Thin Cookies
Space in my kitchen is very limited and doesn't allow for an oven. I use a toaster oven instead and have figured out how to adjust it for most recopies. I can make a perfect small loaf of bread or a small chicken in it but cookies never come out right. They are always thin and flat and crispy. Is there any way to get plump cookies in a toaster oven.
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11 Comments
One other recipe adjustment you could try: Adding a little extra flour.
Get fresh...it's one of those items you just have to toss occasionally if it's been there a year or so opened. Check the expiration date--and consider that as the un-opened date.
I never go through a canister in a year and it decreases in leavening power over time.
You're right of course. But if you're going to think outside the toaster-oven box, you also have to consider other basics like the temperature of the butter if the recipe relies on the creaming method for leavening. And greasing the cookie sheet or baking on a hot sheet can cause cookies to spread.
You're right of course. Problem is, most people reach for Crisco which contains, if my calculations are correct, over 4% trans fat.
My guess is you're getting pulses of too much heat in that relatively small box. There may be a solution, or a partial solution, in beginning with very cold or frozen dough.
You can try any of the following:
Decrease the sugar. Sugar becomes fluid when heated and makes cookies spread.
Add an extra egg (or egg white). The white will cause the cookies to puff and dry out.
Increase the leavening agent a tiny bit.
I have baked extensively in a very weird, tiny oven -- more or less a small metal box that sits right on top of a gas stovetop. For that, I have to be very careful about heat loss when the door is opened, so I jack up the heat substantially when opening the door, then turn it down again once everything is inside. I also find that a blast of higher heat followed by lower temps prevents undue spreading or butter leakage in chewy cookies.