My grandma said to always use room temp butter for cookies and I finally listened

For years I just used butter straight from the fridge because I was lazy. My grandma told me, 'Your cookies will spread like pancakes if that butter is cold.' I tried her way last night with a basic chocolate chip recipe. I left two sticks out for an hour before mixing. The dough was perfect and the cookies baked up thick and chewy, not flat at all. She was totally right. Anyone have other old-school baking tips that actually work?

3 comments

3 Comments

faith_shah881mo agoTop Commenter

Wasn't there a whole thing about how creaming the butter and sugar for a full five minutes is the real secret? I read that it gets more air in there so your cookies rise better. Makes sense why the soft butter matters so much. Guess grandma's advice was just the first step.

morgan_king361mo ago

Actually, letting it sit for an hour might not be quite long enough for true room temp. You want it soft enough that your finger leaves a clear indentation without sinking in. Sometimes that takes two hours, depending on your kitchen. It makes the creaming process with the sugar way more effective.

troy_price1mo ago

My friend Sarah tried to bake cookies last winter in her cold apartment. She left the butter out for an hour like the recipe said, but it was still a hard little brick. She tried to cream it anyway and ended up with this grainy, greasy mess. It proved @morgan_king36's point about the finger test, because her kitchen was basically a fridge. The cookies spread into one flat, sad sheet. She waits a full two hours now, no matter what the box says.