Hi all. I have a not far from standard chocolate chip cookie recipe that
I'm trying to get just right.

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chunks
2 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

I'm pretty sure I can get it to spread less replacing the butter with
shortening, but I like cookie better with the butter in it. How can I get
the cookie to not spread so much while cooking? Thanks.

- Scott

"Scott Danzig" > wrote:

>Hi all. I have a not far from standard chocolate chip cookie recipe that
>I'm trying to get just right.
>
>1/2 cup softened butter
>1/2 cup shortening
>1/2 cup brown sugar
>2 eggs
>2 cups chocolate chunks
>2 1/3 cups flour
>1 tsp salt
>1 tsp baking soda
>2 tsp vanilla
>
>I'm pretty sure I can get it to spread less replacing the butter with
>shortening, but I like cookie better with the butter in it. How can I get
>the cookie to not spread so much while cooking? Thanks.

Use less sugar, or less butter, or both (what I do). My basic recipe
calls for 1C butter, 2C sugar, 2C flour, and I use 3/4 C butter and
1-1/2C sugar. The cookies taste just fine and don't spread nearly as
far as they did when I followed the recipe. My kids love them, and so
do the grownups.

Add another egg. (I've heard this works, but haven't tried it yet.)

jenn
--
Jenn Ridley

at Fri, 05 Mar 2004 02:30:47 GMT in >,
(Scott Danzig) wrote :

>Hi all. I have a not far from standard chocolate chip cookie recipe that
>I'm trying to get just right.
>
>1/2 cup softened butter
>1/2 cup shortening
>1/2 cup brown sugar
>2 eggs
>2 cups chocolate chunks
>2 1/3 cups flour
>1 tsp salt
>1 tsp baking soda
>2 tsp vanilla
>
>I'm pretty sure I can get it to spread less replacing the butter with
>shortening, but I like cookie better with the butter in it. How can I get
>the cookie to not spread so much while cooking? Thanks.

You can even get away with using no shortening at all, and using pure
butter. The key thing you need to do is increase the proportion of eggs in
your recipe. I think 3 eggs will make it a bit too cakey, so a better bet
would be either to add an extra egg, but increase the other ingredients by
a somewhat smaller amount than 1/2 again as much, or reduce all the other
ingredients by some small amount. You'll still need to experiment a little
to get the thickness/puffiness level you want, but it shouldn't take too
long. Remember that small adjustments produce big results, so, for
instance, merely adjusting all the other ingredients than eggs downward by
7/8 could easily be enough to make all the difference.


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

"Alex Rast" > wrote in message
...
> at Fri, 05 Mar 2004 02:30:47 GMT in >,
> (Scott Danzig) wrote :
>
> >Hi all. I have a not far from standard chocolate chip cookie recipe that
> >I'm trying to get just right.
> >
> >1/2 cup softened butter
> >1/2 cup shortening
> >1/2 cup brown sugar
> >2 eggs
> >2 cups chocolate chunks
> >2 1/3 cups flour
> >1 tsp salt
> >1 tsp baking soda
> >2 tsp vanilla
> >
> >I'm pretty sure I can get it to spread less replacing the butter with
> >shortening, but I like cookie better with the butter in it. How can I
get
> >the cookie to not spread so much while cooking? Thanks.
>
> You can even get away with using no shortening at all, and using pure
> butter. The key thing you need to do is increase the proportion of eggs in
> your recipe. I think 3 eggs will make it a bit too cakey, so a better bet
> would be either to add an extra egg, but increase the other ingredients by
> a somewhat smaller amount than 1/2 again as much, or reduce all the other
> ingredients by some small amount. You'll still need to experiment a little
> to get the thickness/puffiness level you want, but it shouldn't take too
> long. Remember that small adjustments produce big results, so, for
> instance, merely adjusting all the other ingredients than eggs downward by
> 7/8 could easily be enough to make all the difference.
>
>
> --
> Alex Rast
>
> (remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

I'm sorry, will you say that again but differently? I'm with you through
the extra egg and increasing the other ingredients a bit, but I don't get
"or reduce all the other ingredients by some small amount." Either increase
or decrease the other ingredients? Sorry, I'm just drinking my morning
coffee, maybe everything will be clear later.
Janet

"Janet Bostwick" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Alex Rast" > wrote in message
> ...
> > at Fri, 05 Mar 2004 02:30:47 GMT in
>,
> > (Scott Danzig) wrote :
> >
> > >Hi all. I have a not far from standard chocolate chip cookie recipe
that
> > >I'm trying to get just right.
> > >
> > >1/2 cup softened butter
> > >1/2 cup shortening
> > >1/2 cup brown sugar
> > >2 eggs
> > >2 cups chocolate chunks
> > >2 1/3 cups flour
> > >1 tsp salt
> > >1 tsp baking soda
> > >2 tsp vanilla
> > >
> > >I'm pretty sure I can get it to spread less replacing the butter with
> > >shortening, but I like cookie better with the butter in it. How can I
> get
> > >the cookie to not spread so much while cooking? Thanks.
> >
> > You can even get away with using no shortening at all, and using pure
> > butter. The key thing you need to do is increase the proportion of eggs
in
> > your recipe. I think 3 eggs will make it a bit too cakey, so a better
bet
> > would be either to add an extra egg, but increase the other ingredients
by
> > a somewhat smaller amount than 1/2 again as much, or reduce all the
other
> > ingredients by some small amount. You'll still need to experiment a
little
> > to get the thickness/puffiness level you want, but it shouldn't take too
> > long. Remember that small adjustments produce big results, so, for
> > instance, merely adjusting all the other ingredients than eggs downward
by
> > 7/8 could easily be enough to make all the difference.
> > Alex Rast
> >
> > (remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)
>
> I'm sorry, will you say that again but differently? I'm with you through
> the extra egg and increasing the other ingredients a bit, but I don't get
> "or reduce all the other ingredients by some small amount." Either
increase
> or decrease the other ingredients? Sorry, I'm just drinking my morning
> coffee, maybe everything will be clear later.
> Janet

