Smash Cookies Right After Baking To Achieve The Perfect Thinness
One of the best things about cookies is how versatile they are — they can be thick, thin, chewy, or crunchy. However, for those of us who like our cookies super thin — but not too crispy — it can be difficult to achieve the perfect balance. Luckily, there's an easy hack to get the perfect consistency of ultra-thin but chewy: Smash the batch of cookies right to make them thinner.
Yep, it's that easy. Right after you take your cookies out of the oven, while they're still nice and hot, use your spatula to press down onto the top of the cookies. The result will be cookies that are paper thin but still have a satisfying chew. Any thin cookie lovers out there will be wondering why they didn't try this hack out way sooner.
If you're at all dubious about the method, you can always smash half of the batch of cookies, then compare and contrast — after all, this will give you an excuse to eat more cookies.
Which types of cookies work best with the smashing method?
Arguably the most popular type of cookie out there, the chocolate chip cookie, is the perfect candidate for the smashing method. Not only will they be a perfect consistency, but they'll become nice and gooey thanks to the chocolate chips spreading out after being pressed. You could even give extra-large chocolate chip cookies a try — after smashing, you'll have an even bigger cookie to indulge in.
Another great cookie to try smashing is the snickerdoodle — the cinnamony goodness of this classic cookie will taste good in any form, so if you prefer your cookies thin, you'll definitely want to give this one a nice pressing. Meanwhile, Tasting Table's 3-ingredient Nutella cookie recipe yields a thicker cookie, but that can easily be fixed with the spatula smashing method. Oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, molasses, and sugar cookies are also fantastic candidates for the smashing method.
On the other side of things, there are a few cookie types that you should avoid smashing: Macaroons, pizzelle cookies, snowball cookies, or any other cookie that requires a specific shape and texture.