at Wed, 28 Apr 2004 17:35:40 GMT in <MXRjc.4828$nn3.284
@twister.socal.rr.com>, (Ed Thomas) wrote :

>Hi:
>
>I'm an enthusiastic cookie baker, but I only am able to make crunchy,
>crisp cookies and suspect this is due to the baking time. I prefer soft
>cookies. When I follow a recipe, and the timer signals, I find the cookies
>seem undercooked, so I add 3-5 minutes to the time. I let them sit for a
>minute or so on the cookie sheet before removing them.
>
>And when they cool, they are crisp. What should I be doing to bake soft
>cookies?
>

Someone will no doubt post to use shortening instead of butter. Since that
introduces IMHO unnecessary flavour compromises, I will recommend the
alternative - increase the relative proportion of eggs in the recipe, and
then you can use all butter. You don't need much of an increase in egg
ratio, just a tweak. A bit of experimentation should get what you need.
Baking a little less time shouldn't hurt, either.

Be aware that many older recipes are designed to produce crisp cookies.
From what I can tell, it appears that an older generation preferred
smaller, crisper cookies. So that's what older recipes produced. Younger
generations seem to lean towards larger, softer cookies, so newer recipes
lean that direction.

--
Alex Rast

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