need help in making chocolate chip cookies

[davidinalameda]

Okay-I'm using the Nestle toll house recipe but the edges keep burning!

I've experimented with different temperatures but they keep burning

I'm thinking about cutting the butter back to a roughly 6 ounces and cutting the sugar as well

any ideas/suggestions?

[Gwendolyn]

1. If you haven't already, you could also try:

Lining your cookie sheets with parchment paper. (I use silicone sheets and they always come out perfectly.) Or double stack your cookie sheets. And maybe take them out a little earlier, since they'll still cook a bit as they cool. Good luck with your next batch! :)

[davidinalameda]

2. good idea about the parchment paper

I have a silicone sheet someplace

I did take them out a bit early today when I baked them

I used a baking dish instead of a cookie sheet because I thought the sheet was getting too hot and the dish would stay a bit cooler

they turned out okay but they stuck to the dish and made it hard to get them out because it wasn't non-stick and I didn't think to use anything to grease the dish

[no_hypocrisy]

3. I like to refrigerate the cookie dough for 1-2 hours. Then I take 1+ tsp of it,

roll it into a ball, and place it on the cookie sheet.

The result is a cookie that is pretty much uniform and the edges are evenly baked.

[sandnsea]

4. this, and turn the oven down if necessary

and what is your elevation because it does make a difference.

[Warpy]

8. I use a mini ice cream scoop

for drop cookies of all types. The edges aren't as tidy but I can bang out four dozen of them in absolutely no time at all.

[Shakespeare]

9. I do, too--it's a great tool.

Nice uniform size, too.

[ekelly]

5. The secret to plump, non-burned cookies

is to refrigerate the dough between batches and let the pan cool after each batch.

I can't remember the exact reason, but it has something to do with the butter, shortening or whatever you use breaking down too fast if the dough and pan are warm or hot...resulting in a flat, burned cookie.

I use a regular old cookie sheet, refrigerate the dough and let the pan cool between each batch that goes in the oven.
My chocolate chip cookies (made from the recipe on the Nestle bag) always turned out flat and burned before I stumbled onto the tips above. Now they come out perfect every time.


Edit to add: Store the cookies in a container with a good-fitting lid. Place a piece of bread in the bottom of the container, covered with wax paper, and the cookies will stay soft.

[eridani]

6. Use AirBake cookie sheets

I always had bottom and edge burning until I switched per advice here.

[Arkansas Granny]

16. I second your suggestion for the AirBake cookie sheets. They are expecially

good with those delicate sugar cookies and snickerdoodles. The dough will bake and "set", but the bottoms and edges just get delicately browned.

[Shakespeare]

7. Second the parchment & chilled dough, but use this recipe:

It's Alton Brown's recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies, and it's the best recipe I've ever tried for chocolate chip cookies. No contest. I think it's one of the highest-reviewed recipes on the Food Network, too (check them out at the link). The technique (of using melted butter) is the key to making these great--it changes the chemical interaction of the fat and sugar, and you won't get browned or burned edges.


Ingredients

* 2 sticks unsalted butter
* 2 1/4 cups bread flour
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 egg yolk
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:

* Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)--OPTIONAL
* Parchment paper
* Baking sheets
* Mixer

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/the-chewy-recipe/index.html

[TreasonousBastard]

10. How's your oven temp? Most ovens suck and a...

thermometer is an absolute necessity. Sheet placement is important, too, since temps are uneven.

(And I believe in AirBake and parchment-- never had a problem even with lousy ovens.)

[pengillian101]

11. How's your oven temp? Most ovens suck and a...

Wow - that's a really good point.

I just knew our oven wasn't heating properly for at least a month. Oven thermometer confirmed it.

The oven just needed a cleaning. Good as new temperature wise.

:hi:

[Dora]

12. I recently read an article that said to chill the dough for three days.

No kidding.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09chip.html?ref=dining

Chilling the dough for a couple of days does seem to help. I could never figure out why my chocolate chip cookies weren't as good as my stepdad's until I realized that he would make the dough one day and bake them the next.

[hippywife]

13. Personally,

perfectly shaped and uniform cookies look freaky to me. Guess it's the pseudo-food cookies in grocery store "bakery" departments that have turned me off to "perfect" looking cookies.

I love them a nice deep brown around the edges, love that texture and chewiness when the sugar caramelizes. There's something about cookies that are misshapen and slightly over-baked that just says "homemade."

:hi:

Cookie of the week: Chocolate chip raisin pecan:

[ColbertWatcher]

15. I too love amoeba-shaped cookies!

However, may I give some photography advice?

Never photograph food under florescent lights!

They make everything look green!

I took your picture and filtered some of the florescent light green out.



The trick is to either photograph them outside in natural sunlight, or shut the florescents off and use incandescent or halogen lights.

[fadedrose]

14. Try lower heat and DO NOT grease cookie sheet............nt