How to Bake a Perfect Cookie
Save RecipeHi Bold Bakers!
No one is perfect, but your cookies can be! Getting a uniform cookie is not only how to get a beautiful, professional look but an evenly baked cookie!
There are just a few steps to the perfect cookies. Now you might be thinking “well d’uh, Gemma” but it’s not as obvious as you might think.
Scooping cookies with a spoon or cookie scoop gives you a crisp outside and a soft center. Now, I know that is delicious when it comes to eating a cookie but not all cookies should be baked like this.
When it comes to my recipes for Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies then scoop away my friend. The nature of that cookie is to be gooey and soft in the center while the outside edges bake crisp. If you are baking my recipe for Homemade Oreo Cookies then best practices are to slice. This is a crispy, firm cookie and slicing will do that.
How to Bake a Perfect Cookie:
After mixing up your cookie dough divide it into 2 equal parts and roll each part into the shape of log. You can do this as skinny or as fat as you like depending on how big or small you’d like your cookie to be.
Next wrap your log in plastic wrap and give it some time to chill. I usually reccommend about 30-60 minutes. This will allow whatever fat you’ve used in your dough to firm up.
From here all you have to do is unroll your log of cookie dough and slice to the desired thickness. Bake off as instructed.
The results? A perfectly round cookie baked evenly. This is because you had all the same size slices and the slices are flat giving you an even bake and perfect shape.
An added bonus is that if you’d like you can freeze your log of pre-rolled cookie dough. Then thaw out and slice whenever you really need something sweet or you’re doing last minute entertaining
Did you like this baking tip? I have lots more short videos just like this one that will help you get baking confidently in the kitchen. Get more Bold Baking Basics.
Meet Gemma
Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, and I’m passionate about sharing my years of experience to show you how to make game-changing baking recipes with over-the-top results! Join more than 1 Million other Bold Bakers in the community for new video recipes every week!
Have you made a recipe? Share photos on my website or across social media with the hashtag #boldbaker.
And don't miss my NEW Bold Baking recipes and tips. Sign up for my weekly email newsletter.
hello Gemma, I am so glad I found your site, but I have a question for you. I recently went vegan and was wondering if you have any vegan muffin recepies, or vegan cookie or cake recepies.
Thanks Sandi
Hi Sandra. A lot of bold bakers have asked the same question. I have made a few of them that received good reviews. I hope you’ll find something that would be of your preference here https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/?s=vegan
hi Gemma.
please how can I bake cookies and store them so they can last for 2 months or even more?
I don’t know any cookies you can do that with. At the most a cookie will keep fresh for a week.
You are able to freeze raw dough however and bake it off fresh when you want it.
Best,
Gemma.
Hi Gemma,
I have tried baking cookies couple of time. They always turn out very soft. Both inside and outside. How can I make them crisp outside. Followed measurements from recipe.
Thanks,
Sona
Hi there,
Tell me about your cooker! I suspect this is more about the temperature you are baking at.
180C/350F is generally a good baking temperature, your oven may be off a bit!
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma,
Thanks for responding in a short time. I baked with 170C for 10-11 min. It was soft inside and out.
Should I increase the temperature. or should I change the ingredients. I used 50% white sugar and 50% brown sugar.
Hi Sona,
If oyu are using a regular/conventional oven, follow the instructions in this post (https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/best-ever-chocolate-chip-cookies/). I think you need a little higher temperature, that should resolve this for you. Keep watch too, that is really important for all of your baking,
Gemma 🙂
Thank you for the quick response Gemma. Much appreciated. I use a OTG. Will follow as mentioned.
Sona 🙂
What can I substitute for your spicy cookie dough? If you are going to say ginger snaps is there some way of calming down the spiciness of the ginger?
Hi Cheryl,
I would say a subtle bit of ginger and cinnamon would give it nice spice, so maybe 1/2 teaspoon of each 🙂
The way I store my cookies is by freezing them and heating them up in a toaster oven. They freeze really well. And this way you can have freshly baked cookie every time. ?
Thanks for that great tip Natalia, i apprecite your input,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma
Thank you for all the amazing recipes I’m 76 and I’ve been baking since I was a little child I do have 2 suggestions though
1. Can you pit up a recipe for chocolate biscuit cake I’ll email you the recipe
2. My friend has a problem whenever she makes them she follows the recipe exactly and it still turns out soggy on the bottom can you help
Thanks maya
Hi there Maya,
P{lease do email the recipe to me, I will take a look at it. there are a number of chocolate biscuit cake recipes, some of these are about milk, others about chocolate, like my chocolate salami recipe.
Do let me know,
Gemma 🙂
Hello, Gemma! ☺️ So, I saw this recipe on a website for homemade corn syrup, that used corn starch and sugar boiled in water. This recipe would be a life saver for me, because neither glucose, nor corn syrup is available where I live. However, I am a little skeptical about its credibility. I am so hoping to hear what you think about it. Do you think it would work? If it’s not too much trouble, maybe you could do a Bold Baking Basics video about this. Thank you in advance! ?
Hi Smriti,
What matters here is what you need to use corn syrup for. I have worked a few recipes for substitute corn syrup, and i was unhappy with the result.
for some recipes a simple syrup, that is sugar and water, reduced to a viscous/thick syrup will be good. Fondant for example. For other recipes it may be a different solution. If you let me know what your specific difficulty is I will try to resolve it for you,
Gemma 🙂
Well, I was hoping to make a mirror glaze. But its nice to know that if I ever need to use fondant, I can use the substitute. 🙂
Hiii Gemma!! The cookie dough looks amazing and there’s no doubt it’s gonna taste yum too! But where’s the receipe for the dough? I saw the receipe for cookie sprinkles but what if I wanna do a batch of 12 or 24. Am I missing something somewhere???
Hi Roma,
(https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/chocolate-chip-cookies/) the recipe is here!
I really should multiply up the ingredients, and I will do that. I will email this to you today,
Gemma 🙂
Thank you so much, Gemma. 🙂
Hi Gemma. I am from Malaysia and I really appreciate and ENJOY your recipes. Apart from all of this, I would like to know whether chilling dough for a day is a good idea or not? And also, do I refrigerate the dough or leave it in the freezer. Thank you for sparing your time. Good luck for your future.
I love this question because i get to nerd out on baking stuff.
So a cookie dough LOVES to chill for a few days. The process is actually called aging, the same as what you would do to a bread dough. If you leave it in the fridge for 3-4 days the flavor and the texture of the cookie will be better.
If you don’t want to use it within that time then pop it in the fridge.
🙂
You are ingenious Gemma!! Great idea. I am 11 and I want to be a baker when I grow up. I LOVE Bigger Bolder Baking. It/you teach me so many baking and cooking skills for life. Do you have any tips for a preteen/teen girl who wants to be a baker when she grows up (like me)? Thanks Gemma.
Hi there Elisanna,
Yes I do, and it is to keep baking! Read as many cook books as you can too, this is a great way to get to understand the science behind baking. Master the basics too, get to understand the balance of ingredients in cake batters, in pastry, in frostings, and which to use where! Reading is a great help, practice, trial and error is the best teacher.
Thank you for being with us,
Gemma 🙂
Thanks so much Gemma!!
?