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Hi guys- I wanted to start off this cookie season with a guide to help you adapt cookies along the way this year, no matter where the recipe was developed. This is my big High-Altitude Cookie Guide and I’m going to give you lots of tips and tricks on how to adapt sea-level cookie recipes, and how to troubleshoot your cookie recipes when things go wrong.
This is my favorite time of the year for cookie baking, and it’s the time when a lot more people take to their ovens to make cookies. Let’s start with how to adapt a sea level cookie recipe for your high-altitude kitchen!
How to Adapt Cookies For High-Altitude
If you see a recipe online for cookies, or on TV, or in a magazine, chances are that it was developed at sea level, and you might have trouble baking cookies at high-altitude. Here are my tried and true tips to adapt a cookie recipe to work at altitude!
- Reduce the leavening in the cookie recipe by about 25% if you live between 3,000-7,000 ft above sea level, and by about 30% if you’re higher up in altitude. This helps the cookies spread less as they bake- leavening agents can work a bit differently at high-altitude!
- Increase your flour by 2-4 tablespoons for most standard recipes. You don’t need to go crazy with increasing flour on cookies because they already are formed typically from a thick dough that offers a good amount of structure naturally. Adding the additional flour can just give you a touch extra structure to help keep the cookies sturdy as they bake.
- Don’t be afraid to add a little liquid. Because we’re working with thick doughs often times when it comes to baking cookies at high-altitude, you may find that your dough is lacking moisture and won’t come together. Liquid actually evaporates faster at high altitudes, so you can definitely add a touch to a cookie recipe that needs the help. I like to start with just 1-2 tsp. of milk or water to a cookie recipe to help it pull together.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies! This is a common mistake, and not just at high-altitude! Your cookies are going to continue cooking even after you take them out of the oven, so pay attention the visual cues of the recipe you’re working with, and er on the side of under-baked to help you keep those cookies soft! All ovens are slightly different, so you can expect some variance on the indicated bake time of any recipe, especially when it comes to cookies which are not in the oven for very long.
- Store your cookies as soon as they are cool. Because of the drier climate of high-altitudes, you’ll want to be sure you store your cookies in an air-tight container right away once they have cooled completely. When cookies (and any baked goods for that matter) are left out, they can dry out very quickly!
With these tips, I find that I can adapt most any cookie recipe from sea level to high-altitude without fail, and it’s a great starting point for any sea level recipes you might have, or that you might want to try out this year!
Troubleshooting Baking Cookies at High-Altitude
While most cookies are on the more simple side of the baking spectrum, there’s still a lot that can go wrong. Here are some common issues that I hear from bakers, and how you can troubleshoot them in your own kitchen!
- My cookie dough is too soft. If you end up with a very soft dough, first check the recipe for any visual cues for what the dough should look like. Some cookie doughs are soft! If you’re worried the dough is too soft, or even liquid-y- double check that you’ve added correct amounts of everything called for in the recipe. Optionally, you can add a couple more tablespoons of flour to the dough, and you can also chill the dough before baking for a more firm dough that holds up in the oven.
- My cookie dough is too dry and crumbly. Again, you’ll want to first check the recipe for any visual cues in the recipe- some recipes, like shortbread cookies, have a crumbly dough. Otherwise, it may be the adjustment of additional flour. You can mix in 1-3 tsp. of milk or water, just enough until the dough comes together.
- My cookies are spreading too much in the oven. This happens when the leavening and flour is not adjusted properly for baking cookies at high-altitude. You can stir in an additional 2-4 tablespoons of flour to your remaining dough to help it hold up better in the oven. Additionally, you can chill your dough before baking to help prevent over-spreading.
- My cookies are not spreading enough in the oven. Similarly, this can happen when too much flour has been added to the dough. You can adjust by adding 1-3 tsp. of milk or water to your remaining dough.
- My cookies are browning too quickly in the oven. I don’t typically like to adjust sugar in a cookie recipe, but if you find that your cookies are browning too quickly, or before they are fully baked, you can adjust the recipe next time you make it by reducing the sugar by 1-2 tablespoons. For the remaining dough, you can reduce your oven temperature by 15-25 degrees (depending on your oven’s setting options) and increase your bake time slightly to accommodate the adjustment.
- My cookies are baking unevenly with spots of the cookies spreading more than others. This often happens when cookies are not fully mixed. Because you’re working with a thick dough a lot of the time, you may find that you end up with dry pockets of flour hiding at the bottom of the bowl, which can cause your cookies to bake unevenly. Give your cookie bowl a good scrape all over before baking to ensure you don’t miss any spots. You can also give your dough another quick mix if you bake a batch and find them to be under-mixed.
If you’re working with a cookie recipe that is already adjusted for altitude, you shouldn’t run into most of these issues! But some of these problems can arise when you are adapting from a sea-level recipe. These tips should help you troubleshoot your cookies as you go!