I think what he's saying is upping the amount of egg would work, but
assuming I'm going to use whole eggs only (not stirring in 2 eggs plus a
little more) the way to get around that is by reducing all the other
ingredients a bit... for instance, he's suggesting perhaps by an eighth (2
tsp vanilla becomes 1 3/4 tsp). Good advice, Alex! See, I find the key to
understanding Alex is to not drink decaf.

- Scott

"Scott Danzig" > wrote in message
...
> "Janet Bostwick" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Alex Rast" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > at Fri, 05 Mar 2004 02:30:47 GMT in
> >,
> > > (Scott Danzig) wrote :
> > >
> > > >Hi all. I have a not far from standard chocolate chip cookie recipe
> that
> > > >I'm trying to get just right.
> > > >
> > > >1/2 cup softened butter
> > > >1/2 cup shortening
> > > >1/2 cup brown sugar
> > > >2 eggs
> > > >2 cups chocolate chunks
> > > >2 1/3 cups flour
> > > >1 tsp salt
> > > >1 tsp baking soda
> > > >2 tsp vanilla
> > > >
> > > >I'm pretty sure I can get it to spread less replacing the butter with
> > > >shortening, but I like cookie better with the butter in it. How can
I
> > get
> > > >the cookie to not spread so much while cooking? Thanks.
> > >
> > > You can even get away with using no shortening at all, and using pure
> > > butter. The key thing you need to do is increase the proportion of
eggs
> in
> > > your recipe. I think 3 eggs will make it a bit too cakey, so a better
> bet
> > > would be either to add an extra egg, but increase the other
ingredients
> by
> > > a somewhat smaller amount than 1/2 again as much, or reduce all the
> other
> > > ingredients by some small amount. You'll still need to experiment a
> little
> > > to get the thickness/puffiness level you want, but it shouldn't take
too
> > > long. Remember that small adjustments produce big results, so, for
> > > instance, merely adjusting all the other ingredients than eggs
downward
> by
> > > 7/8 could easily be enough to make all the difference.
> > > Alex Rast
> > >
> > > (remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)
> >
> > I'm sorry, will you say that again but differently? I'm with you
through
> > the extra egg and increasing the other ingredients a bit, but I don't
get
> > "or reduce all the other ingredients by some small amount." Either
> increase
> > or decrease the other ingredients? Sorry, I'm just drinking my morning
> > coffee, maybe everything will be clear later.
> > Janet
>
> I think what he's saying is upping the amount of egg would work, but
> assuming I'm going to use whole eggs only (not stirring in 2 eggs plus a
> little more) the way to get around that is by reducing all the other
> ingredients a bit... for instance, he's suggesting perhaps by an eighth (2
> tsp vanilla becomes 1 3/4 tsp). Good advice, Alex! See, I find the key
to
> understanding Alex is to not drink decaf.
>
> - Scott
>
I knew it would make better sense after more coffee.. ;o} thanks
Janet

"Scott Danzig" > wrote in message >...
> Hi all. I have a not far from standard chocolate chip cookie recipe that
> I'm trying to get just right.
>
> 1/2 cup softened butter
> 1/2 cup shortening
> 1/2 cup brown sugar
> 2 eggs
> 2 cups chocolate chunks
> 2 1/3 cups flour
> 1 tsp salt
> 1 tsp baking soda
> 2 tsp vanilla
>
> I'm pretty sure I can get it to spread less replacing the butter with
> shortening, but I like cookie better with the butter in it. How can I get
> the cookie to not spread so much while cooking? Thanks.
>
> - Scott
Cookie spreading is caued by some factors:
such as these:
1)The amount of fat used is high( you can reduce it in order to have
a better dough 'body'.
2) The sugar content is high and of coarse granulation( if you do not
want to remove the brown sugar; replace part with icing sugar which
will help control spreading during baking.. 50/50 blend of icing and
brown sugar will do an improvement
3) Bake the cookie on ungreaed trays;so that it will not slide during
baking and spread. You can also bake the cookie in paper lined trays
4) avoid the use of melted fat.. The butter must be at romm
temperature .
5) Use cake flour. Normal pastry flour will encourage spreading while
cake making flour will restrict it.. Alternatively I also blend cake
flour and all purpose flour 30/70 to 50/50 cake flour/ APF ratio.
6) Do not overmix and overcream the mixture .I usually just blend
sugar and fat at five minutes at low speed then add the eggs gradually
while mixing at low spead about 2 minutes more.
Good Luck!
Roy