At a guess I would say the butter (margarine, shortening, whichever you were using) was too soft.
I had this problem when I first started making choc-chip cookies, but after I learned never to let the butter soften more than about an hour at room temperature it has not happened again.

There once was a day when I purposely almost melted my butter so that they would come out flat, I liked them that way.

Nancy

I don't think the butter was too soft, but maybe it was. I just softened it in the microwave.

LOL, Nancy, I wish I could give you my cookies!

It happens to me sometimes too, and I can't tell you why. I can use the same ingredients at the same temperature and one pan will be flat and one pan will be puffy and cakey and one pan will be chewy. Maybe oven temp? Or the amount of time the pan sits on the counter waiting for its turn in the oven?

I do find that if I freeze the dough and thaw it before baking it's nearly always chewy and seldom flat, so the temperature of the fat used is probably a big consideration.

Annie

I've always been told it has to do with butter vs. other shortenings (margerine or butter flavored shortening). Butter is said to melt at a lower temp, so the cookies spread out before they can rise. Also, overbeating can break down the butter so that it is even quicker to melt. I've always wondered why some of my friends swear by mixing with a wooden spooon.
Alton Brown did a special about different textures of cc cookies. It, like so many of his shows, offers great advice almost hidden in a campy dialogue. The link is the transcript from the show.

Jo

Here is a link that might be useful: Alton Brown's science of chocolate chip cookies

I always make the choc chip cookie dough the day before and refrigerate at least overnight.
On Sunday I made a triple batch and am going to bake tonight, will report if they get flat.
I don't care for the Toll House Recipe, I use the one on the back of the Gold Medal Flour package. My DD and her friends asked me if I will make them just like last year, crispy edges and soft/chewy middle. Gosh I hope so, hate to pitch enough dough to make 20 dozen cookies.

That's an interesting transcript. I noticed he added 1 1/2 tsps. of baking soda. But then he said more soda results in a spreading cookie???

I looked up the Gold Medal CC cookie recipes on their site and the regular recipe was just like the one on the CC package. One doubled the ingredients but was basically the same. Which recipe do you use? I don't have a flour bag to check the recipe. I thought it would be on their site.

Softened butter (or other solid fat) is 65°-67°F, as measured with an Instant Read Thermometer. You can't easily control that by softening it in a microwave.

Perfectly softened butter should give gently to pressure. You should be able to leave a fingerprint and slight indention on the stick, but not press completely through it. Butter that is too soft or is partially melted results in dough that is too soft, causing cookies to spread too much.

Refrigerating the cookie dough will help to solidify the too-soft fat in the dough. Keep the dough in the refrigerator between batches. That warm kitchen will also pre-melt fat causing the cookies to spread, just as using hot/warm cookie sheets causes cookies to spread.

-Grainlady

You can send them to me. I prefer a flat cookie. The puffy ones taste too cakey to me.

Ann

I am with you, Ann. I prefer a chocolate chip landscape.

Mine always come out flat, too. And I prefer a little higher and chewier cookie.

My sister in law swears by using half butter and half shortening in the recipe. Hers are always perfect, so I am gonna try that.

Lord knows, I have tried everything else, from subbing bread flour, to chilling the dough, to trying a gazillion different recipes looking for the perfect cookie....all to no avail.

Linda

I just made some chocolate chip cookies the other day... and like EVERY time I've made them, they were flat. I got the "bright" idea to throw a cup of marshmallows in the dough with the chocolate chips. Not only were they flat like always, but the marshmallows popped and left big holes in the cookies. They were the ugliest cookies I've ever seen in my life. Tasted fine though.

The only time I made cookies that didn't sink were with Sol's brown sugar chocolate chip cookies, but that was only the first time I made them. I usually let my butter come to room temperature on its own without using the microwave, but I leave it out for an hour at least, maybe that's too long.

