Cookies are as hard as rocks

I made a batch of cookies today, a recipe I have made hundreds of times and the only variable is that instead of using land o lakes butter which I normally bake cookies with I had some plugra at room temp so used that. These cookies usually come out very soft and chewy and today I could use them as a weapon they are so hard. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, Could it be the change in butter??

sdebrango
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11 Comments

JessicaBakes
JessicaBakes October 24, 2011
One last comment here: I always bake my cookies at 375. It's a religion for me...it makes the cookies gooey inside with a fully cooked outside. Don't go down to 350!
 
sdebrango
sdebrango October 24, 2011
I do the same Jessia, always 375. I am now thinking it was the butter. Go figure!
 
Author Comment
A Whole Foods Market Customer
A Whole Foods Market Customer October 24, 2011
When you use land o lakes, is it typically at a room temp or cold? If you normally use cold butter and switch to room temp butter, that would definitely affect the baking time. And it's true that plugra has a higher fat content, which would definitely affect the baking time. I also completely disregard cooking time with cookies and gauge whether they are finished not so much by the edges, but by the center - seems to help.
 
sdebrango
sdebrango October 24, 2011
I agree I never really time my cookies I eyeball them. These seemed fine a nice light golden brown. No plugra in my cookies from now on, it works wonderfully in my pies.
 
aargersi
aargersi October 24, 2011
What kind of cookies! Now we want your recipe! The Land O Lakes version :-)
 
sdebrango
sdebrango October 24, 2011
They were a recipe for chocolate caramel thumbprint cookies which I am going to post sans the plugra. It was not the baking soda I tested it with some vinegar and not my oven I took its temperature. It had to be the plugra. LOL, thanks aargersi!
 
sdebrango
sdebrango October 24, 2011
I thought of that also drbabs I thought a higher fat content might yield a softer cookie but I was so wrong, I baked at 375 maybe I should have taken down to 350. Anyway they went in the trash completely inedible what a waste of expensive butter and other ingredients. I am buying new baking soda and testing my oven but rest assured I will not use plugra again for these cookies. I knew the water content would be different but thought it would be negligible. So strange. Thank you.
 
drbabs
drbabs October 24, 2011
Ugh, you used the expensive butter and the cookies didn't turn out? I feel your pain. I'm not sure if this could have anything to do with it, but Plugra has a higher fat and lower water content than regular US butter, so you may have needed to adjust the oven temperature down to compensate.
 
sdebrango
sdebrango October 23, 2011
Yes I used the baking soda, I have an oven thermometer didn't use it they baked to a nice golden brown, You know I used baking soda but its possible I need a new box. Maybe my baking soda is ineffective, Thank you Jessica that could be the culprit here. I will also check the temp of the oven
 
JessicaBakes
JessicaBakes October 23, 2011
Do you have an oven thermometer? And positive you remembered the baking soda?
 
sdebrango
sdebrango October 24, 2011
I checked my oven and its correct actually a couple of degrees cooler than it should be so its not the oven temp,
 
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