Twenty years ago I was shocked to find out that a babysitter used an electric mixer to make chocolate chip cookies! Perhaps some new recipes call for using a mixer, but my belief is that cookies should be made by hand, just as the original recipes intended. Otherwise, you can get unexpected or poor results. I also agree that many people aren't measuring the flour correctly- some don't even level off-and the same goes for substituting or mis-measuring all of the other ingredients. Re the person who moved to SC, I wonder if she was using a 'soft' wheat flour which is prevalent in the South. This post and all of the comments have been fascinating and very informative, especially regarding how basic ingredients like flour and butter/shortening have changed. I think KA is a wonderful resource and I hope that more and more young kids will grow up with basic cooking knowledge as an essential life skill!

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