10 Common Baking Problems and How to Fix Them

Even the best bakers sometimes run into trouble with their favorite dessert recipes. Here are some common problems and solutions for making your next batch perfect. Need easy recipes to master ASAP? Try these foolproof desserts.

1. Cookies spread too much.

• Place cookies on a cool baking sheet.
• Replace part of the butter in the recipe with shortening.
• If using margarine, check label and make sure it contains 80% vegetable oil.

2. Cookies don’t spread enough.

• Use all butter instead of shortening or margarine.
• Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid such as milk or water.
• Let dough stand at room temperature before baking.

3. Cookies are tough.

• The dough was overhandled or overmixed; use a light touch when mixing.
• Too much flour was worked into the dough.
• Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more of shortening or butter or sugar.

Psst! Here’s a simple trick to soften hard cookies.

4. Cookies are too brown.

• Check oven temperature with an oven thermometer.
• Use heavy-gauged, dull aluminum baking sheets. Dark baking sheets will cause the cookies to be overly brown.

5. Cookies are too pale.

• Check oven temperature with an oven thermometer.
• Use heavy-gauged, dull aluminum baking sheets. Insulated baking sheets cause cookies to be pale in color.
• Use butter, not shortening or margarine.
• Substitute 1 to 2 tablespoons corn syrup for the sugar.

6. Bars baked unevenly.

• Spread batter evenly in pan.
• Check to make sure oven rack is level.

7. Bars are overbaked.

• Use pan size called for in recipe, too large a pan will cause batter to be thin and dry.
• Check oven temperature with an oven thermometer.
• Check 5 minutes sooner than the recommended baking time.

8. Bars are gummy.

• Use pan size called for in recipe, too small a pan will cause batter to be thick and may be gummy or cake-like.

9. Bars are tough.

• Stir in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Overmixing will cause the bars to be tough.

10. Brownies crumble when they are cut.

• Cool completely before cutting. Use a sawing motion when cutting. Warm blade of knife in hot water, then dry and make a cut. Clean and rewarm knife after each cut.

Try these easy baking projects.

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Buttery 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

With only a few ingredients, these butter shortbread cookies are so simple to prepare. —Pattie Prescott, Manchester, New Hampshire

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Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

I saw this recipe in a newspaper years ago and have changed it quite a bit. I make these muffins at least once a month and get many requests for the recipe. —Cheryl Bohn, Dominion City, Manitoba

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Pecan Pie Mini Muffins

While these are delicious year-round, you could easily turn them into an edible Christmas gift. They look festive on a decorative tray wrapped in red or green cellophane or tucked into a giveaway cookie plate. And don't forget to include the recipe so your recipient can enjoy this treat over and over again! —Pat Schrand, Enterprise, Alabama

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Giant Molasses Cookies

My family always requests these soft molasses cookies. These chewy cookies are also great for shipping as holiday gifts or to troops overseas. —Kristine Chayes, Smithtown, New York

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Dream Cupcakes

My grandchildren absolutely love these cream-filled cupcakes, and I hope the chocolaty treats become a favorite in your home as well. —Dorothy Bahlmann, Clarksville, Iowa

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Basic Homemade Bread

If you'd like to learn how to bake bread, here's a wonderful place to start. This easy white bread bakes up deliciously golden brown. There's nothing like the homemade aroma wafting through my kitchen as it bakes. —Sandra Anderson, New York, New York

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Chippy Peanut Butter Cookies

"Hey, these are good!" is the surprised remark I hear when I bake these for the family. As simple as it may seem, all I do is follow directions. This works exceptionally well when it comes to making cookies. —Ian Badeer, Hickman, Nebraska

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Multigrain Cinnamon Rolls

This simple and easy-to-work with recipe is sure to become a family favorite. And the wholesome cinnamon rolls will fill your kitchen with a wonderful, warm aroma. —Judy Eddy, Baldwin City, Kansas

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Vanilla Wafer Cookies

These buttery cookies bake up chewy and crispy at the same time. Sprinkle these vanilla wafers with colored sugar or leave them as-is. Their simplicity is beauty enough! —Edith MacBeath, Gaines, Pennsylvania

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Cranberry Scones

“You can use any dried fruit for these tender scones, but my favorite is a mix of dried cranberries and golden raisins,” says Della Dunsieth of New Castle, Pennsylvania. “Don’t overmix or you’ll have a hard, dense scone.”

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Taste of Home

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls

These fluffy rolls go perfectly with any meal. They have a delicious homemade flavor that's irresistible. I like them because they're not hard to make and they bake up nice and high. —Patricia Staudt, Marble Rock, Iowa

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Milk-and-Honey White Bread

My dad has been a wheat farmer all his life and my state is the wheat capital, so this recipe represents my region and my family well. This bread never lasts too long at our house. —Kathy McCreary, Goddard, Kansas

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Kentucky Butter Cake

I found this Kentucky butter cake recipe in an old cookbook I bought at a garage sale and couldn’t wait to try it. I knew it had been someone’s favorite because of the well-worn page. —Joan Gertz, Palmetto, Florida

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Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I love the excellent texture of this easy cinnamon coffee cake recipe. Always a crowd-pleaser, its pleasing vanilla flavor enriched by sour cream may remind you of breakfast at Grandma's! Make it the night before a holiday to save time in the morning. —Eleanor Harris, Cape Coral, Florida

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Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles

These soft, chewy cookies make a super snack any time of year. Their light cinnamon-sugar flavor is the perfect complement to a cold glass of milk. —Jana Horsfall, Garden City, Kansas

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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

When I baked this moist, fudgy chocolate crinkle cookie recipe for the first time, my three preschool children went wild over them! But I like them because they're lower in fat and easy to mix and bake. —Maria Groff, Ephrata, Pennsylvania

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Taste of Home

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

A friend gave me the recipe for these cookies many years ago, and they’re as delicious as the ones Mom used to make. The secret to the recipe is to measure exactly (no guessing on the amounts) and to not overbake. —Wendy Coalwell, Abbeville, Georgia

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Icebox Butterhorns

These beautiful golden rolls just melt in your mouth! People will be impressed when these appear on your table. —Judy Clark, Elkhart, Indiana

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Doughnut Muffins

After many tries and many different recipes that just weren't up to par, I finally decided to recreate my own version of a doughnut muffin. It has the taste of a cake doughnut and it's a lot simpler to make. —Morgan Botwinick, Richmond, Virginia

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Crisp Sugar Cookies

My grandmother always had sugar cookies in her pantry, and we grandchildren would empty that big jar quickly because they were the best! I now regularly bake these wonderful cookies to share with friends. —Evelyn Poteet, Hancock, Maryland

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Cinnamon Sugar Crackle Cookies

I get lots of compliments on these crunchy cookies. They're always part of my Christmas cookie platter. —Sarah Miller, Wauconda, Washington

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Taste of Home

Peanut Butter Pinwheels

These doubly delightful pinwheel cookies are very easy to prepare. They feature the classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate in an attractive swirl. —Kandy Dick, Junction, Texas

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Triple-Chocolate Quick Bread

Every year around this time, I'll make this bread for my family. I've also given it as a homemade gift. It's pretty wrapped in colored foil or put in a tin. —Karen Grimes, Stephens City, Virginia

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