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How to Bake Soft Cookies

Three Methods:Adapting RecipesStoring Soft CookiesMaking Soft Chocolate Chip CookiesCommunity Q&A

If you prefer light, fluffy cookies to flat, crisp ones, adapt your recipes to make the perfect soft cookies. Just a few simple changes to your cookie recipes will improve their texture. For example, use brown sugar, shortening, cake flour, and add an extra egg yolk. Increasing the moisture in the cookies will help them hold their shape and remain soft. You can also store the cookies with extra moisture to keep them soft. For a bit more guidance, try a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that makes pillowy soft cookies.


Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 8 tablespoons (110 g) salted butter
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups (187 g) flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt

Makes 1 dozen

Adapting Recipes

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    Use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Cake flour has a lower protein content than standard flour, so the cookies will stay puffed and fluffy. If you use bread or all-purpose flour, you'll end up with crispier, flatter cookies. You can replace all of the all-purpose flour with cake flour.[1]
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    Include vanilla pudding in the dough. Open 1 package of instant vanilla pudding mix and add the dry mix to your cookie dough. Add the mix when you're pouring in the dry ingredients and combine the dough as directed in your recipe. The vanilla pudding mix will add moisture to the cookies, so they stay soft and last longer.
    • If you're making chocolate cookies, consider using chocolate pudding mix.
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    Beat the dough until it's just combined. Add the dry ingredients to your dough and beat them in until they're just mixed in. Avoid beating the dough for too long or the cookie dough will become stiff. Stiff dough will make dense, chewy cookies.[5]
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    Bake the cookies at a higher heat. Avoid baking the cookies at temperatures below 325 °F (163 °C). Longer cooking times at lower temperatures can make the fat in the cookies spread out. This will make the cookies thin and crisp. For soft, puffy cookies, bake them at a temperature of at least 350 °F (177 °C). The high temperature will help the cookies keep their shape.

Storing Soft Cookies

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    Store the cookies in an airtight container. Cool the soft cookies completely and transfer them to an airtight container. Ensure that the lid is closed tight to prevent them from becoming stale and hard.
    • You can keep the cookies at room temperature for up to 1 week.
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    Add a moist paper towel to the container. Run a little water through a paper towel and wring out the excess moisture. Unroll the damp paper towel and lay it on a sheet of waxed paper. Set the waxed paper with the towel on top of the cookies in the container and close the lid.
    • If the paper towel dries out, you can remove it. Replace it with another damp paper towel.
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    Include a piece of bread in the storage container. If you don't want to use the damp paper towel, you can use a piece of bread to add moisture. Just set a piece of plain bread on waxed paper and lay this on the cookies. Close the container and leave the bread with the cookies.
    • If you're shipping the cookies or giving them as gifts, you can use a tortilla instead of a piece of bread. The tortilla will also keep the cookies moist, but will take up less space than the piece of bread.

Making Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

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    Add the sugars to the melted butter. Measure and add 1/2 cup (100 g) of sugar and 1/4 cup (50 g) of packed light brown sugar to the bowl of melted butter.[8]
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    Bake the soft cookies for 9 to 11 minutes. Put the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake the cookies until they puff up and turn slightly golden. The cookies will look dry around the edges and just set in the centers. Avoid baking the cookies until they darken since they'll finish cooking as they cool.[14]
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Community Q&A

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    Things You'll Need

    • Measuring cups and spoons
    • Digital scale
    • Mixing bowls
    • Baking sheets
    • Stand or electric mixer

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    Article Info

    Categories: Chocolate Cookies and Biscuits

    In other languages:

    Español: hornear galletas suaves

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