So I’ve been baking cheesecakes for a long time and dabbled in cookies and other things occasionally. I consider myself relatively confident in baking desserts. Recently got Bravetart for Christmas and have been trying the recipes and everything seems to cook very fast!
I have and use an oven thermometer. I use a kitchen scale. I follow the recipes, and everything seems to overcook. My first go was the peanut butter cookies. Delicious but overly crispy and not soft at all. Decided maybe I need to reduce the bake time a bit. Just tried the homemade lofthouse style cookies and the bottoms browned and they didn’t lift at all. Not gonna lie, getting a little frustrated. Am I missing something? Would appreciate any suggestions.
by Freelancer00
6 Comments
I’ve found that the snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies are very easy to overcook, but it hasn’t been a universal problem for me. I cook the snickerdoodles for a shorter time than the recipe calls for and rotate them at least once. I haven’t done the peanut butter cookies in a while, so I can’t recall how I dealt with the issue. Probably just less time. They get nasty and bitter if you burn them.
Did you use bleached cake flour on the lofthouse cookies?
I also have (and love) Bravetart with a finicky oven. The only thing I can think of here is the location of your rack in the oven-maybe too close to the bottom? Make sure your oven thermometer is centrally located in the oven as well. I hope you keep trying. This recipe is great. Every single cake in that book is fantastic, and the cheesecake is perfection!
Make sure you’re using parchment paper and not silpats.
Are you using a dark sheet pan to bake on? They’ll cook faster and darker on the bottom on a dark pan
I’ve baked a ton of the recipes out of Bravetart but have never had success with Stella’s cookies! I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure it out but always have the issue of them overspreading and not rising. They NEVER look like hers. Sorry I have nothing to offer other than I feel your frustration!! I’ve had much more success with the bouchon bakery cookies or anything smitten kitchen.
I know things like altitude and humidity can have dramatic effects on baking. So you could well be doing everything correct.