Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Without Baking Soda or Baking Powder (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you don t use baking powder or baking soda in cookies? ›

Without baking soda or baking powder, these cookies will remain a little flatter then other recipes but because of the eggs and creaming of the butter and sugars in this recipe they will still puff up a little in the oven. They will have crispy edges and a soft, chewy center.

If you find yourself without baking powder or baking soda (and you're not making a super complex recipe), try using egg whites. "The proteins in egg whites lend physical structure to the baked product," explains Gan, who recommends starting with two egg whites per teaspoon of baking soda.

Using both of these leavening agents ensures your cookies rise properly and have the texture you're looking for. So, if you're trying out a new cookie recipe requiring both baking ingredients, don't be scared to give it a shot.

If you don't have either baking powder or baking soda, consider switching gears and relying on another type of leavener altogether: whipped egg whites. Instead of sparking a chemical reaction to produce carbon dioxide, whipped egg whites introduce air to the batter, bringing natural height to your baked goods.

There are several pantry-friendly ingredients that you can use as baking soda substitutes, including egg whites, self-rising flour and even club soda. Or, you can use baking powder - and even a couple of extremely scientific sounding items that perhaps you just happen to have lying around - baker's ammonia anyone?

How to prepare baking powder. To make baking powder, combine half a teaspoon of cream of tartar and a quarter teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. This provides the equivalent of one teaspoon of baking powder. To make self-raising flour add one teaspoon of baking powder (or equivalent homemade) to 110g plain flour.

Substitute each teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder in the recipe with 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) vinegar. Summary: Each teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder can be replaced with a 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and a 1/2 teaspoon vinegar.

For every teaspoon of baking powder, you'll want to substitute in ¼ tsp of baking soda with ½ tsp of cream of tartar. If you don't have any cream of tartar, you can also substitute one teaspoon of baking powder with a mixture of ¼ tsp of baking soda plus ½ tsp of either vinegar or lemon juice.

Let's cut to the chase. Cornstarch is not baking powder, and you shouldn't use cornstarch instead of baking powder or vice versa because they react differently and serve distinct roles.

Cream of Tartar and Baking Soda

Baking powder usually contains cream of tartar, so this is the best swap. To make it, mix together 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Since cream of tartar is flavorless, it won't affect the taste of your final product, so this is a versatile substitution.

What happens if you leave baking soda out of chocolate chip cookies? ›

Baking soda requires an acidic component in order to make the leavening action, which causes cookies and other baked goods to puff up with little bubbles inside. Without any leavening agent, the cookies will be more dense.

Brown sugar

Brown sugar is also hygroscopic (more so than granulated sugar) and will therefore also attract and absorb the liquid in the dough. The difference is in the molasses that makes brown sugar brown: It adds moisture and slight acidity, resulting in a moist and chewy texture.

If you don't have baking soda on hand, you can use triple the amount of baking powder instead. Alternative substitutions include potassium bicarbonate, baker's ammonia, or self-rising powder. Baking soda is a staple ingredient found in the cupboards of both seasoned and amateur bakers.

Self-rising flour has leavening agents already inside of it, so by subbing that in for all-purpose flour, you eliminate the need for extra baking powder. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup all-purpose flour, use 1 cup self-rising flour.

If you can get sodium hydroxide, you can make baking soda. The stuff absorbs CO2 from the air along with water to produce NaHCO3, baking soda. I've had batches of commercial NaOH that were in fact up to 40% NaHCO3. Best way to do it is to dissolve your NaOH in water, and just let it stir a few weeks.

To replace 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder, use 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) lemon juice. Summary: Replace 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder with 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda.

Baking Powder. The type of leavening you use in your cookies doesn't just help them rise while baking, it affects their texture and structure too. Baking soda in cookies yields a denser cookie with craggy tops, while baking powder causes cookies to rise higher during baking for a cakier texture.

Baking soda is 3 times stronger than baking powder, so if a recipe calls for 1 tbsp of baking powder, you'll want to use 1 tsp of baking soda. You will also need to add 1 tsp of an acid (such as vinegar or lemon juice) per every 1/2 tsp baking soda to balance out the base.

Believe it or not, you can actually bake delicious banana bread without baking soda or another leavening agent to help it rise. Generally, it won't rise quite as much, but it will still taste absolutely delicious.