Chewy Oatmeal Jammys (Best Thumbprint Cookie Recipe!) (2024)

FAQs

What causes oatmeal cookies to be hard? ›

Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can produce tough cookies. If the recipe doesn't call for an electric mixer, mix in dry ingredients using a wooden spoon.

Adding too many eggs can result in gummy, cake-like cookies. Adding too few eggs can result in dry, crumbly cookies.

Stirring oats too much can cause them to get chewy

You don't want to be stirring your pot of oats the whole time it's on the stove, or you could risk your breakfast bowl of oatmeal turning out way too chewy.

Both whole grain oats and raisins are a good source of fiber. The presence of whole grain oats will also help you stay fuller longer. That said, oatmeal raisin cookies are still cookies with higher butter and sugar content than other snacks, so they should only be considered a healthy snack in moderation.

Cornstarch Is The Secret To Soft And Chewy Cookies.

For soft cookies, use: Brown sugar, as it has a high moisture content and retains moisture better than white sugar. Also, when combined with eggs, brown sugar can prevent spreading (taller cookies tend to be softer and fluffier). Shortening instead of butter or in addition to butter.

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

Keep Them Sealed

The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag. And here's a nifty little trick: add a piece of bread to the bag. You might think that the bread trick works because the cookies absorb moisture from the bread.

If you want thick chewy oatmeal cookies, use a recipe that includes an egg. For crispy cookies, leave out the egg. Otherwise the ingredients are basically the same. The same rule applies to Chocolate Chip Cookies as well.

First, try adding more moisture to the dough. This can be done by adding milk, cream, or even water. If the dough is still too dry, you may need to add more fat. This can be done by adding butter, margarine, or shortening.

Should oatmeal cookies be soft or hard? ›

The best oatmeal cookies, like the kind we're sharing here, are soft and chewy through the center with crispy edges.

Raisins: Soak your raisins in warm water for 10 minutes before using (blot very well to dry them) – this makes them nice and plump for your cookies.

Oatmeal raisin probably has the best fiber/whole grain, flourless chocolate is better if you're trying to be low carb, meringues are probably lowest calorie. I'd say oatmeal raisin is a very nutritious cookie.

As a type of whole grain, the oats in this recipe provide fiber, which supports healthy cholesterol levels. Plus, their antioxidants can help reduce inflammation. Walnuts supply ALA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid, which is great for heart health and supports balanced cholesterol and blood pressure numbers.

Both the oats and the pumpkin in this recipe provide fiber which is keeps your intestines healthy and can help relieve constipation. Pumpkin is also a great source of vitamins and some micronutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, manganese and copper.

Keep Them Sealed

The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag.

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.

One of the most common reasons why cookies didn't spread out in the oven is because you added too much flour. Cookies rely on the perfect ratio of butter to flour in order to spread just the right amount when baked. It's very easy to over measure flour when using cup measurements.

My first thought is that if they are too dry, you are cooking them too long. Try cutting back 3 or 4 minutes on your cooking time OR lowering the oven temperature. If that doesn't work, you might try adding 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce (like one of those little cups you buy for snacks at the grocer's).