Everyone has their own preferences on how their cookie should be. Chewy or crispy? Living in New Zealand, one of our national treasures is the beloved Cookie Time cookie, and I’ve grown up microwaving such palm-sized creations for the perfect melted cookie.
I have also grown up knocking my teeth on Griffins chocolate chippie cookies. The kind where you clamp the cookie between your molars and angle it to snap off a bite.
Whatever your idea of a perfect cookie is, understanding the science can help you develop your go-to recipe.
Crispy cookies
Crispy cookies are actually easier to make. Soft cookies have a water concentration of 6% or higher – moisture being the variable in texture. To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough.
Generally bake around 13-15min at 180C for a crispy cookie. But if you want a thoroughly crispy cookie – not those just charred on the outside – decrease the temperature to 140C and bake for 30min.
Chewy cookies
Sugar dissolved in baking forms a syrup as the dough heats up. Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key!
White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.
Why use melted butter?
Melted butter creates cookies with a different texture compared to cookies made with softened or creamed butter. When butter is melted, it coats the flour more evenly, resulting in cookies that are chewier and denser. This can be desirable for certain types of cookies, like chocolate chip cookies or brownie-like cookies.
Extra tip
Chilling your cookie dough before baking prevents the cookie from spreading and creating cookie disasters like below. If you don’t have time or the self-control to wait overnight, pop them in the freezer.
Put it to the test!
Try this matcha & white chocolate cookie recipe or this chewy cookie recipe to find your perfect mouthful of cookie.
Mochi cookies
These were a game-changer for me! It’s combining two of my loves – and all you need to make the mochi is a microwave. You can make them filled or unfilled depending on your tastes and preferences. You can create any flavour of mochi using freeze dried fruit powder.
This mochi cookie recipe is my OG. And if you’re a lover of biscoff, you can take it to the next level with the biscoff mochi cookies.
Beyond the chocolate chip cookie
If you’re looking for something beyond the classic chocolate chip, I loved developed the ube cookie. Thanks to the addition of ube halaya (ube jam) in the recipe, these cookies are perfectly fudgy and stay moist for days. In fact, the flavour develops and deepens, tasting even better after Day 1!
Even more wild is the potato chip cookie. Potato chips, dark chocolate and cookie seems like an unlikely trio, but if you lovebothsweet and savoury snacks – this is THE recipe for you. It’s like a platter party in your mouth.
FAQs
White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies. Why use melted butter? Melted butter creates cookies with a different texture compared to cookies made with softened or creamed butter. When butter is melted, it coats the flour more evenly, resulting in cookies that are chewier and denser.
What makes a cookie chewy or crispy? ›
The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.
What is the secret to chewy cookies? ›
Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.
How do you keep cookies crisp and chewy? ›
How do you store cookies to stay crisp? To keep crispy cookies crisp, you need to keep them away from moisture. Always store different types of cookies separately—soft cookies can cause crispy cookies to soften due to their extra moisture. Place crispy cookies in an airtight container, but don't completely seal it.
What can cause a cookie to be too chewy or not chewing enough? ›
Brown sugar—particularly dark brown sugar—makes a cookie chewy; white sugar makes it crispy. If your recipe calls for all white sugar and you want a fudgier result, try swapping out some of the white sugar for brown (go for half and half and adjust from there).
What makes cookies crispy when baking? ›
The temperature of your oven plays a huge role in the texture of your cookies! A lower oven temperature will give your cookies more time to spread before they start to rise, resulting in a crispier cookie. I recommend baking your cookies for a bit longer at a lower temperature to achieve the texture you're looking for.
Does more sugar make cookies chewy? ›
A few tweaks — more sugar, a dash of milk — can make cookies crispy, chewy, or cakey.
What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›
Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.
Does melting butter make cookies chewy? ›
By switching up the technique, I omitted all the extra air that gets incorporated into the dough during creaming, and as a result, the cookies made with melted butter were significantly chewier and fudgier than those made with creamed butter.
Should cookie dough be refrigerated before baking? ›
As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).
Hard cookies: you are over mixing, baking too long, baking at too high a temperature, or some combination of these. Cakey cookies: not enough brown sugar, too much or too little egg, too much flour, maybe you used baking powder instead of baking soda?
Can you store cookies in Ziploc bags? ›
For puffy and tender treats like snickerdoodles, soft chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, or sugar cookies, a little moisture will help them retain their soft texture. If you are planning to eat the cookies within a few days, place them in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag.
Should you melt butter for cookies? ›
While using butter straight out of the fridge for your cookies is a big no-no if you want them to come out all fudgy and delicious, many people tend to use softened or creamed butter in their baked goods. However, in our professional opinion, the best way to apply butter to your cookies is by melting it beforehand.
How long to bake cookies at 325 degrees? ›
How to make soft/chewy chocolate chip cookies.
- Substitute 1 cup brown sugar for the 2/3 cup brown sugar and 2/3 cup granulated sugar.
- Substitute 1/2 cup butter for the 1/2 cup vegetable shortening.
- Bake the cookies for 14 minutes in a preheated 325°F oven.
Too much butter makes cookies turn out just as you'd expect: very buttery. This batch of cookies was cakey in the middle, but also airy throughout, with crispy edges. They were yellow and slightly puffy in the middle, and brown and super thin around the perimeter.
What ingredient contributes most to the texture of a crisp cookie? ›
Fat is a very important ingredient in cookies – it tenderizes, crisps and browns, adds color and a wonderful flavor that is impossible to duplicate. Butter, our fat of choice, ensures good baking results and adds the most desirable taste, texture and appearance.
What are three factors that contribute to a chewy cookie? ›
Salted butter, softened – I prefer salted butter but you can also use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough. Brown sugar – Just brown sugar because we will get the 'granulated sugar' flavor from the corn syrup. Corn syrup – The corn syrup is what makes these cookies CHEWY FOR DAYS.
Does baking powder make cookies crunchy? ›
The typical outcome when using baking powder for baking cookies (as long as you've followed the recipe) is a puffy, light cookie with a pleasant crunch.
Are cookies meant to be chewy? ›
They can be either, depending on your recipe, method of preparation, and ingredients. Some are meant to be soft and cake like, others crispy or chewy. Ingredients such as brown sugar will add chewiness, while white sugar promotes crispness. An egg will give it cake-like softness.