Blueheron, thank you for posting this... I needed it too! Hope your (and my) cookie troubles are over from the point on. I will stick the thermometer in my butter next time and take its temperature. I even have refrigerated the dough overnight, and bought fresh baking soda, and neither helped the situation. It can be frustrating! Mine look good right before I take them out of the oven, but then they "deflate"!

I noticed that many of the margrine products contain more water, and even some of the butter products are watery. Maybe it is the milk they are using. Wonder if that could cause the problem. Can't remember if they call for baking powder? if not, maybe a 1/2 teaspoon would help?

I was wondering if baking powder would help too... I've not seen a chocolate chip recipe that had baking powder. I think I've had better results with margarine (like Imperial) the few times I tried it, but not perfect. I don't use it and won't buy it just to make cookies with.

My snicker dooodles and peanut butter cookies aren't flat, what gives?

I really think that several earlier posters are correct. The butter was way too warm/soft. Softened butter means, at least to me, room temperature. Definitely not what you could achieve in the microwave.

Try the recipe again.

here is the recipe I use

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 cups Blue Bonnet Margarine
1 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 1/4 Cups packed Light Brown Sugar
1 TBsp Vanilla
2 large Eggs
4 Cups All Purpose flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3 Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

In large bowl beat margarine,sugars, vanilla and eggs on medium speed until fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in Chocolate Chips (dough is stiff)
Refrigerate dough overnight

Next day Rpe heat oven to 350 degrees
On ungreased non stick cookie sheet, drop by tablespoon, or I use a #40 ice cream scoop. Place cookies 2 inches apart.
Flatten slighty using. I use a small bowl of sugar, dampen a tumbler glass dip in sugar and lightly flatten cookie dough.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until light brown. Cool 1 or 2 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack, Cool completly before stroing in a conatiner. I also add one slice of cheapo white bread in tins or containers to keep the cookies fresh.
Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Here is some I baked tonight, will be a good baking session for the next 3 nights, temperature is suppose to be 17 degrees at night. My daughter likes them a bit darker, with crispy edges and soft middles. So, that's closer to the 13 minute baking mark

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

The day that I read that margarine was just one molecule away from being pure plastic, I never used it again. The switch to butter in my cc cookies was the first time they came out flat.

Never thought of the temp of the butter since I just pulled it out first thing in the mornings so that it would be ready to use.

Also... tried subbing whipped butter once, definitely flat!!

This has come up several times, usually at Christmas, and I have tried everything, half margarine, half Crisco, freezing the dough, keeping it in the refrigerator for 36 hours before baking and nothing as worked.

I canÂt remember on what thread but just a week or so ago there was a discussion about flat cookies and someone mentioned they thought it had something to do with water content of the butter. They said they switched to Tillamook butter and the cookies came out great and didnÂt flatten out. I put Tillamook on my shopping list and just bought some today. I always buy butter from Costco and have for years and for years I have had the flat cookie thing going. I am going to make CC cookies this weekend so IÂll let you know if the Tillamook make a difference.

Claudia

Not to brag (it took me years) but my CC cookies turn out awesome every time.

I use the recipe in my old Betty Crocker cookbook which is like the Tollhouse recipe but only calls for one egg.

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

I also use Margarine, usually Land O Lakes brand which is more expensive but I like it. Soften, DON"T melt the butter!

Use a cookie scoop to form cookies not your hands. My BC cookbook also recommends HAND MIXING -- it makes better looking cookies!

Well I just looked in the refrigerator the Costco butter ingredients says" pasteurized cream, salt then says allergy information made with cream, milk or milk derivatives" the Tillamook ingredients just says cream (milk) and on the front of the package it says made with milk from cows not treated with artificial growth hormone.

I should pay more attention to ingredient on everything itÂs like sour cream I really never looked until someone here said Daisy was the only one that just had cream and nothing else in it.

Claudia

For what it's worth... Years ago, when I made the worlds best chocolate chip cookies ( the Toll House recipe ), on a regular basis, they were tall and crispy enough to melt in your mouth... I used half Imperial stick margarine and half regular Crisco... I never brought the fats or eggs up to room temperature, only mixed the fats and sugars until it was all one color, kept the rest of the dough in the fridge while one batch was baking and cooled the cookie sheet between batches.

