Recipes

[shy bobcat]

My butter cookies were a complete fail today.  They are basically made of butter, egg yolks, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla.  I will save the crumbled cookies as an ice-cream topping.  

I rolled the dough into balls to bake and in the oven they spread out like a flat mess. 

Does anyone have any ideas what may have happened.  I followed the recipe and don't want to be intimidated to bake.  It seems ever since I stopped using Crisco, my cookies spread flat when baking.  This butter cookie recipe did call for butter!  Thank you ladies in advance.  Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[Kachina624]

Should you perhaps have chilled the dough before handling and rolled it out rather than making balls which warmed it from the heat on your hands?

[froggy]

I hope you didn't substitute margarine for the butter.

[gizmogal]

Is your baking powder fresh?  It’s not an ingredient used in large quantity, so  it sometimes stays in its container for a long time because it doesn’t get used up and repurchased new. The shelf life might have expired or for any reason its effectiveness may be compromised.  It’s a leavening agent, so flat cookies implies an improper chemical reaction. 

No judgment on your baking abilities. Just suggesting a line of thoughtas you reached out for insights from others. 

Perhaps this helps:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/12/cookie-science-baking-powder.html

[shy bobcat]

@gizmogal@froggy@Kachina624

Thank you ladies.  With your suggestions, I am encouraged to try again.

[staciesmom]

I had cookies fail once - I used powdered sugar instead of flour. They were both in the same type of container. 

[ECBG]

Test the heat in your oven.

Were the cookie sheets cool?  If not, they start melting before the baking powder can activate.

[deepwaterdotter]

I use this recipe from the back of a bag of flour:

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup + 2 tbsp butter

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour

Beat sugar, butter, egg yolk, salt, and vanilla together until smooth.  Mix in flour until smooth.  

Divide dough in half, mold into flat disk, and wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate 2-3 hours or  overnight.

Let dough soften until still cold, but not rock-hard, about 20-30 minutes.

Sprinkle counter and rolling pin with flour.  Roll dough to about 1/8" thickness.

Cut into desired shape and bake on parchment-lined baking sheet in 350 degree oven until edges are barely browned, 12-14 minutes.

Cool on piece of parchment removed from baking sheet and placed on flat surface.

[Carmie]

I second the suggestion that your baking power might not have been fresh.  I buy a new can every year before Christmas baking and throw out the old one, even it it isn't expired.

I have had too many cookies go flat in the past with old baking powder.

[DiAnne]

Could your butter have been too soft.  Sometimes putting the cookie dough into the fridge for a while before baking helps.