That $200 stand mixer I fought with for 5 years finally clicked
Turns out I was creaming butter and sugar on medium speed the whole time, which was why my cookies always spread into pancakes. My sister in Des Moines saw me doing it and asked why I never used the paddle on low, and I had no answer. Switched to low for 2 minutes in my KitchenAid and the texture changed completely. Anyone else have a basic technique you just never questioned until someone called it out?