High Altitude Baking
Chocolate Chip Cookies
High altitude baking, or not being aware of such science, may be the cause of some not so desirable results in your chocolate chip cookies. Baking at high altitude is any baking done 5000 ft or more (possible as low as 3000 ft) above sea level. All the recipes on this site are high altitude recipes as I have always lived in a high altitude region. You should have a good amount of success baking the recipe as printed. However, the higher in elevation you go there still may be some tweaking you need to do.
ARE YOUR COOKIES TOO FLAT?
One of the most common complaints with chocolate chip cookies and high altitude baking is that they come out undesirably flat and gooey. The higher you are in elevation the less air pressure there is. Air pressure acts as a sort of weight holding down your cookie. Without the added air pressure the gasses in your leavening agents (baking powder and soda) produce too quickly and have vanished completely by the time the cookie comes out of the oven. You may see the cookies puff very high in the oven only to see paper thin cookies on the cookie sheet afterwards. When all the gas leaves the cookie, it will "fall" before it is done or right after coming out. There are three things you can do for high altitude recipes that combat this problem:
- Raise your oven temperature up to 20° more.
- Reduce the leavening agents 15%-25% (You may have to play for a bit to get the right ratio. Be sure to write it down each time so you know.)
- Reduce the amount of time the cookie is in the oven.
Experiment a bit with these three adjustments and find the formula that works best in your kitchen. It may take all three, or simply one. Again, be sure to take notes so you will always have the winning formula.
Try this chocolate chip cookie tutorial for even more tips that will produce perfect chocolate chip cookies.
Return to Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients from High Altitude Baking.
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