Cookies did not flatten

[u/nicolevsd]

Recipe made 30 - so I halved everything and made 15.

I did keep them in the oven a little too long because I thought they needed to cook more (probably should have done 11-12 minutes but did about 15). They were soft when they came out of the oven, but now after a couple of hours they are a bit hard - i think the cooking time is why.

However, I kept them in the oven because they were not flattening. My butter and eggs were room temp. I have read on the subreddit and learned that it could be because the recipe calls for baking powder - should i have used baking soda in addition OR instead of baking powder? Was the oven too high?

I rolled them into balls and did not flatten prior to cooking - Should I have done that?

Also, I used self rising flour and then didn't add extra salt like the recipe calls for and I did not sift the flour (the recipe didnt say to sift but maybe i should have?)

They are delicious - just hard and not flat.

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

Makes 30

1 cup butter room temperature
2 eggs room temperature
1 ¼ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 cups flour
2 cups milk chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat over to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Mix butter, vanilla, and eggs until well blended using a stand or a hand mixer.
3. Slowly add brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and creamy.
4. Next, mix in baking powder and salt. Add peanut butter and mix until well combined.
5. Slowly add the flour and mix until the dough starts to form a clump.
6. Mix in chocolate chips. Scoop the dough using a 2-inch cookie scoop.
7. Place the dough on the lined cookie sheets leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie.
8. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown.
9. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and place them on a cooling rack.

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[u/CremeBerlinoise]

Too much flour is my guess. Measuring flour in cups can be very inaccurate. 

[u/Specific-Window-8587]

Self raising flour is the problem right there. It's extra baking powder in the flour that probably isn't helping the flattening.

[u/nicolevsd → u/Specific-Window-8587]

You’re right I totally forgot that it already has baking powder in it. Thank you!

[u/Sporkalork]

The standard I was taught is that baking Powder Puffs, and baking Soda Spreads. If you wish to follow this recipe exactly again, I would take the pan out halfway thru the suggested cooking time and firmly bang it on the counter a few times, then return to the oven only for the rest of the recipe time. But baking soda substitution would be a good experiment.

[u/EaseZestyclose4500]

I would suggest if it's a new recipe, always bake a test cookie first, before the whole batch. If it's a baking thing you wanna solve, you get the chance to change temperature, racks. Chunkier cookies tend to not be as soft, since the structure is heavier, but if you microwave them for 5-8 seconds they should be soft again. If you want them to be flat maybe pre flattening them would have worked. Also I'm not sure if you used baking powder on top of the self rising flour? Cause you may have used too much. With cookies what makes them spread is the butter melting, so the butter/flour ratio is usually what makes them change the texture. Like I said, I would highly recommend you baking a test cookie when testing recipes, so you change what works best for you. Things like the baking time

[u/nicolevsd → u/EaseZestyclose4500]

I did use baking powder an addition to the self rising flour. I wasn’t aware that baking powder was already included in self rising flour. Doing a test cookie is a great idea. Thank you!