Editor’s Tip: Speaking of dry ingredients, make sure you’re using fresh baking soda or baking powder (here’s how to test your baking soda and baking powder).
Mistake 4: Your baking sheets are over-greased
For most cookies, there’s enough fat in the dough to keep them from sticking to your baking sheets—no greasing required. (Plus, the best sheet pans are nonstick.) If you grease the pans unnecessarily, the dough will flatten too much as it bakes.
Additionally, reusing baking sheets for multiple batches of cookies can be another cause of flat cookies. Residual grease left on the sheet from the previous batch can lead to too much spread. (Also, if your pans are still hot from the previous batch, the fat in the dough will start melting even before the cookies hit the oven.)
Editor’s Tip: Always let the baking sheets come to room temperature between batches. If you have an ongoing problem with flat cookies that nothing else seems to solve, you may need to wash away residual grease between batches.
Mistake 5: You’re skimping on mix-ins
Why (why!) would you use fewer chocolate chips than the recipe called for? That’s cookie blasphemy. Whether you decreased the amount called for because you ran out and didn’t want to run to the store (poor excuse) or you were trying to save a few calories (worse excuse)—don’t do it. If you’re short on the mix-in ingredient called for, like chocolate chips or nuts, combine it with another mix-in to equal the total volume called for in the recipe.
How to Keep Cookies from Spreading
These tips will help prevent your cookies from spreading in the first place. (For more advice, check out these baking tips from our food editor.)
1. Choose the right cookie recipe
Some cookie recipes are prone to spreading more than others. For instance, recipes that use granulated sugar may spread more than recipes with confectioners’ sugar because granulated sugar liquefies in the oven.
The right recipe for you will depend on the type of cookie you’re baking. If you’re looking to make cutout cookies that won’t spread, our Test Kitchen recommends a sturdy dough like the one in our recipe for Elf Cookies.
Editor’s Tip: If you have time, bake a few test cookies. Then, you can make any adjustments needed before you bake the full batch.
2. Prepare the dough properly
You always want to chill cookie dough—even if that means putting it back into the refrigerator after you shape it.
If you’re using balls of cookie dough, form them tall to give them plenty of room to spread down as the ingredients melt. When arranging your cookies on the baking sheet, follow the recipe’s directions. Generally, you want to give the cookies some breathing room on the pan—space them at least 1 inch apart.
3. Check your oven
If your oven is too hot, the fat melts faster than the cookie can set, and you end up with pancake cookies. Always preheat your oven and invest in a good oven thermometer. Even new ovens can be incorrectly calibrated, so check the actual temperature every time you put a pan in the oven.
Editor’s Tip: Good oven maintenance is key to consistent baking. Make sure you regularly calibrate, level and clean your oven.
How to Fix Flat Cookies
If you notice that your cookies are flat while they’re baking in the oven, you can try using a spoon to reshape them. However, if your cookies come out of the oven and it’s too late to fix them, it’s time for plan B: re-purpose them. Here are a few ways to use flat cookies:
Crumble and use them as a topping for pudding, mousse or ice cream
Use them for ice cream sandwiches
Add them as mix-ins to other desserts, like Cookies ‘n Cream Fudge
ADVERTISEMENT
