Took me 3 tries to figure out why my chocolate chip cookies kept spreading flat

I was baking in my tiny apartment kitchen in Columbus last weekend, following the same recipe I've used for years. Turns out I was using melted butter when the recipe meant softened - swapped to room temp sticks and they finally puffed up right. Has anyone else had a basic baking step trip them up like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylanmurray1mo ago

Kept doing the same thing with my chocolate chip cookies back in college... I was using baking powder instead of baking soda for like three months. They came out all flat and weird tasting but I just thought that's how cookies were supposed to be.

andrew_rodriguez1mo ago

Wait what. THREE MONTHS?? Bro I can't even handle one bad batch of cookies without questioning everything about my life choices. Baking powder vs baking soda is like the most common mixup but it also makes the biggest difference in texture. Flat cookies are always a bummer but you really thought that was just how cookies were supposed to come out? That's actually kind of hilarious and sad at the same time. Well at least you figured it out eventually, some people probably just quit baking forever after that experience.

the_charlie6d ago

Just thought that's how cookies were supposed to be" absolutely killed me. I've been there though. Made pancakes with baking powder once and they came out like weird spongy hockey pucks. Took me a full year to figure out I was using self rising flour for everything and wondering why my bread tasted like a salt lick. Baking chemistry is wild because you can screw up one tiny thing and suddenly your food is just wrong but you don't know why.