Dessert Recipes: Cookies: Checklist

Cookie Checklist

Use this checklist to determine what went wrong with a batch of cookies.
If home-baked cookies spread too much during baking, check for these problems::

Your oven temperature was too cold.
You did not use pure cane sugar (sucrose); instead, you substituted a fructose sugar or a blend of sugars.
You greased the cookie sheets too heavily.
You substituted diet margarine or vegetable oil spreads for butter or regular stick margarine (80% fat).
You used dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar generally called for in recipes.
You used a warm cookie sheet when you place the cookie dough on the sheet.

If home-baked cookies did not spread too much during baking, check for these problems:

You over-mixed the cookie dough.
You used too cold a cookie dough.
You set the oven temperature too high.
You substituted solid vegetable oil shortening for butter in the recipe.

If home-baked cookies stick to the cookie sheet, check for these problems:

You did not adequately clean the cookie sheets between uses.
You did not grease the cookie sheets when the recipe called for greasing.
You under-baked the cookies.
You left the cookies on cookie sheets too long before removal.
Because the kitchen was too hot, the cookie batter was too warm.
The cookie sheets are warm or hot before baking.