I used to think room temp butter was overrated. Then I ruined 3 batches of cookies.

For years I'd just microwave my butter until it was soft, thinking close enough was fine. Last month I tried making chocolate chip cookies with butter that sat out for exactly 2 hours. The difference was CRAZY - they spread evenly and had that chewy texture instead of turning into flat greasy pucks. I've been baking for 5 years and never realized how much that 30 seconds in the microwave messes up the emulsion. Now I plan ahead and pull butter out before I even start preheating. Has anyone else noticed a big change just from that one tweak?

3 comments

3 Comments

iris_schmidt21d ago

Three batches ruined? That's wild, I never knew it could make that much difference. Guessing you felt pretty ready to throw the whole kitchen out after that. It's amazing how one small thing can mess up everything.

david_reed2221d ago

Used to be one of those people who rolled my eyes at the whole "precision" thing in baking. Figured a little more or less of something couldn't be that big of a deal. Then I tried doubling a cookie recipe and just eyeballed the baking soda. First batch spread into one giant pancake. Second batch came out like hockey pucks. Third batch finally clued me in that maybe those measuring spoons exist for a reason. That tiny little amount made everything puff up too fast then collapse. Definitely humbled me real quick.

theajohnson21d ago

Three ruined batches sounds about right, @david_reed22 - I used to think baking was just cooking with extra steps until I tried making bread without measuring and ended up with a brick. That sodium bicarbonate is no joke.