King Arthur's Bakers are here to solve the culinary conundrums you share with us, whether by phone, computer, or the good old postal service. In Ask the Baker's Hotline, Annabelle will pick the brain of the talented King Arthur Baker's hotline team to address some of your most frequently asked questions. Today's question: How to keep cookies soft.
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Picture this: You reach into the cookie jar for a soft, chewy peanut butter cookie you've been looking forward to all day. You bite, and what is this? It's hard as rock!
If you find that your once soft cookies quickly become dry and hard, Amanda Schlarbaum from Baker's hotline here are some tips on how to keep them softer, longer.
Set yourself up for success
First, avoid overbaking the cookies. “Overbaking will remove the moisture before you take them out of the oven,” warns Amanda. “Ask for your cookies to be just set in the middle with golden brown edges.”
If you are not sure what the “set” looks like, keep an eye on their brightness. If the dough is shiny as it bakes (thanks to the butter or other fat in it), that shine will diminish significantly or disappear once the cookies are set. Once they reach that stage, remove them from the oven. Even if they don't feel firm yet, they will continue to harden and harden as they cool.
Storage tips to keep cookies soft
Keeping your cookies soft and fresh depends on how you store them – here are Amanda's tips for success:
Hermetic container
“To keep the cookies soft, store them in a airtight container and not in a cookie jar,” recommends Amanda. “While cookie jars are cute, they usually don't have airtight lids. Loose lids allow a lot of air into the container, causing the cookies to dry out faster.” Save your cookie jars for prepackaged snacks or cookies and keep your cookies in something with a good stamp.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
The bread/apple trick
Here's a baker's trick you'll find in our new Monster Cookies Recipe: Adding a piece of fresh white bread to the storage container will keep the cookies from becoming hard or stale. But why does bread keep cookies soft? “Fresh white bread has a lot of moisture. When stored with cookies, it creates a moist environment and the cookies absorb that excess moisture,” explains Amanda. She adds that “white bread is best for this, as whole wheat or flavored breads may not have enough moisture and can transfer their flavor to the cookies.” If you don't have bread around, “apple slices have been known to work as well, but also have the potential to add flavor.”
Keep them separate
Store different types of cookies separately. “Preserving a soft peanut butter cookie with a peanut butter cookie will have the same result as adding a piece of bread: The gingersnap will become soft due to the moisture from the peanut butter cookie and the peanut butter cookies they will lose a lot of their smoothness.. Plus the flavors can be affected too; the ginger ones can take on a peanut butter flavor and vice versa.
Stick to room temperature
Storage to avoid: refrigerator. “If you store cookies in the fridge, they will dry out,” says Amanda. Dry and cold air absorbs moisture immediately from them. Instead, keep your cookies at room temperature or freeze for later.
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
Still finding yourself with tough cookies? Here's how to make them soft again.
All hope is not lost! You can make your hard cookies soft again with these simple tricks.
A sustainable exchange
“A saving of brown sugar is another option that can keep cookies soft and soften hard cookies,” says Amanda. moist that will be absorbed by the cookies.” Soak the terra cotta disc in water for 15 minutes and you'll have softer cookies in a few hours.
A quick fix
Can't wait that long? (Similar.) “You can place the cookies wrapped in a damp paper towel or a warm glass of water next to them for 20 to 30 seconds,” suggests Amanda. “The steam created will be absorbed into the cookie, softening it.” And bonus: “This will not only soften the cookie, but also warm it up. And who doesn't love a warm cookie?” Amanda to the rescue!
Craving cookies? Look through our complete recipe archive to find your next bake.
Cover photo by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
