My uncle swore by a 'secret' for soft cookies and I should have ignored him

He told me to add a tablespoon of cornstarch to every batch of chocolate chip dough, saying it was a baker's trick for bakery-level softness. I did it for months, and my cookies just came out cakey and weird, with a faint chalky aftertaste. Finally, I just went back to my normal recipe with an extra egg yolk and letting the dough chill overnight, and they were perfect. Has anyone else been given a 'can't miss' tip that actually ruined a good thing?

4 comments

4 Comments

robertcarr3mo ago

Totally get that. Cornstarch is one of those things that works in tiny amounts for some recipes but wrecks others. It's a thickener, so it's going to change the texture in a big way. Your fix with the extra yolk and chill time is the real deal. That's the classic method for a reason. Sometimes the old way is the best way.

thomas_sanchez1mo ago

Did you ever mess with cornstarch in your early baking days? I used to throw it into everything thinking it was a hack, but this thread has me rethinking all that. Yeah, I'm leaning toward your method now.

james_bell3mo ago

Right, and cornstarch can mute the real flavor too, not just the texture.

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karenb973mo ago

My uncle's cornstarch trick gave me the same weird cakey cookies, and @james_bell is right about it killing the flavor too.