My neighbor told me to stop weighing my flour for cookies

I was chatting with Mrs. Henderson, who's been baking from her home kitchen for 40 years, and she said 'honey, sometimes you just need to scoop and level with your heart'. I've been religiously using my scale for every batch of chocolate chip cookies for 3 years. But I tried her way last weekend, and the cookies actually came out softer and chewier, which is what my family always wanted. I think my scale was making me overthink and pack the flour too tight. Has anyone else had a trusted method totally flipped by an old timer's advice?

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paul3305mo ago

Scoop and level with your heart" is a great line. I was the same way, my scale was like a security blanket for baking. I figured exact grams meant perfect cookies. But my last batch was dry and cakey, so I tried the scoop method like your neighbor said. The flour was definitely lighter and fluffier going in. The cookies spread more and got those chewy edges I was always missing. Sometimes the old ways just work.

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annaw765mo ago

Scales are still great for consistency though... especially with tricky recipes like macarons.

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