Things bakers know: Prevent fallen cookies with toothpicks

We all intend to do biscuits coming out of the oven with salty layers and high, golden brown sides. But sometimes, cookies have other plans, rising unevenly or even falling apart during baking.

I've noticed that the fluffier and butterier the cookie, the more likely it is to misbehave in the oven. Flame Biscuits rise skyward due to the pockets of butter between the layers of dough, which separate and puff up during baking so that the cookie reaches impressive heights. But while the butter is responsible for those salty layers and high rise, a buttery cookie also has a tendency to fall instead of rise straight—a phenomenon I've dubbed the “cookie avalanche.”

Determined to bake statue cookies without falling, I started thinking about cookie avalanche solutions. I noticed that cookie doughs with lower hydration (those with less liquid) tend to hold their shape and rise evenly during baking. But while a drier dough can rise evenly, it also results in a drier cookie—not ideal. Baking the cookies next to each other also promotes rise, but doesn't give the sides of the cookies much of a chance to color – I prefer a golden brown surface all around and like to bake my cookies with space between them for color optimal, so it wasn't Nor is the answer.

Inserting three toothpicks into the cookie dough — Humble teeth grinding to the rescue.

Sometimes, the best solutions are the simplest, and in this case it was the humble toothpick that saved the day. I wondered if toothpicks could provide sufficient internal support to the cookies during baking to keep them upright. So I put it to the test: I mixed up a batch of cookie dough, cut individual cookies, and put them in a pan. I left half of the cookies as they were and then pressed three toothpicks into each of the remaining cookies.

To my surprise, inserting a few toothpicks into each cookie before baking did the trick. The toothpicks provided enough structure to help the cookies rise higher in the oven and keep them from tipping over. I use three toothpicks per cookie, about half an inch apart and press them firmly into the dough until they touch the baking sheet. After baking, remove them before serving.

Flame-baked cookie with a toothpick next to a cracker that has fallen without a toothpick — Baking with toothpicks provides enough structure to prevent falling apart, unlike the cookie on the right.

This technique can be applied to any flame cookie recipe; no need to modify mixing or shaping methods or baking time, just add toothpicks! It would be especially useful when baking these new ones Pretzel cookiesallowing their smooth layers to rise even higher.

This technique has been a game changer in helping me achieve cookies that look as good as they taste – try it the next time you want to avoid the cookie avalanche.

Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.

Cookies go way back – for the full story, dive in the surprising history of american cookies.