I have already admitted that I’m not stellar in the kitchen. That’s not to say I can’t cook, but I do have to be paying attention.
As a special after-school treat I decided to make cookies for the kids. Nothing fancy, just the break-apart cookies from Nestle. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
The problem is that I’m still figuring out my oven. It never seem to bake the cookies right. The package says bake for 10-12 minutes, but I always have to bake for much longer before they aren’t raw.
This time, apparently I under-baked one batch and over-baked the other. Actually, I love the under-baked ones: they are gooey in the middle and crunchy on the edges. Perfect.
Except that they are flatter than pancakes.
The next batch I over cooked. I couldn’t even get them off the baking stone. I had to chip them away. I was left with mostly crumbs.
Of course, none of this deterred the chilluns and me. We ate every single one of them while we played Clue.
Professor Plum, in the lounge, with the wrench. It’s always the quiet, bookish types. You know?
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
You know, cookies always look better on pretty green plates, no matter whether they are half baked or over baked : )
I always like it when I get to play Miss Scarlett, even though her clothes clash with my hair ; )
This is sad, Chili…very sad. The break-apart cookies? Sad, honey. Come on over and I’ll be happy to give you some step-by-step instructions on baking cookies yummaliciously (is that poor grammar construction or what???).
Have you tried one of those thermometers you hang in your oven to verify the temp? Maybe that’s all that’s off. Or do you have one of those funky Advantiums or whatever they are?
I’m not oven doctor…guess you can tell (and I’m right there with ya, does it really matter what they LOOK like as long as they go down well with a glass of milk while playing Clue?).
I always have trouble with over- or under-done things on my baking stone as well. I have a hard time getting them to brown up on the bottom, by the time that happens, the rest is overcooked!
I can’t help but wonder if it is the baking stone? Have you tried a metal pan?
Love Clue!
Cookies I can do. My baking nemesis is cake.
While I don’t claim to be a baking whiz, my oven did the same things. Try a (small) batch of cookies at a temp that is about 10 degrees higher. (If the recipe calls for 350, go 360.) If that does not work, get an internal oven thermometer like this http://www.partshelf.com/mast01/. Good luck!
While I don’t claim to be a baking whiz, my oven did the same things. Try a (small) batch of cookies at a temp that is about 10 degrees higher. (If the recipe calls for 350, go 360.) If that does not work, get an internal oven thermometer like this http://www.partshelf.com/mast01/. Good luck!
Honey, if there is one thing I can do–it’s cookies. For the best turn out, use an air bake cookie sheet with parchment paper laying over it. (Not to be confused with WAX paper)
As soon as your cookies come out of the oven, gently take the parchment paper, with cookies still attached, and transfer them all over to a cooking rack and then hurry and eat them all before you have a chance to get either a belly ache or time to get a container to store them in.
If your cookies look like that and you made the dough, I’d say you just need to add more flour until your dough is stiff, but not flaky.
Lovely Pioneer Woman-ish hands though! Give that woman a run for her money.
Don’t know why it linked there…try this instead. http://www.partshelf.com/mast01/
I just remembered something. When we first moved to this house, cookie recipes that had always turned out beautifully before were turning out disastrously. I did some research and found out that my oven was smaller here than in my previous house. There is supposed to be a few (I forget exactly how many) inches all around between the pan and the oven wall for the heat to circulate properly and cookie evenly. I switched to smaller cookie sheets, and, voila, my cookies came out ok again. The only bad part is that the right sized cookie sheets for my oven only hold 1 dozen, so if I am making multiple batches, it takes a long time.
Thought I’d mention it, anyway — might be worth looking into. I should probably make this a WFMW, huh?
I tried to make a link in my comment above to my cake disaster this week, but it didn’t show as a link. That post is here:
http://barbarah.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/this-is-how-my-day-has-been-going/
I know the solution to your problem! Do what I would do: Just eat the cookie dough. You’ll be saving time AND energy, so it’s a winner all around.
And I love Clue. I need to pull that one out to play with the kids soon. I, of course, will be Miss Scarlett, even if I’m looking more and more like Mrs. White everyday…
Yummo! I’d eat ‘em!
I always burnt my cookies and I would complain to my husband that we needed a new oven. Just a couple months ago I bought new cookie sheets (CHEAP cookies sheet…3 for 5 bucks or something like that) and now my cookies NEVER burn and always turn out perfect. That is possibly why I’ve gained so much weight the last couple of months.
I’m pretty sure it’s your baking stone. Your first batch is underbaked because the stone isn’t warmed up yet. The second batch is overdone because the stone IS warmed up and you cooked it at the same time length.
oh I am SO relieved that I’m not the only one who can screw up simple cookies. It must be a sign of brilliance, I think.