Can we talk about creaming butter and sugar until it's actually light and fluffy

I see so many posts where people wonder why their cookies turn out flat or dense. I used to have that problem too until I timed myself one day. It takes a solid 3 to 4 minutes with a hand mixer, not the 30 seconds most recipes say. I know because I started setting a timer after a batch of chocolate chip cookies came out like hockey pucks. My grandmother told me to look for a color change to almost pale yellow and a grainy texture that turns smooth. Once I hit that point, my cookies started spreading right and getting that nice chewy center. Has anyone else struggled with this step or found a trick to know when it's done?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa67127d ago

3 minutes on the button is my magic number too. I set a timer on my phone every single time now because I used to give up after a minute and wonder why my cookies were flat. The color change to almost white is the real giveaway for me, once it looks like frosting I know I'm good. My mom always said "beat it til your arm gets tired" but that's not helpful when you use a mixer.

mary61427d ago

Yeah I had the same problem with flat cookies until I started timing it. I just count in my head while I'm mixing and it works good enough for me. Once it looks like soft whipped cream I stop.