For those ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookies, 375 degrees Fahrenheit is your sweet spot. It’s the perfect temperature to ensure super crispy exterior edges, while leaving the center slightly underdone and, thus, doughy and fudgey. If you’re feeling particularly bold, give 400 degrees Fahrenheit a go.
The higher the temperature, the less your cookie will spread. Why? Because the higher temperature causes the cookies to firm faster (aka set faster) and this prevents spreading. Cookies baked at 375 degrees F will have a thicker, chewier bottom.
Bake them at 350 degrees if you want a crispy texture. Bake them at a lower temperature, such as 325 degrees, if you want a chewy texture. Also, remember that you can use three main methods in order to determine if your cookies are done: visually checking, physically checking, and timing your cookies.
We’ve found that the optimal temperature for cookie baking is 350F. It gives the butter in the dough time to melt and lightly spread before the remaining ingredients cook through. When your oven is too hot, it rushes this process, resulting in a puffy, dry and potentially burnt batch.
Bake at 375 degrees F until golden and crunchy on the outside, and chewy on the inside, 10 to 12 minutes. For super-chewy cookies: Substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour.
Drop dough in 2-tablespoon (1/8-cup) portions, 2 inches apart, onto buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. Bake in a 400° oven until cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center (break one open to check), 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
The short answer is, you can expect to bake cookies at 350 degrees F for between 8 to 12 minutes.
Turn your oven down 50 degrees from what your recipe recommends. “When you bake at a lower temperature, you will get that perfect cookie with a soft center and crisp exterior,” she adds. Just make sure you increase baking time by a couple of minutes or you will end up with gooey underbaked cookies.
Mistake: When cookies turn out flat, the bad guy is often butter that is too soft or even melted. This makes cookies spread. The other culprit is too little flour—don’t hold back and make sure you master measuring. Finally, cookies will also flatten if placed and baked on hot cookie sheets.
Place one baking sheet at a time onto center rack of preheated 350 degree F oven. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, still have pale tops, and are soft in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Do not overbake! They will firm up more during cooling.)
How Long to Bake Cookie Dough
| Type of Cookie | Type of Baking Pan | Baking Times |
|---|---|---|
| Drop cookies | baking sheet | 8 – 10 minutes |
| Bar Cookies | 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan | 25 – 30 minutes |
| Bar Cookies | 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan | 20 – 25 minutes |
| Tart Shell or Cheesecake Crust | 9-inch tart or springform pan | 20 – 25 minutes |
325°F Baking Temperature
These cookies were slightly softer with a chewy bite. The one thing they were noticeably lacking was that wonderful butterscotch, caramel-y flavor that chocolate chip cookies usually have.