PLEASE Help me fix this disastrous recipe (cookies, butter, spread)

[weezycom]

I'm thinking the quick-cook oats have more to do with it than anything else. They're par-cooked and redried, so they don't absorb as much moisture as long-cooking rolled oats do.

[CFoulke]

Hmmm....the only thing I can think of is the time I made oatmeal raisin cookies and they came out wrong - I had mistakenly bought light butter (margarine actually) and had it in the freezer. I always double the recipe for my DH, so I grabbed 3 sticks of (butter) and didn't notice it was the light stuff. It has too much water in it - the dough was too wet and spread something awful, stuck even to the parchment paper, the cookies stuck together, and I ended up taking them out and pitching them in the yard so the birds could maybe eat them. Hope I didn't kill any of them. Maybe there was still too much moisture in the dates, was your baking soda fresh?, also - did you use the old fashioned or the quick cooking oats - your recipe mentions both and I got a bit confused. I know this is a variation on your usual one - if you want to try the one I always use let me know. I got it off of Big Oven about six or seven years ago, and have always doubled the recipe. My hubby loves them - and they do smell delicious. I hate raisins personally, but someday I may make me some with chocolate chips in them instead!!! Not sure what to do with your remaining dough - I guess you could just use it up otherwise you'll end up wasting it. As long as it tastes good, it would be fine on ice cream or even mix it as a strudel topping on some pumpkin bread or apple bread. Nobody would be the wiser!!!!

[Kayekaye]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

-------------------------recipe I used - I doubled everything---------------------------------
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

SAVE ON THIS RECIPE!
Steps
1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, raisins and nuts.
2 Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto sprayed cookie sheets.
3 Bake at 350°F. for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

Use old-fashioned rolled oats instead of quick-cooking rolled oats.
Instead of raisins, use your favorite dried fruit. Try dried apricots, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, chopped dates or figs, or mixed fruit bits.
.

Found something that might make them spread, did you spray the cookie sheet like it said in your directions? The original Quaker Oats recipe has ungreased cookie sheet:
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets
It need something to grip to raise on. Maybe that is another factor.

[no kudzu]

well- I did use regular oats but I did spray the sheet. Maybe that is the problem. i kneaded in flour and baking powder as somebody else suggested, wrapped it in the saran wrap and stuck it in the fridge. Since then I've been grabbing a pinch here and there of raw dough and it is wonderful but my children keep asking "Where are the rest of the cookies?" Bad Mommie!

[Kayekaye]

Ah, you should bake one on an ungreased cookie sheet and see how it turns out. Yeah raw dough is the best.

[tpk-nyc]

I always bake chilled cookie dough. That way the exterior of the cookie sets. If the dough it too warm, the interior will melt and spread. Form the cookies first and them chill them in the fridge for a couple of hours. It’s the secret if you want thick, Mrs. Fields-style cookies. I also always bake on parchment paper.

[no kudzu]

Originally Posted by tpk-nyc

I always bake chilled cookie dough. That way the exterior of the cookie sets. If the dough it too warm, the interior will melt and spread. Form the cookies first and them chill them in the fridge for a couple of hours. It’s the secret if you want thick, Mrs. Fields-style cookies. I also always bake on parchment paper.

yes of course- sometimes I forget but the truth is if I don't make cookies right away I will eat all the raw cookie dough and my kids are just as bad. why is cookie dough better than cookies?

[Kayekaye]

Came across this guide this morning from Handletheheat.com the site is kind of slow but this guide shows what to do if the cookie doesn't turn out, following the standard recipe and changing one ingredient

[no kudzu]

thanks kayekaye. neat site I never knew about.

[Mattie]

I know your pain NK. I had a thread about the same thing a while back: //www.city-data.com/forum/recip...es-spread.html

It helped to use Crisco for 1/2 the butter.