Shoutout to the baker who said you can't overmix cookie dough

I see this advice everywhere, that you have to stop mixing the second the flour disappears or your cookies will be tough. In my experience, that's not the whole story. I've been baking for years, and I found that a lot of my cookies were spreading way too thin and greasy. I started mixing my dough for a full minute longer, until it really came together and looked smooth. The next batch held their shape perfectly and had a better chew. I think the 'don't overmix' rule is for people using a stand mixer on high speed, which can build too much gluten too fast. But if you're mixing by hand or on a low setting, a little extra work makes a big difference. Has anyone else tried mixing their dough a bit more and seen better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrewreed1mo ago

Yeah, and it totally depends on your flour, too. I switched to a higher protein bread flour for some chocolate chip cookies on a whim, and if I mixed that the same way I mix with all-purpose, they'd be like hockey pucks. The extra protein needs even less mixing to get tough. So that old rule might come from a time when most home bakers just had one kind of flour in the cupboard.

marksanchez1mo ago

What about humidity's effect on the flour?

the_jana1mo ago

Wait, so are you basically saying those old baking rules are useless now with all our flour choices?