Stop creaming butter and sugar by hand and wondering why your cookies spread into pancakes

I see these posts every week in here. Someone spent all day scooping cookies and they came out flat as a dime. Almost every time they say they creamed the butter and sugar by hand. I used to do the same thing back when I started. Did a batch of chocolate chip cookies for a church bake sale in Beaverton 2 years ago and they came out so flat I could have used them as frisbees. Then I watched a youtube video that showed what properly creamed butter looks like when you do it with a mixer. Its fluffy and pale, almost white. You cannot get that texture by stirring with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes no matter how strong your arm is. Your butter is too cold or you quit too early. Has anyone else tried the trick of microwaving your butter for 10 seconds before you start?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray_hernandez6d agoMost Upvoted

Oh I feel this so hard. My first batch of sugar cookies for my niece's birthday turned into sad little puddles. I was so proud of myself for mixing by hand like a "real baker" until I pulled those flat discs out of the oven. It's honestly kind of heartbreaking after you've been stirring for ages, right? I tried the microwave trick but I'm always paranoid about melting the butter too much. Have you got a go-to brand of mixer that won't break the bank?

emmaallen6d ago

Idk, @ray_hernandez, it's like that thing where we think doing something the hard way makes it better, but really it just makes it worse. I notice it everywhere, like people insisting on hand-whisking eggs when a mixer takes two seconds. Maybe it's just me but that microwave trick is solid, just do 5 seconds at a time.