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why are my sugar cookies spreading?
why are my sugar cookies spreading?

Why are my sugar cookies spreading?

May 10, 2018 Posted by Kyndall @ 6 Cakes & More Baking 101: The Basics, Recent 4 Comments

Why are my sugar cookies spreading?

Why are my sugar cookies spreading? I see this question at least 20 times a day. There are actually quite a few different answers to this question, but there are also quite a few ways to fix the problem!

I will start by saying that these problems are the ones I see most often and why I developed my sugar cookie recipes the way I did. The technique in which I make my dough contributes to the way it behaves. I specialize in no chill and no spread. I understand that you can chill or freeze your dough and use other recipes and not have spreading. I wanted to make a way to cut out that extra step. As a mother and business owner I try to find the fastest (while also reliable) way to get things done. I’m sharing all my secrets and techniques with you to help you be as successful as possible! All of my sugar cookie recipes can be found HERE!

  • Baking on silicone mats vs parchment paper– I do find that when baking sugar cookies on silicone baking mats they spread. The silicone tends to let the butter pool on it, and that will contribute to the dough spreading. Parchment paper on the other hand, will absorb a bit of the butter and grip the dough better.
  • Beating the butter and sugar before adding the other ingredients– When you beat your butter and sugar together, this incorporates little air bubbles into the mixture. Once you add the other ingredients and bake your cookies, these air bubbles expand and cause the cookies to spread while baking.
  • Adding baking powder– It’s literally the job of baking powder to produce air while baking. Again, this will cause spreading while your sugar cookies are baking. I don’t use it in any of my sugar cookie recipes.
  • Weighing your ingredients– Baking anything is science. It’s a precise procedure to get the optimal results. I give weights with all of my baking recipes. I know there are plenty of online weight converters, however, they do differ from one another. The weights I give are my exact weights. If you follow my weights, you’re going to get the same results I get. We all measure ingredients differently. The weight that I get when measuring 1 cup of flour will be different from anyone else. When I’m developing a recipe I record the specific weight of everything I used. This way I know that anyone else that used those same measurements will be able to get the same results that I did.
  • Using an oven thermometer– Why does this play a role in your cookies spreading? If your oven temperature is off in either direction, it will change the way your cookies bake. If it’s too low they’ll take longer to bake and end up with a different texture than you wanted. If it’s too high, they can spread more and turn out browned and crunchy or even still raw in the middle.
  • Following the directions given for that specific recipe– Surely this doesn’t contribute to sugar cookies spreading, right?! It actually does! The main reason I have such detailed directions and pictures in my recipes is because I have such specific techniques that I’ve developed for the best results. So many times I get a question about why a recipe didn’t turn out and the culprit 85% of the time is that the directions weren’t followed. Every time I say this I think of one of my favorite movies “Ratatouille”. When Colette is teaching Linguini and he misinterprets her and writes “always do something unexpected…”, and she shouts back at him “NO! Follow the recipe!!”. Haha, this is always how I feel about baking especially.

With all that said, have fun and don’t be intimidated to bake your day delicious!! As always, if you have any questions or a problem I missed, comment and let me know! I will happily help you troubleshoot your problem and fix it! ๐Ÿ™‚

Tags: problemsspreadingsugar cookie problemssugar cookie spreadingsugar cookie troubleshootingsugar cookiestroubleshooting
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4 Comments

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  • Shelby
    · Reply

    August 28, 2020 at 10:32 AM

    Hi! I am assuming the cream cheese used in these recipes is American cream cheese in a block? If so, do you know the adjustments to make for European cream cheese? Its essentially the spreadable one since we cant get the blocks here. Thanks!

    • Kyndall @ 6 Cakes & More
      · Reply

      Author
      August 29, 2020 at 7:14 AM

      Hi Shelby! Unfortunately I haven’t ever used the European cream cheese in any of my recipes. If it’s like the US version of the spreadable cream cheese you will probably just want to add more flour to adjust for the higher liquid content. I’d suggest starting with 32 grams (1/4 cup), but you may need to add as much as 96 grams (3/4 cup). I hope that helps, and thank you ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Nancy Jacobini
    · Reply

    July 26, 2020 at 7:45 PM

    Hello I would like to make these sugar cookies but I have a few questions. Is there a particular brand of butter you recommend. Also, I live in FL and you mentioned that the butter must be cool not cold or softened. Does this mean I use it right out of the fridge or should I let it sit out for a few minutes or so with it still wrapped or unwrapped. Do you sift the flour? When you are working with one portion of the dough do you keep the other portion out of the fridge? What is considered the lowest speed on the Kitchenaide? Do you mean Stir or #1? Thank you so much for helping me I look forward to hearing from you because this recipe sounds like the recipe I really want to use! Nancy

    • Kyndall @ 6 Cakes & More
      · Reply

      Author
      July 27, 2020 at 8:25 AM

      Hi Nancy! There’s not a particular brand of butter I recommend, but I always bake with unsalted. Cool butter means butter that still has a chill to it, but not straight out of the fridge. You should be able to make a slight indention with your finger but not push all the way (or even halfway) through. I leave mine wrapped. I live in southern Alabama and I leave it out for about 15-20 minutes before using (less time out during the winter). I do not sift the flour, but I do measure with a scale. I keep my dough out while I’m working with it. The lowest speed would be stir. You’re very welcome and have fun! ๐Ÿ™‚

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