Copycat Potbelly Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies {easy, no chill recipe} (2024)

FAQs

Why are my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies so hard? ›

Overmixing will lead to tough cookies. Preheat the oven for a precise temperature and baking time. Use more than one baking sheet, even if baking one batch at a time. A hot baking sheet will melt the dough before it goes into the oven, so start each new batch with a cool sheet.

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly.

Brown sugar adds the perfect caramelized sweetness. Sea salt offsets the sweet sugar and raisins. Cinnamon and vanilla extract give them that delicious warm, spiced oatmeal cookie flavor. Coconut oil or melted butter adds moisture and richness.

Oatmeal raisin cookies are a healthier choice in comparison to chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies have less protein and fiber, and more fat, than oatmeal raisin cookies.

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

Melting the butter you're using can make the cookie softer. Brown sugar comes out of the package very moist: its chemical makeup causes it to draw in water under the right circumstances: a fast bake at a high oven temperature. Slightly underbaking cookies with brown sugar in them makes them softer as well.

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

I use molasses and white sugar in place of the brown sugar and that also makes them more tender less crunchy. Also adding 1/2c more oats to recipe will be chewier if they aren't over Baked/dry. Cornstarch is a good trick to help make cookies more soft and chewy. It helps to bind and hold the moisture after baking.

Cookies begin losing moisture through evaporation from the moment that they come out of the oven. So it's totally normal for them to harden up a bit. Yet, this is why you need to store them in an airtight container once they completely cool or they will continue to lose moisture.

Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less cookies spread. In addition, the sugar in the dough gradually absorbs liquid.

Which is better, baking soda or baking powder? ›

The leavening power of baking soda is about three to four times stronger than baking powder. This means that you need a lot less baking soda in your recipes. If a recipe calls for baking soda and you only have baking powder, you need to use the right baking soda to baking powder conversion.

The oatmeal raisin cookie contains complex carbohydrates, which LiveStrong explains provides a “slow-burning” energy. This type of carbohydrate can play a role in keeping you full for a longer period of time and prevent spikes in blood sugar levels.

The difference in texture might help you decide which type of oat you should use in a recipe. Rolled oats hold their shape well and give things a nice chew. This makes them perfect for baked goods and cookies. Quick oats are better for blending into recipes.

Consume With Caution

Even with healthy additions, an oatmeal cookie is still a cookie. Enjoying one occasionally is OK. They may contain more nutrients than other cookies, but they still contain large amounts of fat and sugar, which aren't so healthy and may be detrimental to your waistline.

In addition to be heated for a warm breakfast bowl, rolled oats are commonly used in granola bars, cookies, muffins, and other baked goods. Instant oats can be used in place of rolled oats, although the cook time will be much less, and the final dish will not have as much texture.

Here's what you need to do: Snuggle ¼ slice of bread per dozen cookies into the bottom of the container (use plain white bread, since it won't transmit any flavors). Allow to let sit covered for 24 hours, and replace the bread as needed, every time it starts to get stale.

Hard cookies: you are over mixing, baking too long, baking at too high a temperature, or some combination of these. Cakey cookies: not enough brown sugar, too much or too little egg, too much flour, maybe you used baking powder instead of baking soda?

Keep Them Sealed

The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag. And here's a nifty little trick: add a piece of bread to the bag. You might think that the bread trick works because the cookies absorb moisture from the bread.

Cookies aren't cake, they have a lot more sugar. All that sugar liquifies as they bake. If you bake out all the moisture until they feel like a done cake, you are left with rock hard cookies when the sugar cools down and re-solidifies.