How to Make Perfectly Round Chocolate Chip Cookies
Have you ever bought a chocolate chip cookie from the store and noticed how perfectly uniform and round they are but when you make them at home, not a single one looks remotely like another? Well this hack will change all of that and is so incredibly simple and effective that you’d wish you knew about it earlier!
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I’ve seen so many ‘hacks’ out there for making perfectly shaped chocolate chip cookies but none of them ever did the trick or were just a bit too good to be true. These included things like:
- Chilling the dough
- Rolling the dough into balls before baking
- Using an ice cream scoop
- Baking them in a ramekin
- Cutting the edges off after baking
None of these ever gave me the result I was looking for and to be honest it make sense that they didn’t.
Why Chocolate Chip Cookies Spread Unevenly
Because of the high fat and sugar content in chocolate chip cookies, they spread like crazy when they’re in the oven. If you think about when you squeeze a ball of dough in your hand, parts of the dough push out between the cracks between your fingers. The chocolate chips in the cookie dough works in the same way as your fingers. The chocolate interrupts the natural spread of the dough, making uneven and misshapen cookies. This means that anything you do before baking to influence the final shape won’t really have much of an impact.
How To Make Perfectly Round Cookies
Step 1 - Grab Something Round
The first thing to do is to find something round that is slightly wider than your cookie. This could be a cookie cutter, a mug, a bowl or ramekin, or anything else you can find in your kitchen. Aim for something that has around 2cm of space around the cookie. You don’t want anything too big as you could end up making it more misshapen than how it began, or shrinking the cookie back in on itself. Lastly, something hollow or transparent like a cookie cutter or even a plastic container is easiest so you can see what’s going on, but this isn’t crucial.
I use a Food Stacker/Ring (which you can buy by clinking the highlighted text) because it’s a great size for medium cookie. Plus, due to its tall shape, you can get a good grip on so it’s easy to spin, making for a nice even cookie.
Another great option to use is a Cookie Cutter Set. These are particularly handy if you’re making different sized cookies as you can find the perfect shape for what you need.
Step 2 - Take Your Cookies Out of the Oven When They’re Still Slightly Soft
Pull your cookies out of the oven a minute or 2 earlier than you would usually bake them for. It’s important that the cookies are still soft and malleable so you can transform their shape.
Step 3 - Spin the Cookies With the Cookie Cutter
Working quickly and still on the baking tray, carefully place your cutter (or other round object) over then cookie. Spin the cookie cutter around the cookie in a circular motion for 15 seconds or so. If you’re using something hollow, you will notice the edges of the cookie being smoothed out and will know to stop when it looks perfectly round and smooth on the border. If you are using a mug or something you can’t see the cookie through, spin it for 15 seconds, lift it off and check. If it isn’t quite perfect, place the mug back over the cookie and continue for a few more spins.
Move on quickly to the remaining cookies to prevent them from firming up before you get around to them. If you find that the last few have firmed up and won’t change shape when you spin them, pop the tray back in to oven for a minute or 2 then try again.
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Hey! I’m Montana...
Mon Mack Food is my little space to share my passion for food. It is also a place to document the recipes I’ve created while cooking for friends and family! While it is now just a hobby, my absolute dream is to build this project into something I can one day call my job 🙂
