How long are you baking your cookies?

[u/Silver-Art4058]

I cannot for the life of me figure out the perfect baking temp/time for my 3/8” sugar cookies (they are all around 3 to 4 inches wide). These were baked at 350 (per an oven thermometer that I bought) for 17 minutes, the edges and bottoms were golden brown, but the centers were still undercooked! I like to eat them this way but for customers I want to make sure they’re baked through. I have also tried other temp and time combos but seem to always end up with undercooked centers.

What are your baking temps and times for 3/8” cookies?

[u/bakedalaskan85]

3/8ths chiming in. Arizona, dry climate if that matters. For an “average” 3.5 inch cookie I bake 375 for 8 mins rotate and swap levels (I bake two trays at a a time, roughly 3/4 of a batch of dough between the two) and bake for 6 more.

Depending on the cutter itself I might doc off up to 1:30-2 mins.

I get light golden brown around the bottom edges. Matte top.

I let them sit on the sheet for up to five mins. If I think they needed an extra 30 seconds in the oven but I already put the next batch in, they sit for the full five or whatever. Usually just a min maybe two for them to firm up to move to cooling racks. If I move immediately they always break.

Long story short - 375 for 14 mins ish, rotate part way through. Cool on sheet as needed

[u/bakedalaskan85 → u/bakedalaskan85]

Recipes might be different leading to different baking needs. Here’s mine. It’s the original preppy kitchens recipe from pre covid times I believe.

[u/a-ohhh]

350° for 10 mins for my 5/16 inch cookies

[u/megchri]

I bake my cookies at 180°C/350°F for 8–10 minutes. They’re about 7 mm thick and 9 cm wide, and I use aerated silicone baking mats on Nordic Ware sheet pans. I let them sit on the pan for another 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
I started out rolling my cookies to 3/8 inch thick, but I found that people in my area preferred the thinner 7 mm cookies (which was great because it uses less dough and is cheaper per cookie for me!). I had the same issue as you, where baking them long enough to cook the centres left the edges golden and crispy. Now, my cookies come out fully baked but stay completely pale without any browning.

An aerated baking mat might help you, too! It allows hot air to circulate underneath the cookies, which can help the centres bake more quickly and evenly. :)

[u/Sunflower-Bakes]

I bake mine at 325 for typically 15 min. I use the nordicware sheet pans and parchment.

[u/shellfish]

Side question but do you bake them on Silpat to get that textured base? I have silicone liners but they aren’t Silpat brand specifically and I’ve been curious if that’s what does it

[u/Silver-Art4058 → u/shellfish]

I use Chua Cookie mats

[u/mrjbacon]

Lower temp and a light-colored, solid baking sheet would help.

[u/PsychologicalDig3355]

350 for 11 minutes for 1/4” for me for a cookie that size! I prefer a thinner cookie. I get more cookies out of a batch.

[u/insomnia1144]

5/16th inch thickness I bake at 375 for 9 1/2 mins for a 3-4 inch cookie. I know mine are thinner but have you experimented with 375?

[u/Pokem0m]

1/4” thick, 8 minutes at 375°

[u/thediscerningmagpie]

3/8ths baked at 365 for 12:30, baked on parchment on an insulated cookie sheet

[u/Consistent_Pin5128]

I use the timer and a “listening“ method for cakes and cookies. I go for the minimum time - say 8 minutes. Then for the first batch I take them out and listen every couple of minutes. When they stop crackling and go quiet they are ready and that is how many minutes for the rest of that batch. You should see only a little browning on the bottom edge. At this point you should experiment with different recipes and slightly adjust ratios and see if you can fix the middle issue without the extra baking.

Tip- If they get too hard you can put them in an air tight container overnight with a clean wet paper towel in a little cup in the container to up the humidity.