regional cookie recipe adjustment?

Our neighbor's youngest son goes in in a few days for tests to see if his leukemia has come back. I'm bad at saying the right thing, so I usually bake something. They have two other kids, so I thought good ol' American chocolate chip cookies were just the ticket, plus I know the recipe off the Nestle package by heart.

I just made the dough, and I have to say it resembles muffin batter more than anything. I've never baked cookies in summer in Israel before, and in CA growing up we had AC. I stuck the bowl in the fridge for a while to try and get it somewhere resembling cookie dough; but do I need to add more flour or something? HELP!

Putting them in the fridge between scooping every sheet resulted in really spread out cookies - I like a little more "cake" to them. Luckily my neighbors have never had American chocolate chip cookies before and thought they were delicious!

Any hints how to get them back like mom made 'em? More flour? Chill overnight?

Welcome Christine! Glad you are here.
I'm sure Celia will chime in here as she is our "resident baker." There also are some other good bakers who visit this forum.
I'm wondering if in Israel, there is something different about their butter--maybe it has some water in it? Did you use the exact Toll House recipe?

Hi Christine!

I find that whether we get flat, spreading cookies, or chewy cakey ones is a product of how cold the butter is when you make them. To get cakey cookies, you really need your butter cold (cut into cubes) and to beat the dough only until it's combined. Apparently when the butter melts, the whole consistency of the cookie changes.

But I've never had a batch that was as wet as muffin mix! Sticking the dough in the fridge might help, but it might also be the flour that is different. Different flours can have different hydration levels (ie. how much water they can absorb), so maybe you need to fiddle a bit with the recipe and add a bit more flour. Unfortunately, as with all baking, it's largely trial and error!

I hope your neighbour's son is ok - been there, done that, and just the mention of it makes me scared.

All the best,

Celia

Thanks, I'll try not softening the butter as much next time. Have to keep it in the fridge here, which I'm not used to so I think I was a little overzealous with the microwave. And I'll try adding flour 1/4 cup at a time until I see something I like...

Thanks, I'll try not softening the butter as much next time. Have to keep it in the fridge here, which I'm not used to so I think I was a little overzealous with the microwave. And I'll try adding flour 1/4 cup at a time until I see something I like...

Welcome, Christine! You don't need to microwave your butter at all. Just let it come to room temp (75-80 degrees) so that it is soft enough to cream with the sugar. Your description of the dough sounds like too little flour (i.e. too much moisture). I would not hesitate to add a little more flour until the right consistency is achieved. Then taste for seasoning and proceed as usual. Good luck with all and welcome once again.

rwj

[quote="Robert J] You don't need to microwave your butter at all. Just let it come to room temp (75-80 degrees) so that it is soft enough to cream with the sugar.
rwj[/quote]

That would require forethought!

Thanks for the welcome!

Yes, sad to say but when it comes to baking forethought is a requirement. Even when one chooses to bake something as simple as a cookie. The temperature of the butter makes a huge difference in the creaming process with the sugar. How you cream the butter and sugar will affect the texture of the final product.

rwj

Yay! I have cookies this time istead of caramelised choc chip pancakes!! I used an extra 1/4 cup of flour, didn't soften the butter as much, and stuck it back in the fridge for 3 hours while I prepared other food. I threw in 1/2 cup cocoa this time but I'm thinking that wouldn't have anything to do with the consistency, right?