Why are my cookies awful?

I second the weighing of dry ingredents... FAR BETTER...  Should have done it my whole life.

I think the problem with the cookies is the margarine.  Not all margarine is created equal, especially in the UK, and most of it in the UK isn't suitable for cooking in cakes and pastries, because what they do is put large amounts of water in to reduce the fat content and make it "more healty" but what it will do is ruin your cookies.

I had to explain this to my mother, who had been cooking for 45 years, ran out of stick margarine (which you can't even get in the UK!) and decided to use her tub margarine.  She had made some sort of cookie or dessert and it had come out flat and hard... Sound familiar.  What type of margarine did you use?

oops... Re-read and realised you said you were using butter now.  I wonder if your recipie accounted for the higher water content of margarine that that is why the butter isn't working... *shrug*

My suggestion is look for a margarine that is labelled "suitable for cakes" or "suitable for shallow frying" or just go for the butter, because for Christ's sake, they are cookies, right!?

I second the weighing of dry ingredents... FAR BETTER...  Should have done it my whole life.

I think the problem with the cookies is the margarine.  Not all margarine is created equal, especially in the UK, and most of it in the UK isn't suitable for cooking in cakes and pastries, because what they do is put large amounts of water in to reduce the fat content and make it "more healty" but what it will do is ruin your cookies.

I had to explain this to my mother, who had been cooking for 45 years, ran out of stick margarine (which you can't even get in the UK!) and decided to use her tub margarine.  She had made some sort of cookie or dessert and it had come out flat and hard... Sound familiar.  What type of margarine did you use?

My suggestion is look for a margarine that is labelled "suitable for cakes" or "suitable for shallow frying" or just go for the butter, because for Christ's sake, they are cookies, right!?

Stork cooking margarine works pretty well.  They don't whip it up with air or water so it's pretty consistent.

Stork cooking margarine works pretty well.  They don't whip it up with air or water so it's pretty consistent.

Yeah, that is what I use...  I should really start weighing it out though.  Trying to fit it perfectly in my US cups is silly... though there are some big foil wrapped blocks of it that have markings on it that make it easy chop off so many grams.

It also reminds me I need a new battery for my scale...

Yes, it is.  Stick to cups and spoons like a good American.

LOL, you crack me up!

My scale weighs in both ounces and grams.

If I'm using a US recipe with UK butter, I weigh that out on my scale in ounces rather than just to get it into one of my US measuring cups, and then use my US cups and spoons for the dry ingredients.  

I'm with the school of thought that the problem lies in the egg-size and the flour.

I had this same problem, but in reverse, when trying to bake my (UK) cake recipe in the US. In the UK it was great, in the US my cake was horrible. I tried to be careful about the different measurements and I tried different things but in the end I concluded the flour is actually just different. Even when it says the same thing on the pack.

I had this same problem, but in reverse, when trying to bake my (UK) cake recipe in the US. In the UK it was great, in the US my cake was horrible. I tried to be careful about the different measurements and I tried different things but in the end I concluded the flour is actually just different. Even when it says the same thing on the pack.

US 'all-purpose' flour and UK 'plain' flour are slightly different - I think it has something to do with the gluten content/percentage. 

More here:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=34101.msg447345#msg447345

And here:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=34101.msg447818#msg447818

And here:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=34101.msg450580#msg450580

Ah, thanks Mrs R, I just knew it! 

The gluten content does seem to be the factor, or one of them, for sure.

I've had really good luck doing a 1/2 and 1/2 blend of plain and bread flours.

Also, isn't there the baking powder issue? I think it's that UK baking powder is single action, and US baking powder is double action...

Also, isn't there the baking powder issue? I think it's that UK baking powder is single action, and US baking powder is double action...

There are some who say it makes a difference, and some who say it makes no difference - although the type of baking powder sold in the US (double acting) vs UK (single acting) are two different types.  As Elynor previously pointed out (link to the other threads)...

From the Epicurious Food Dictionary:
Baking Powder - A LEAVENER containing a combination of baking soda, an acid (such as CREAM OF TARTAR) and a moisture-absorber (such as cornstarch). When mixed with liquid, baking powder releases carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause a bread or cake to rise. There are three basic kinds of baking powder. The most common is double-acting, which releases some gas when it becomes wet and the rest when exposed to oven heat. Single-acting tartrate and phosphate baking powders (hard to find in most American markets because of the popularity of double-acting baking powder) release their gases as soon as they're moistened.

The butter v. margarine thing would definitely have that effect.  Margarine (real margarine, not vegetable oil spread, or that stuff that has the water mixed in) is a fat with a very different structure than butter, which produces a very different texture in baked goods than butter--much softer and puffier.  I remember seeing an ad for butter flavored crisco years ago in which they showed that the cookies made with crisco (which is a partially hydrogenated fat, same as margarine) made puffier cookies than butter.  Also, see this:
http://curiositykilledthecook.blogspot.com/2006/05/cookie-experiment-1-butter-vs.html

The baking powder would make sense too, I guess--now I'm going to have to worry about bringing baking powder with me. . .

The baking powder would make sense too, I guess--now I'm going to have to worry about bringing baking powder with me. . .

I don't think it makes that much difference.  I know people who use the same for same amount.  I tend to just toss a little more in (the single-acting) for good measure, but not twice as much. 

I don't think it makes that much difference.  I know people who use the same for same amount.  I tend to just toss a little more in (the single-acting) for good measure, but not twice as much. 

I used the Dr. Oetker baking powder we bought at Asda and everything turned out just the same as in the US. I didn't bake cookies with it though. I used it in cornbread and pancakes and they puffed up just the same as always.

I don't think it makes that much difference.  I know people who use the same for same amount.  I tend to just toss a little more in (the single-acting) for good measure, but not twice as much. 

My guess would be that you would have to be really careful not to overmix a dough or batter containing single-acting baking powder once it's moistened, because you'll squash all the carbon-dioxide bubbles, and won't get any more from the oven heat.  

To the OP, I agree with everyone who says it is a shortening/butter thing.  I bake with butter, and for cookies, I use slightly less butter and slightly more flour than the recipe calls for, plus a tablespoon of milk.  The consistency still isn't the same as with shortening, but the cookies don't get as flat and crispy as they would if I followed the recipe to the letter.  

 

Yes, that's what we have too, Melissa. 

A little more research (gotta love t'internet) suggests that due to the difference in the chemical reactions caused by single- vs double-acting baking powder...

If you're using single-acting, because the reaction occurs once moistened in the bowl, you need to get the batter into the oven (to the heat) more quickly.  Whereas with double-acting, you've got part of the reaction when moistened and part when put to the heat, the batter can sit out of the oven for a bit longer beforehand.  And the overmixing is a concern like what historyenne said.  Some informative links:

http://www.joyofbaking.com/bakingsoda.html  (also discussing baking powder)

http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Specials%20and%20Holidays/Baking%20Powder%20and%20Soda%20Origin%20Uses%20Recipes.htm

http://www.blisstree.com/bakingdelights/baking-powdersingle-acting-double-acting-what-is-the-difference/