You start with the perfect idea: taking chocolate chip cookies to your friend who is having a bad day. Add to that the perfect recipe. She’s going to love your take on classic chocolate chip cookies! But even the best laid plans can go awry, and yours do when you add just a little too much flour.
You soon notice that your dough is just a little too dense, which means you’re probably in for thick, fluffy, dry cookies—not those moist, crispy-on-the-outside-chewy-in-the-middle type we all salivate over.
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Disaster! Catastrophe! Calamity! Your perfect plans are under attack. Now what?
Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. We’ve been eating, sleeping, and breathing cookie care packages for years, which means we’ve seen our share of oopsies along the way. And, in the case of over-flouring, we know some great solutions.
1. Add more liquid
Take a look at the liquid that your cookie recipe calls for and try adding an additional teaspoon at a time into the dough until it’s moist. You’re the baker here, so don’t hesitate to take charge and bring your dry, crumbly dough back to life. We assure you that if you’re adding milk, water, or egg whites (or whatever liquid may be called for on the ingredient list), a little extra won’t affect the taste of your finished product.
2. Add More Fat
Another option for achieving a moister dough is to add more fat, such as oil or butter. You should note, however, that fats have a melting effect when combined with heat, which causes the dough to expand while baking.
With that in mind, to keep those cookie dough balls in their own personal space, it might be best to start by adding a relevant liquid to the dough and, if still needed, a small portion of fat to get the dough where you want it to be. After all, you don’t want to have to add more flour to the dough to compensate for too much moisture!
3. Mix by Hand
While incorporating your liquid or fat into the dough, knead the dough by hand to avoid overworking the already thick and dry dough. This is where you can really say, “These were made with love (and elbow grease)!”
Common Causes for Over-floured Cookies
You might be wondering where things went wrong with your dough, and when it comes to flour, a couple of things could have gone wrong. The most common reasons behind over-floured cookies include using the wrong kind of flour or using an unreliable measuring technique.
The Right Kind of Flour for Cookies
Flour creates texture and structure in a cookie, so it’s critical to get this one right. Different types of flour have various levels of protein, which create gluten when activated by liquids. The concentration of gluten in a dough will determine its pliability. On one hand, bread flour will produce a more elastic dough because of its high protein levels, while pastry flour with less protein will create a dough that is fragile and light.
When it comes to cookies, it’s common to use:
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
- White whole wheat flour
Most recipes call for all-purpose flour. If you decide to substitute in whole wheat flour, start by substituting 25% of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. If you like the way your cookies turn out but still want to add more whole wheat, try substituting up to 50% of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat. Most cookie recipes will be fine with a 50% substitution. However, if you decide to go beyond the 50% substitution, try adding 2 teaspoons of water (or a comparable liquid) per cup of whole wheat flour.
If you use cake flour, you’ll end up with less gluten in your dough, and your cookies will be more fluffy (like cake). If you use bread flour, you will have more gluten in your dough, which makes your cookies more chewy. Some people don’t like this, but some people swear by it so feel free to give it a try. (Or try half all-purpose and half bread flour.) If you do choose bread or cake flour instead of all-purpose, you shouldn’t need to adjust the quantity.
Pro Tip: No matter what type of flour you use, we recommend chilling your dough in the fridge for several hours before baking. This allows the fat in your dough to cool so that it expands slower when baking (rather than flattening out). And—bonus—chilling your dough also allows the flavors to blend so you get a fuller, richer flavor.
The Best Way to Measure Flour
Dip and Sweep
When it comes to baking, an ounce or two difference in flour can have a big impact. Surprisingly, there are a handful of methods for measuring flour that include techniques for fluffing, scooping, shoveling, shaking, leveling, weighing, and so on. Tweaking your method may sound way too unnecessary to bother with. However, when it comes to baking, there’s one technique that wins them all, as recommended by Cook’s Illustrated and other reputable bakers: the Dip and Sweep method.
So, what does it take to Dip and Sweep? Start by fluffing your flour with a measuring cup or a spoon (essentially stirring it around a bit). Second, scoop lightly into the flour so that your flour is light and airy in the measuring cup (not densely packed). Third, use a flat edge, such as a knife, to sweep off the excess.
Why is this technique so special? Well, compared to other measuring techniques (like the Spoon and Sweep method), the Dip and Sweep method allows for the flour to lightly fill the cup. If the flour is too dense in the cup, you’ll end up with too much flour. Multiply this overage by several cups, and you’ll have significantly over-floured dough.
Better Yet, Use a Scale
While the Dip and Sweep is great for free-hand measuring, if you really want to be exact, invest in a kitchen scale. This is the golden ticket to achieving the perfect amount of flour. An inexpensive kitchen scale will give you invaluable confidence that your cookies and other baked goods will turn out just right when measuring your flour.
As a general rule, one cup of flour equals 120 grams. Simply put your mixing bowl on the scale, zero it out (also known as “taring” the scale), and add flour in the correct quantity (120 grams for 1 cup, 240 grams for 2 cups, etc.)
Cookies Worth Waiting For
Look at you: You’ve rescued your cookie dough and learned a thing or two about how you can take charge of measuring flour with skill the next time you bake. Now, put those cookie dough balls into the oven and take a deep breath. Your perfect plan is back on track.
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Infographic
You’ve planned to bring chocolate chip cookies to cheer up your friend, but adding too much flour has caused a mishap. Find three ways to rescue the cookie dough in this infographic.