Rita

P.S. - fridge - a refrigerator
...... - frig - Vulgar Slang. v.tr. 1. To have sexual intercourse with.

I made some this weekend which my dh said were the best ever (too dense for me, but not cakey. I like cc cookies where the chips are the highest point of the cookie). The recipe called for two tablespoons of water and 1 tsp of vanilla. I bumped the vanilla to two tsp. and reduced the water to 5 tsp. water.

Bake at 375, 12-15 min.

These benefit from being plopped in the microwave for 12 seconds the next day.
Jo

IÂm sorry to report that IÂve taken a serious break from the Chocolate Chip Cookie quest. The journey has cost me pounds of butter, sugar, and weight, only to realize that each individualÂs pursuit is unique and personal i.e. "my cookie may not be your cookie." That said, IÂm enjoying reading everyoneÂs success and that picture is enough to make me rethink the issue, Jo.

Confession: I grew up on Crisco cookies (with the ½ tsp. Water), with enough cookie to match chocolate, puffy yet chewy, etc., and I loved them. I now make "Marvelous Marble Squares" from my old "The Happy Cooker" Jewish cookbook, which are butter based, chocolate chips swirled on top baked in jelly roll pan. Big bang for the time, crowd pleaser and closest to my memories.

Cathy in SWPA

Thanks for all your responses. They are certainly food for thought, pun intended..lol.

I ran into a friend in the baking aisle at the supermarket today and mentioned my flat CC cookies. She said hers came out flat also. DH was with me and remarked that there must be a CC virus going around..lol.

I recall that I used to use half Land O Lakes Country Morning Blend and half butter for my cookies and they turned out perfectly. I couldn't fine CM Blend and emailed the company and asked where to buy it. They responded with two places, Wegman's and another store, I can't thing of it, it's an organic supermarket Fresh Foods? Neither one is near me, so I used all butter. I am going to keep trying until I get it right!

Happy Baking

I often wonder about this. I've made a few batches that were beautifully plump but recently more flat. DH likes them plump and mentioned that mine are not like his mothers - which were fantastic. I've quit using Crisco though and I'm sure she used Crisco - she's no longer with us or I'd ask her for advice. I've had good results sometimes with butter but because I don't plan ahead I've sometimes had to soften in the microwave. My theory is that they're flatter if the butter is too soft and that they'd probably turn out more reliably plump with Crisco than with butter. I don't bake cookies that often so I'm about ready to return to Crisco - since cookies aren't good for me under any circumstances - butter or Crisco.

DH's mother used Crisco for her cookies, too. They were always crisp. I thought Crisco wasn't too healthful, so I stick to butter.

Well, the virus struck again! I made oatmeal cookies today and they were flat, too! What gets me is the fact that I make a test cookie that turns out fine but the rest of the batch is mostly flat. The butter was firm and the soda was fresh, so I have no idea what is causing the flatness..sigh..

Success finally perfect CC cookies cooling on my kitchen counter. Lightly browned on the edges and high in the middle. I mixed them up yesterday using stir fryiÂs recipe, old tollhouse recipe using 1 egg not 2, refrigerated and baked today. I canÂt say for sure it is the Tillamook butter but itÂs the first time in years that my cookies havenÂt been flat. No more Costco butter from now on only Tillamook will be used in my baking.

Maybe like everything else they are adding water to make the butter weight more. God only knows what we are eating these days and how much we are paying for water added in everything.

Claudia

I'm not familiar with Tillamook butter. Where do you get it?

blueheron, Tillamook, famous for their cheese, is made in Tillamook Oregon. There cheese and butter is available in just about every store here in Ca. I donÂt know if itÂs nationwide or just on the west coast. You could ask the manager where you shop and see if he can get it. There cheddar cheese is the best but I donÂt buy their sour cream it has much more than just cream in it.

Claudia