This is how the cookie crumbles...

July 18, 2020 8:07 AM

Can you save (the other half of) my cookies? I made these easy peanut butter cookies, but they came out way too crumbly...

Here are the possible issues: a) I can't usually find the soft, moist, light brown sugar that is used in the US, and instead used the crystalline light brown (unprocessed) sugar commonly used here for "light brown sugar" — but the recipe says you can even use even granulated sugar; b) I used one egg, but our eggs are smaller than most US eggs; c) maybe my measurement of the peanut butter wasn't exact — could be a bit over or under a cup, because I tried to measure it in tablespoons. A weight measure would have been so much more helpful there!

The cookies are tasty, but too crumbly to hold together when you pick one up and take a bite.

What would you do with the second half of the "dough" that I haven't cooked yet to get a better outcome? I have flour, more eggs, more peanut butter, some molasses, and some honey on hand, among other things.

(if it helps to picture the situation at all, the dough that I did use was easy to roll into balls, was baked in about 11 minutes, and the cookies look totally fine and cookie-like, not too flat / spread out, not too thick. They're just too crumbly.)

posted by taz to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Best answer: In my experience with this type of cookie, they are a crumbly disaster until they are COMPLETELY cool. If you are trying to move them while they are still warm that may be part of the issue.

If that's not it, I personally would try mixing in around a teaspoon of molasses and trying again, in order to replicate some of that 'soft stickiness' that American brown sugar has.
posted by DSime at 8:19 AM on July 18, 2020 [3 favorites]

Compared to ordinary white sugar, are the crystals of the sugar you used noticeably bigger? This is often the case with raw sugar, but not the case with American “brown sugar,” and could have something to do with it - crystals not dissolving completely, perhaps? If that were the case I would put the remaining dough in food processor for a bit (or otherwise mix vigorously) then chill before proceeding. Just a guess though!
posted by STFUDonnie at 8:27 AM on July 18, 2020

Did you use natural peanut butter? You get better results in cookies with the more processed brands. I found that to be the trick. If you did use natural then maybe add a bit of fat to the second half - be it oil, butter, or shortening.
posted by biggreenplant at 8:30 AM on July 18, 2020

I find the trick with peanut butter cookies is to take them out while they are barely brown but puffy and soft. I then let them sit on the baking sheet for like 10 mins, the steam within will finish the cooking.
posted by inevitability at 9:29 AM on July 18, 2020

I'd also try adding in some molasses. I've noticed that biscuits made with golden syrup tend to have a less crumbly texture than ones made with sugar alone, and I'd imagine molasses would have a similar effect.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 10:30 AM on July 18, 2020

Response by poster: DSime, you were right, they became much firmer once completely cool! And thank you everyone! I'm going to add a bit of molasses to the second half.
posted by taz at 10:41 AM on July 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

I hope it works out but if they're still too crumbly, you have won the ice cream topping Olympics.
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:59 PM on July 18, 2020 [10 favorites]

If the flavor is good in terms of sweetness, I might add another egg. Just wondering if there might be too much peanut butter in there, especially if your tablespoon measurements weren't perfectly precise.
posted by Lady Li at 7:51 AM on July 19, 2020

The American "brown sugar" one buys is itself granulated white sugar to which molasses has been (re-)added. Like people have said, a few teaspoons of molasses per cup of sugar works fine as a substitute and is endorsed by the King Arthur Flour People.
posted by wreckingball at 12:35 PM on July 19, 2020

I can't usually find the soft, moist, light brown sugar that is used in the US, and instead used the crystalline light brown (unprocessed) sugar commonly used here for "light brown sugar" — but the recipe says you can even use even granulated sugar

FWIW you can usually get it at Thanopoulos up in Kifissia, also shows up intermittently at the AB.
posted by each day we work at 5:34 AM on August 2, 2020