Cookie question: too soft to remove from sheet?

[nickblesch]

Hello all,

I made some of these cookies last week:

http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/200...

First off, I definitely recommend these cookies. Nutella is amazing, and if cooked right, these cookies are too. :D

Anyway, I managed to overcook most of the ones I made, and I was wondering if anyone could suggest why. They weren't bad, but they were a bit crunchy. (Dunking them in milk solved the problem; no biggie.)

The issue I had was: after the recommended 9-10 mins, I let the first batch sit out for 1-2 mins on the pan, and... they were falling apart when I tried to move them off of the sheet. Like, they were ripping across the middle - they had almost no structural integrity. That batch I ended up pulling out of the oven and the putting back in twice - oddly, they were the ones that turned out the chewiest. (chewy oatmeal cookies = delicious

)

The rest of the cookies I kept in just until they started to brown on the edges, and they turned fairly crunchy by the time they were done cooling.

So: Should I have left them out the first time, when they were ripping? If I was careful enough getting them off the sheet, would they cool solid? If not, how could I tell when they're done, since brown on the edges = overcooked?

Thanks for any advice!

[coll]

I'd cook them an extra minute or two, your oven could be slightly off. There has to be a happy medium between mushy and crispy I would think, how long did you cook the crispy ones? Then let sit for 5 or 10 minutes before removing, which is what most baked goods call for. When they're cool is the time to remove them (I haven't read the recipe yet though).

[chowser]

Those cookies sound really good. I'm going to have to try them. As baking time goes, you can test if cookies are done by gently picking up one edge, just a little. If it lifts and holds its form, it's time to pull out of the oven. Let them sit a little longer than you do, but 2-3 minutes is generally enough to remove from the pan. Since they were ripping, I would have let that batch cool on the cookie sheet (even easier is using silicon pad or parchment paper so you can slide it out and reuse the cookie sheet) and that might harden it somewhat. If you overbake your cookies and they turn out crunchy, put a piece of bread in the container with them and they'll soften. You won't get the nice crispness when bite into the outside, but they're good.

[nickblesch]

The crispy ones were in significantly longer - around 13-14 mins, give or take. I'm guessing that I can just find the middle ground time-wise, but I didn't know if there was a way to tell when oatmeal cookies are done (thanks chowser!).

I've never let cookies cool on the sheet. It's just how I was taught, I guess? But I'll give it a go when I'm having trouble, to be sure.

And the bread tip is excellent. I'll miss a bit of the crispiness on the outside, but my wife likes cookies super-soft, so it'll probably make her happy. :D

Thanks for the assistance!

[greygarious]

Many if not most cookies and bars need to come out of the oven when they are still quite soft, or they will be too hard and dry when cooled. I line the cookie sheet with parchment and always slide the whole parchment sheet onto a cooling rack immediately. IMO, this is the best way to control baking time. There is still a little carry-over cooking even on the cooling rack, but much less than when the hot pan transfers its heat as it sits on the counter. There's also the time-saving benefit of being able to load another parchment sheet with cookie dough while the first batch is in the oven, then slide it right onto the sheet pan as soon as the first batch is out.. I have a silpat but rarely use it. When you lift it off the sheet pan, the silpat is hot and the cookies are very likely to slide right off onto the counter or floor.

[chowser]

I don't let them rest to cool either but I was talking only about the case when you can't remove them after a couple of minutes. The longer time on the baking sheet will keep cooking them and as they cool, they get harder. LOL, yes, there's definitely a middle ground between 9-10 minutes and 13-14. I go by 30 second increments sometimes if it's almost done but not quite. I can't wait to try this recipe out.:-)

[nickblesch]

Ohh, I see what everyone means now with respect to finishing them on the sheet. I'll get the hang of cookie-making eventually, heh. (I can do cupcakes, coffee cakes, you name it...cookies are my nemesis!)

And you'll love the cookies, I'm sure - I did take the advice from the post and go a bit heavier on chocolate chips and hazelnuts.

Also: I don't suppose anything I say will fix your opinion of my ability to count from 9 to 14. :D