convection oven and cookies

I'd expect the temperature calibration of your new oven to be pretty accurate, but have you checked it? How accurate was the one it replaced? There could be significant differences in dial settings vs. actual steady-state temps between the two that are contributing to the problem.

Bob

While Alan has oatmeal cookies that will not spread, Claire has the problem I seem to have: Virtually all my cookie attempts spread too much, as well as initally rising nicely, but then collapsing into thin crisps.

I do bake with white spelt flour, rather than wheat, but it handles and bakes pretty much the same. Maybe stays a little wetter for the same amount of liquid, and takes a little longer or hotter to brown, but not a huge difference. The only cookie I have consistent success with is an excellent peanut butter cookie recipe someone here shared with me. These rise, then firm up without melting all over or collapsing. The dough consistency is no firmer than any other cookies I try, and softer than most. It just seems to work... It has a high fat content, with both dairy and peanut butters, well creamed, with a lot of beating at each stage of addition, but when I do the same for other recipes, it doesn't improve the results, so I'm still lost!

Dave

claire wrote on 19 Dec 2006 in rec.food.baking

Have you considered putting the 'oven ready' cookies in the fridge to chill prior to baking....that's a trick I learned from watching Martha Stewart. Chilled cut cookie dough keeps a better edge and crispness to their shape. Also the easier the shortening melts the more the cookies will spread. Cookies made with butter will spread more than cookies made with something that has a higher melting point...say crisco.