Oatmeal cookie help.

[ladytoysdream]

I made a 1/2 batch today of the oatmeal cookies.
Ended up with 20 cookies. I did use the quick oats and no problem. However they were the next to last ingredient to go in. I put the flour in last. I also used real butter.
I did preheat the oven but only for a few minutes. I was timing them and left them in 16 minutes. I should have had them out quicker. Maybe. I do like how they came out. Bottoms were medium brown in color and taste real good.
My brown sugar was a bit lumpy and hard so I had fun with that. I used the raisins straight from the box.

I think the regular oatmeal would be better also. But I had the quick oats open already. I also used baking powder instead of the baking soda. And no salt.

[PaulaMM]

Do you use an insulated baking pan? I had the same issue when I tried using one of those.

I wonder, too, if maybe humidity is an issue? Sugar draws moisture out of the air and that can result in a wetter looking cookie. Too, I think sometimes if I overbeat my sugar with my butter, I end up with a greasier/wetter looking cookie.

[Squidge]

I've been baking oatmeal raisin cookies with my mom my entire life and yet for some reason, I ended up accidently buying (and then using, because I didn't feel like going back to the store lol...) the quick oats. I had the problem you're describing now. The texture is just not the same as using regular oats, they're gooey and just don't set up right. Oh, and they ended up with bubbles while cooking. Try regular oats and I bet you won't have a problem.

Ah, so it could be the type of oats causing the bubbling. That would explain a lot - thank you!

I made a 1/2 batch today of the oatmeal cookies.
Ended up with 20 cookies. I did use the quick oats and no problem. However they were the next to last ingredient to go in. I put the flour in last. I also used real butter.
I did preheat the oven but only for a few minutes. I was timing them and left them in 16 minutes. I should have had them out quicker. Maybe. I do like how they came out. Bottoms were medium brown in color and taste real good.
My brown sugar was a bit lumpy and hard so I had fun with that. I used the raisins straight from the box.

I think the regular oatmeal would be better also. But I had the quick oats open already. I also used baking powder instead of the baking soda. And no salt.

Glad you made them they are definitely yummy! I think baking time really depends on your taste preference anyway. I agree, I'm going to try the regular oatmeal next time. Reckon the texture will be even better, too

Do you use an insulated baking pan? I had the same issue when I tried using one of those.

I wonder, too, if maybe humidity is an issue? Sugar draws moisture out of the air and that can result in a wetter looking cookie. Too, I think sometimes if I overbeat my sugar with my butter, I end up with a greasier/wetter looking cookie.

Over the weekend I have been making both oatmeal cookies an Nutella cookies. Today, using the exact same dough as yesterday, I baked another two batches; both of these came out perfectly. The difference being that the dough was chilled overnight. Yet when I then baked the Nutella cookies today this odd 'wet' thing happened to them.

So the culprit is probably not the recipe. The issue is either to do with the temperature of the dough, the temperature of the baking tray/dish (and thus parchement paper) or the type of baking tray being used. If not, it's all of these things

I'm in the process of doing an experiment at the minute. I have one pyrex baking dish and one normal baking tray, both of which are cool. Each have one oatmeal cookie (with chilled dough) and one Nutella cookie (not-chilled) on them. Hopefully when they come out I'll be in a better position to figure out what the problem actually is.

1 If they all come out perfect the issue was simply that the baking trays were too warm or that my parchment paper was too warm/greasy.

2 If they all come out 'wet' the problem is probably with the temperature at which they were baked.

3 If the cookies on the pyrex dish come out 'wet', but those on the baking tray are good, the issue is with the type of dish. Vice versa.

4 If the oatmeal cookies remain perfect, but there is an issue with the Nutella cookies, the problem is with the temperature of the dough.

5 If it's anything that I haven't said above, then I have no bloody clue what the heck is going on

Will update when I know!

[ladytoysdream]

Well you are either a perfectionist or you plan to sell them....which is it ?
Another variable I thought of , might be your elevation.

I use a shiny cookie sheet. I think it is a air one. Like a double thickness one. I have 2 of these. Cookies do better on them than dull cookie sheets. I don't know the name of them. I did look on the bottom. I bought these both used at garage sales.

