In “The Science of Baking Cookies,” authors David Joachim and Andrew Schloss explain the various functions that each ingredient plays in a cookie recipe. This chart, which is based on that information, comes in handy when a batch of cookies doesn’t turn out as expected. To use the chart, think about which of the possible causes applies to your misbehaving cookies. Then follow the fixes to achieve your desired results, whether you’re going for cookies that are more tender and crisp or less puffy or pale. Also be aware that some problems may be caused by your oven. Be sure that it’s calibrated correctly and keep a thermometer inside the oven to double-check temperature accuracy.

The Problem: Too thin

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too much fat	Reduce your butter by 10% Replace butter with shortening, which spreads less than butter
Too much white sugar	Substitute light brown sugar for half of the white sugar because brown sugar makes cookies puffier

The Problem: Too thick

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too much flour	Reduce flour by 15% or add 10% more butter
Not enough sugar	Increase sugar or replace half of brown sugar with white sugar, which spreads more than brown sugar

The Problem: Too crisp

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too much flour	Reduce flour by 15%
Too much fat	Reduce butter by 10% or replace butter with shortening, which makes cookies softer
Too much white sugar	Substitute light brown sugar for half of the white sugar because brown sugar makes cookies softer

The Problem: Too soft

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too little flour	Increase flour by 15%

The Problem: Too crumbly

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too little gluten	Use higher-protein flour such as unbleached all-purpose flour or use 5% bread flour

The Problem: Too chewy

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too little fat	Increase butter by 10%
Too little white sugar	Increase sugar by 10% or if using brown sugar substitute white sugar for half the amount because white sugar makes cookies less chewy
Too much gluten	Use lower-protein flour such as cake or pastry flour Mix fat, flour, and sugar before adding egg Mix dough for less time

The Problem: Too dense

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too much flour	Reduce amount of flour by 15%
Under-aerated	Increase or add a pinch of baking powder for more puff Replace expired baking powder

The Problem: Too puffy

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too little sugar	Increase sugar by 10% or if using brown sugar substitute white sugar for half the amount because white sugar makes cookies less puffy
Too little flour	Increase flour by 15%
Wrong fat	Use butter instead of shortening because butter makes cookies less puffy
Over-aerated	Omit baking powder
Dough too cold	Let ingredients or dough stand at room temperature before baking

The Problem: Too browned

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too much sugar	Reduce white sugar by 10%
Too much baking soda	Reduce baking soda by half

The Problem: Too pale

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too little sugar	Increase sugar by 10% Replace 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar with corn syrup

The Problem: Tastes bland

Possible Causes	Fixes for Next Time
Too little salt	Increase salt by 5%
Too little sugar	Increase sugar by 10%
Lacks butter	Replace all or half of shortening with butter
Too little flavoring	Increase vanilla, spices, or other flavoring by 5%