Looking for a desired shape or texture of cookie? Unlock the secret to perfect cookies by experimenting with the baking temperature! Here’s what happened in my kitchen!
Maybe you’re designing your own cookie recipe. Or maybe you have one already that’s not quite right. Here’s how changing the oven temperature can improve your cookies.
A Note on Cookie-Baking Temperatures
Most cookies are baked in the range of 350-375°F, although some go down as low as 300°F and some as high as 400°F. Outside of that range will generally get poor results, either underbaked, dried out or burned.
How I Baked My Test Cookies
For this experiment, I used St. Nick Coin Cookies (recipe coming this December), which are made with butter as the fat. I baked 2 batches at 325°F, at 350°F and at 375°F.
I considered the cookies “done” when the tops were dry and the bottoms edges began to turn golden brown.
The cookies at 325°F (left in picture below) needed to be baked the longest (14 min) and looked “done” and dry before they had much golden color to them.
The cookies at 350°F (center in picture below) baked for 10 min.
The cookies at 375°F (right in picture below) baked the shortest amount of time (7 minutes) before the bottoms turned golden brown.
Read on to find out how the temperatures affect the cookies!
Results
Low Baking Temperature
In this article, a lower oven temperature means 325°F (or lower).
A lower temperature will heat the cookie dough more slowly. The butter (or other fat) has time to melt before the dough fully bakes. This leads to a flatter, more spread-out cookie.
If you want a thin, crispy cookie, try a lower oven temperature!
Moderate Baking Temperature
In this article, a moderate oven temperature is 350°F.
A moderate oven temperature doesn’t give the butter as much time to melt and spread, generally leading to a taller, fluffier cookie. The temperature is high enough to fully bake the outside and inside at about the same time.
If you want a taller, rounder, fully-baked cookie, try a moderate oven temperature!
High Baking Temperature
In this article, a higher oven temperature is 375°F.
A high oven temperature bakes the outside of the cookie before the butter inside has a chance to melt and spread. This leads to cookies that are finished baking on the outside while still fairly underbaked inside. You’ll either have a perfectly doughy cookie, or a cookie that bakes up and then falls, which is what happened to my cookies.
If you want a very doughy cookie, try a high oven temperature, but be careful. You may end up with a cookie that’s so underdone on the inside that it sinks in the middle as it cools.
Can I Go Higher or Lower than These Temperatures?
You can go down to 300°F for a cookie, but most recipes don’t go any lower. You’ll see shortbread recipes at this range. Shortbread cookies are always crispy and flaky, not tall and cakey, so they need a low oven temperature.
400°F is possible (but high) for a cookie. Very few cookies bake at 425°F. At such a high temperature, the outside would start to darken significantly (or even burn!) before the inside even warmed up! This temperature is a bit extreme for baked goods.
Temperature Recap
Low temperatures lead to a flat, wide, crispy cookie.
Moderate temperatures end up with a taller, rounder cookie that lean toward soft (if not overbaked).
Higher temperatures lead to a very soft (borderline underbaked) cookie that may fall in the center.
Decide what kind of cookie you want and experiment with your oven temperatures! It’s fun to have so many taste tests!
What kind of cookie did you experiment with? What was the best temperature for your cookie? Comment below!
Happy Baking!
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