How to know when your cookies are done baking (2024)

FAQs

Should cookies still be soft when they come out of the oven? ›

A Tender Center

After about 10 minutes, the cookies should be golden brown around the edges but still soft in the centers. The cookies will continue to cook a bit on the hot cookie sheet if you leave them there for one or two minutes before transfering them to a cooling rack.

If you're still unsure, you can use the foolproof method of using a toothpick. Simply place a toothpick into the center of your cookie and pull it out. If it's gooey with batter, they're not done. If it comes out clean, they're ready to cool.

Bake at 375 degrees F until golden and tender, 12 to 15 minutes. For crispy-cakey cookies: Bake the cookies at 425 degrees F until golden and crunchy on the outside, 8 to 10 minutes.

Most cookies are still soft when done (they harden as they cool) and will continue to bake on the cookie sheet once removed from the oven. Remove cookies from the cookie sheet as soon as they are firm enough to transfer, using a spatula, to a cooling rack or paper towels to finish cooling.

Warm cookie dough or excess butter will cause the cookies to spread too much, baking quickly on the outside but remaining raw in the middle. Next time, chill your cookies in the fridge for 10 minutes before you bake them. If the problem persists, use less butter.

The baking pan should be cool when it goes into the oven. Cookies will flatten when placed on hot baking pans, so when baking batches of cookies, either swap out pans or give your one pan time to cool between batches.

Keep in mind, though, that many cookies don't set completely until they're cooled, and it's best to slightly undercook cookies if you prefer them soft and chewy, rather than crisp. Allow them to cool completely before you decide they need additional baking. Otherwise, you may overbake them.

When a light-colored cookie is done, it should hold its shape. However, it may look a bit puffy or soft in the center, too. This is normal and simply means that the cookie may continue baking on the sheet and rack once removed from the oven.

Do cookies harden as they cool? Yes, but how hard they become depends on where you cool your cookie. For example, a cookie that's left on the baking pan will remain chewy, while those moved within minutes onto a cooling rack will be on the crispier side.

Bakery or homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature two to three weeks or two months in the refrigerator. Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months. Moist bars, such as cheesecake and lemon bars, can be refrigerated for seven days.

How long do you leave cookies in the oven? ›

Generally, cookies are baked in a moderate oven — 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) — for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie. For chewy cookies, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 3 to 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Cookies are soft when they come out of the oven: don't judge a cookie's structure by the structure it has when it comes out of the oven. Since the fats are still melted, the starches still warm and the sugars still dissolved, they are still very soft. Only when they cool will they get to their final structure.

In general, baked cookies will be fine at room temperature for about five days, but only if stored correctly. For most kinds of cookies, there are essentially two ways to store them: in an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer.

My cookies were underdone after a bake of 7 minutes. To save these cookies, I let them completely cool first. Then continue baking them at 180 degrees C for 5 minutes. After which, turn off the oven, and again leave them in and let the trapped heat continue cooking them.

They go from soft to hard because they start to dry out, and it begins as soon as you pull them from the oven. (Yikes.) Whatever moisture is left in the cookies is always in a state of evaporation. At the same time, the sugars and starches are solidifying.

To harden soft cookies, whether they are freshly baked or a few days old, put them in the oven preheated to 300-50°F and bake for a few additional minutes. You can also adjust your cookie recipe and pick the right baking tray to get crispy cookies every time.

That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

One of the most common reasons why cookies didn't spread out in the oven is because you added too much flour. Cookies rely on the perfect ratio of butter to flour in order to spread just the right amount when baked. It's very easy to over measure flour when using cup measurements.

So, let your cookies cool just until they hold their shape (generally after about 5 minutes on a cookie cooling rack) and savor them warm while you can. So next time you're wondering, "Do I need a cooling rack to cool cookies" the short answer is—it's better to have one than not.

Are cookies supposed to be soft or crunchy? ›

Some people like them soft and chewy, while others prefer them crispy and crunchy. There is a surprising amount of science in the art of baking cookies. By tweaking a few ingredients, you can determine the texture, shape, and color of your favorite cookie recipes.

Using brown sugar, the right amount of flour and baking them in the centre of a 350F for 10 minutes, makes for the perfect cookie every time. Crispy, chewy and fully loaded with chocolate, they only take 20 minutes from start to finish, so it's time to get baking! Originally published April 2015, updated April 2021.

Chocolate chip cookies are done between 175 and 185°F (79 and 85°C). With a good thermometer, you can play with the doneness and note your preferred temperature in your recipe.

There are three types of computer cookies: session, persistent, and third-party. These virtually invisible text files are all very different. Each with their own mission, these cookies are made to track, collect, and store any data that companies request.

So here's the deal: my goal with this post is to show you how to take a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe and give it the texture you prefer: light and crunchy; thin and crisp; or soft and chewy.

THE THREE MAIN INGREDIENTS present in nearly every type of cookie are wheat flour, sugar, and fat, but you'll see other ingredients such as leaveners, eggs, liquids, such as milk, perhaps some chocolate, coconut, spices or nuts.

Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies. Chilling your cookie dough before baking prevents the cookie from spreading and creating cookie disasters like below.

What makes a cookie moist and chewy? ›

Double Your Yolks Most cookie recipes call for at least one egg. You can try omitting the white of each egg, which tends to dry out when baked, and replacing it with an additional yolk. Plus, egg yolks have more fat than egg whites, which helps to keep your cookies moist and chewy.

Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie and originated in the mid-section of Italy. They were made many years ago for the “Festival of the Snakes” also known as the “Feast Day of San Domenico” in the village of Colcullo in the Italian region of Abruzzo.

The best cookies have layers of texture. A slightly crisp outer shell that holds up to some heat with an inner core that's soft and chewy. Premium cookies taste great at room temperature, straight out of the fridge or slightly heated. Creating cookies in small batches is key.

The word "cookie" has been vulgar slang for "vagin*" in the US since 1970. The word "cookies" is used to refer to the contents of the stomach, often in reference to vomiting (e.g., "pop your cookies" a 1960s expression, or "toss your cookies", a 1970s expression).