If your cookies don’t spread in the oven, the dough is either excessively dry or too cold. The dry dough will remain in its original form without enough liquid or fat.
Determine what went wrong so you can improve next time. Perfect cookie dough is about ingredients and baking. Excessive use of one ingredient might cause cookie dough to spread unevenly. If the dough or oven temperature is wrong, it won’t bake.
Okay, no worries. Here I will discuss 6 common reasons why cookies do not spread well. Also, it will give the best possible solution to the issue.
Table: Reasons and Solutions to Cookies Not Spreading
| Reasons | Solutions |
| Butter at wrong temperature | Warm the butter a little bit |
| Adding too much flour | Measure in metric system |
| Old baking powder and baking soda | Get new baking powder and baking soda |
| Oven isn’t hot enough | Make sure the oven temperature is correct |
| Dough is too cold | Bring the dough to room temperature |
| Not following the recipe well | Read and follow the recipe carefully |
6 Reasons Your Cookies Are Not Spreading
To help you grow from your errors, I’ve laid out some potential causes and suggested solutions. Below are some of the most likely explanations for why your cookies didn’t spread when baking and how to fix it.
1. Your Butter is At The Wrong Temperature
Cookies won’t spread evenly if you use cold butter. A good rule of thumb is that butter should leave an indentation when squeezed if the recipe asks for room-temperature butter.
The temperature of the butter is essential when baking cookies. The temperature of the butter used in a given recipe will determine whether it is used at room temperature or melted.
Solution:
More spreading might occur if the butter is warm and soft enough. Similarly to this, too-cold butter may prevent your cookies from spreading enough.
The texture shouldn’t be fully soft or melted in the middle, but it also shouldn’t be hard. You shouldn’t make cookies with cold butter.
2. You Are Adding Too Much Flour
Too much flour is the blame if your cookies don’t spread. If you add more dry ingredients than the recipe says to, the dough might be too stiff. Too much flour prevents the dough from spreading because it absorbs the moisture and fat in the mixture.
This happens a lot when people use measuring cups in the wrong way. Missing words like “heaping,” “rounded,” and “scant” that describe quantities in recipes may significantly alter the end outcome.
Sprinkle flour on your worktop if you want to knead or roll out the cookie dough so that it doesn’t stick. Adding too much flour to the mixture is another possible cause of your cookie not spreading.
Solution:
Changing to the metric system is the quickest and most simple solution. By switching from imperial and cups to metric, I’ve been able to avoid many mistakes. If you know the precise weight of an ingredient rather than its quantity, you can always go right.
I also learned that you should set aside approximately 10% of the dry ingredients and add them at the very end. You’ll get a greater sense of the dough’s texture and development if you do this.
3. Your Baking Powder and Baking Soda Are Old
The baking powder and baking soda in your pantry may be expired if you only use them rarely to make your favorite cookie.
Leavening agents include baking soda and baking powder. These components give your cookies their rise. If they get too old, they might be inactive. Inactive means that they won’t do anything for your cookies, which means that flat cookies will result.
Solution:
Before making your cookie recipe, ensure your leavening agents are still good if you have yet to use them. Your cookies might be flat because they need to be updated or updated. So get rid of them and get new ones.
4. The Oven Isn’t Hot Enough
If your oven isn’t running hot enough, the cookies won’t bake very well and may not spread. Unfortunately, a lot of home bakers struggle with their ovens.
The most temperamental thing in your kitchen is most likely your oven. While some people might have great ovens, many still have ovens that aren’t that great in terms of heat distribution or even getting to the right temperature.
The worst part about an oven is that it might not even get the temperature you want. Over time, some oven thermostats lose their calibration, meaning the temperature can be way off.
An oven can be 50 degrees out or more, which isn’t ideal for baking.
Solution:
Make sure the temperature in your oven is correct. Invest in an oven thermometer, which I found to be helpful.
5. The Dough Is Too Cold
Putting your dough in the fridge is important if you want it to spread less. But if the dough is too cool, the cookies might need to spread out more.
Cooling times range from 30 mins to a whole night, based on the type of cookie you’re making. You can store cookie dough for up to 3 months. The cookie dough will take longer to bake due to its low or relatively low temperature.
Solution:
Sometimes you want a tall, slightly undercooked cookie. Sometimes, you may like your cookie to stretch out more. If this is the case, ensure that the cookie dough defrosts in the refrigerator before placing it on a baking pan.
You may bring cookie dough to room temperature by setting it out for 10 minutes before baking. Your other option is to bake the cookies for a few minutes longer.
6. You Are Not Following the Recipe Well
Adding the wrong ingredients can make your cookie dough thick after baking and taste like cake.
Solution:
Follow the instructions very carefully. Before you make your cookies, make sure to read the instructions carefully. Make sure you don’t change anything that could change how the recipe turns out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do My Cookies Rise Instead of Spread?
If your cookies don’t spread, too much flour is probably the blame. The dough might become overly firm if more dry ingredients are added than called for in the recipe. As the flour absorbs the dough’s moisture and fat, the dough loses its elasticity and cannot be rolled out.
How Do You Fix Cookies That Don’t Spread?
The fat in cookie dough melts during baking, causing cookies to spread. If there’s not enough flour, the cookies will spread excessively. To measure your flour, use a spoon and level it off, or better yet, a scale. Try mixing in 2 tablespoons of flour for cookies that are still spreading.
What Ingredient Causes Cookies to Spread?
Your cookie will spread if it has too much sugar or fat. If your first cookie attempt spreads, add flour to the remaining dough.
Wrapping Up
When cookies don’t spread, it’s irritating. It may ruin the texture by making the cookies excessively thick and possibly dry.
Try these suggestions the next time you make cookies to get a well-spread cookie. If you’re a perfectionist, it may take a few tries to change the recipes to your desire, but I’m sure they’ll still be tasty even if they don’t look ideal.
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