead of nuts or raisins or as well as. You can add or substitute your favorite ingredient with another. Keep in mind if the ingredient offers more moisture you may have to omit some, or some even need you to add something more dry. Orange zest can also spice a cookie up, and adding regular spices like cinnamon or extracts can also alter the entire flavor (read above). Many recipe books will offer common substitution and variations at the end of a recipe.
TROUBLESHOOTING
My cookies are burnt on the bottom, but the rest looks okay and I put them in for the amount of time specified by the recipe. What happened?
There are a few things to look at, so try to figure out which is more likely for you. You can start eliminating problems by fixing the most likely ones first.
My cookies are BURNT all over, but I baked for the time the recipe specified.
This isn't that uncommon of a problem. In fact, ovens do tend to vary on how well, hot or fast they bake. Some are naturally hotter than others and the only way you'd really know that is by experience or by checking it (which can be a pain). If the specified bake time seems to be burning the cookies cut it back 2-3 minutes. If you must, set your timer a few minutes early to check them and see how they look and add 1 minute at a time until they look right.
Also check and make sure you have the appropriate temperature setting. Sometimes we see 350 but accidentally set it to 450 or something else and it doesn't bake right, obviously. Another mistake some people make, this depends on how your oven works, is setting the oven to BROIL rather than BAKE and the top element heats up to 500 degrees and will sufficiently roast your cookies. (Yes, I've seen this, but have not had the fun of doing it myself).
If you think your oven is too hot and baking them too fast it wouldn't hurt to drop the temperature 25-50 degrees and just watch the next batch carefully to see how they bake. Just because it says 350 doesn't mean that's set in stone, and you can adjust that to whatever works better for you.
My cookies are melting together and baking into "sheets" of cookies rather than seperate cookies. How can I prevent this?
Assuming we haven't missed anything in the recipe (cookies will tend to go out very flat if the moisture content in the dough is too high) just try spacing them farther apart, use less dough, and/or put less cookies per one sheet. Most recipes recommend about 2 inches between each cookie. Some may need more. Also, try arranging cookies on the sheet so they alternate. One row has three, the next has two placed in the gaps of the other row rather than right next to the cookies to allow for more space, etc.
My cookies turned out like puddles, rather than cookies. They are very flat and gooey. What's wrong?
Unless that's the desired result, sounds like the moisture content was too high, or there wasn't enough flour added. Most recipes have flour in there somewhere, so try adding more to stiffen the dough. Dough is usually about the consistency of play-dough (pasty but not gooey) and shouldn't be rubbery like bread dough or soft and goey much less runny. Some doughs will be moisture than others, depending on recipe. Shortbread tends to be softer than peanut-butter cookies are, for example.
Make sure the dough is MIXED well. Some caution you about over-mixing as flour can start to create a mess when it gets over mixed, but the idea is to blend the ingredients just enough so that it's evenly spread throughout. Sometimes I've seen a few cookies in a whole batch turn out this way because they weren't mixed in with the flour as well as the rest, so be sure it's blended well.
Another possibility, but I don't think very likely if the cookies actually SPREAD is the unintentional omission of salt, baking soda, and/or baking powder. These are added to many baked goods to make the dough rise, and you'll find one or more of those in cakes, breads, and cookies alike. It is VERY important to have those in there if it calls for them. Do not omit them, even if you're trying to cook without salt, it usually is a very minescule amount and necessary to the proper formation of the cookies.
My cookies didn't rise or spread, but I think they're supposed to.
Most, but not all, rise or spread or both to some degree. This is usually due to the ingredient(s): salt, baking soda, and/or baking powder. If the recipe calls for it, be sure it gets added. The amount is usually very small, but even so it's important to the proper formation of the cookies and trust me you won't taste it. If you can taste the salt in the cookie dough you either did not mix it well enough, or put TOO much in. Most recipes never call for more than 1 tsp (for average 3-4 doz size) of salt, so flavor shouldn't be an issue here.
Got a question, or a tip to offer about cookies? EMAIL TO alfitz13@charter.net