[druthb00]

Well you are either a perfectionist or you plan to sell them....which is it ?
Another variable I thought of , might be your elevation.

I use a shiny cookie sheet. I think it is a air one. Like a double thickness one. I have 2 of these. Cookies do better on them than dull cookie sheets. I don't know the name of them. I did look on the bottom. I bought these both used at garage sales.

Hehehe...I was thinking the same thing!

I've used warm cookie sheets in the past, because the recipe my family uses makes probably 5 sheets or so of the cookies.. and never had an issue before using the quick oats. I also wonder, what kind of fat are you using? Ours calls for margarine and that's what we've always used. I've heard that using real butter or the soft spreads makes baked goods turn out differently.

Oh, and about the quick oats. They did bubble while cooking, but after they had cooled, they didn't have holes in them. Once they were set up, they were almost crusty rather than chewy. Almost like I hadn't used oats at all.

[Squidge]

I'm just a little is all. Definitely none of my baked goods are up to scratch to sell I'm so new to properly baking; no-one in my family was into it, so I don't have any tips or tricks to go on. This is my plan for learning...lots of experiments!

ladytoysdream, you're right, that could be another factor. There are so many possible variables to this it's hard to pinpoint what it is. I've heard good things about using shiny cookie sheets. It might be worth my investing in one - I'll have a wee look online

druth00, I only use recipes that call for real butter because I love the taste (I don't love the fat content quite so much). I don't know if using butter makes the cookie more likely to be wet, but I know it's possible for them to not be overly gooey when using it. Ah, I see what you mean about the bubbling. It must be just the recipe that makes the oatmeal cookies a bit holey in that case? I'd like to try the regular oats just because I think they'll be even nicer

Update: Well, after last night's 'give-it-a-go-and-see-what-happens' with my cookies, I have discovered that the cookies don't do so well in a pyrex dish - getting a shiny cookie sheet is looking like the way to go, ladytoysdream - and that the dough works much better chilled. Today I baked some Nutella cookie dough on the (shiny) baking tray, not the pyrex dish, which had been chilled overnight and there did seem to be a difference.

for all your help and putting up with me being a mad scientist. Both of these cookies are yum! And to be honest, the 'wet' Nutella cookies when they are just out of the oven are amazing anyway!

[Josephhgoins]

I had this issue and it turned out that I wasn't mixing the batter good anough. Namely creaming the butter with the sugar.

[Squidge]

I had this issue and it turned out that I wasn't mixing the batter good anough. Namely creaming the butter with the sugar.

See, that's a possibility, but what I noticed is that the problem disappeared when I made a second batch of oatmeal cookies, from exactly the same dough mixture, the next day. That's what was so confusing about it!

No harm in ensuring I've mixed the batter well enough though. I'll do it for longer next time round to be certain.

[ladytoysdream]

Well I made another half batch today of the oatmeal cookies.
Used a old recipe but it was identical to the one I got online. Said not to grease the cookie sheets. SIGH.
Next batch I greased them
But what bothered me was that I used margerine in this batch. They turned out okay but I am NOT impressed. If I make them again, it will be with butter like the first batch I made a few days ago.
Then today, I also made a half batch of peanut butter cookies. Again I used the margerine and not impressed. They do taste okay. Next time I make them it will be with crunchy peanut butter and not smooth. And I goofed and put a extra egg in, and had to put some rice krispies in to take up the moisture.

And the 10 minutes the recipe called for did not work for me. I needed about 14 - 16 minutes. I basically watch them and when I see the center not shiny anymore, I know they are done. The first batch I did 10 minutes, I had to stick them back in the oven. And I did preheat the oven at 350.

I am not a baking perfectionist, but this cookie recipe is going to get conquered....one way or another ......

[Squidge]

That's a shame, it's always disappointing when you bake something and you wish it was nicer.

I'm really not a fan of using margarine. It may be because I'm Irish - if we can use/add butter to it, we will . Very healthy.

You can nail this recipe . Let us know how if using the butter makes a difference.