Tools for Baking Cookies at High-Altitude
If you’re looking to get more into cookie baking, or if you’re looking for gifts for the cookie baker in your life, there’s a lot of really great tools that I love to use! Let’s start with some tools that I think are absolutely necessary to bake great cookies:
- Cookie sheets-USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan, Set of 2, Aluminized Steel – I’m linking to my favorites here by USA pans. I love a large cookie sheet, and having sturdy pans helps to ensure that you get evenly-baked cookies as well. I prefer to have at least two of these babies in rotation while I’m baking a batch.
- Parchment paper- Hiware 200-Piece Parchment Paper Baking Sheets 12 x 16 Inch, Precut Non-Stick Parchment Sheets for Baking, Cooking, Grilling, Air Fryer and Steaming – Unbleached, Fit for Half Sheet Pans -Parchment paper is really the best option to make sure your cookies don’t stick to the pan, and to help them evenly bake and spread. I prefer these pre-cut sheets because they ship to you already cut flat, perfect to fit inside the cookie sheets I listed above.
- Cookie scoops- Cookie Scoop Set, Ice Cream Scoop Set, Multiple Size Large-Medium-Small Size Disher, Professional 18/8 Stainless Steel Cupcake Scoop– I like to keep 3 sizes on hand, but having scoops gives you the ability to make sure that all your cookies are the same size. If you’ve got a restaurant supply store in your area that is open to the public, that’s one of the best places to find all different sizes, but I’ve also linked to a great set you can grab online.
- Large mixing bowls- Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece Set, Nesting, Microwave and Dishwasher Safe)– You’ll definitely need some large mixing bowls on hand whether you’re making cookie dough by hand, or with an electric hand mixer. Of course, if you have a stand mixer, you can also use that to make your cookie dough!
- Spatulas- Newtay 2 Pieces Brownie Cookie Spatula Stainless Steel Heavy Duty Spatula Small Metal Spatula with Wood Handle for Kitchen Cooking Chef Baking Scraper Turner, 2.5 x 8.2 Inch– You want to be able to transfer your warm cookies to a cooling spot to finish cooling, and a good spatula helps with the transfer process to ensure you don’t break any cookies along the way.
And here are some of my more optional, but lovely to have cookie-baking tools:
- A stand mixer- KitchenAid KSM3311XAQ Artisan Mini Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, 3.5 quart, Aqua Sky Blue– Of course, this is a big investment, so only go for it when you’re ready! I think a stand mixer is the perfect tool for those really thick doughs, and it’s a huge help for high-altitude cookie baking!
- Cooling racks- Tebery 4 Pack Cooling Racks Baking Rack – 16″ x 10″– I don’t always use cooling racks, but when I’m making a huge batch of cookies, it really helps to let all your cookies cool evenly on racks.
- Pretty cookie cutters- Wilton Cookie Cutters Set, 101-Piece — Alphabet, Numbers and Holiday Cookie Cutters– Of course if you’re going for rolled cookies, you’ll want some cute cutters to go with it! You can always cut your cookies by hand, but having some cutters that you really love will make it so fun. I’ve linked to a great, affordable set online.
- Rolling pin- Solid Wood Handmade Amish Rolling Pin by ArborDown! 100% Made in the USA (18 Walnut)– Again, this is for rolled cookies. If you don’t have a rolling pin, you can use a wine bottle in place of it, but nothing works quite as well as a nice rolling pin. I prefer to use straight pins like the one I’ve linked to here.
- Comfy oven mitts- KitchenAid Albany Mini Cotton Oven Mitts with Silicone Grip, 5.5″x8″, Grey 2 Count– When you’re working with large batches of cookies, it’s nice to have a comfy set of oven mitts. I love these short ones because they come on and off your hands easily and quickly, and they work perfectly!
I hope this helps solve all your questions for baking cookies at high-altitude this season, and all year round! Comment with any questions I missed answering in this post, and I’m happy to help!
P.S.- Here’s some of my favorite high-altitude cookie recipes here on Dougheyed.com!
Chocolate Dipped Marshmallow Cookies
Perfect Gingerbread Cutout Cookies
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
Hi. How do you keep cookies softer/fresher longer(like 2-3 days longer) at high altitude? I live in Denver.
Thanks,
Kimberly
Hi Kimberly, I've used a slice of fresh white bread stored in with my cookies in an air-tight container. This worked well in Albuquerque. Good luck!
I dothe same and only a small break off it. I don't want the cookies to get too soft that break.
I do the same and only a small break off it. I don't want the cookies to get too soft that break.
Hello! Thank you for this guide! I am still trying to figure out baking at 7,400 ft!! One question, how do I tell from a recipe whether it was developed at room temperature or not? Do most recipes state that info?
Thanks!
I always use room temp ingredients unless otherwise noted! Maybe I should start adding that though- thank you!!