Ok...it's past midnight and I'm up slaving away at baking cookies for my daughter's teachers as gifts while daydreaming about being out in Sonoma tasting. I tried this killer molasses spice cookie recipe a few weeks ago and they were perfect. So I tried them on Sunday and followed the recipe to a T...and the cookies was burnt around slightly and flatter than previously. Tonight, same thing...same recipe...burnt edges and flat. The one thing that I did differently was use a new Silpat I bought this weekend for the last two batches. I couldn't stand to throw away more cookies so I removed the silpat and used the cookie sheet. And like magic...the cookies were perfect.

I've used silpat before but not with cookies...with parmesean crisps and it was great. However, my experience using them with cookies has been bad.

You might want to consider tweaking the recipe either time-wise or temperature-wise.

That said, Mrs. TJ is an award winning cookie baker, and we generally do not use our silpat for bookie baking. Just really, really good insulated baking sheets.

do you avoid the VIG when you bake your bookies??

VIG? What is that?

I use Silpats for some cookies and just baking sheets for others. As your experience shows, you just can't switch with no effects on results. I think more than a time or temperature issue, it might be a moisture/fat content issue. Also, silicone is less-than-ideal for browning baked goods, so I think using cookie recipes with lots of raw flour might not work so well.

why don't you just line the cookie sheet with parchment paper? That works wonders for me. (And the cookies turn out perfectly every time.)

Just eat what Mrs. TJ bakes. I do. Less muss and better results.