what temperature for… · baking
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What temperature for baking cookies?
Most drop cookies: 350-375°F (175-190°C) for 9-12 min. Sugar/cut-out cookies: 350°F (170°C) 8-10 min. Shortbread: 325°F (165°C) 14-18 min. Bakery-style thick cookies: 400°F (200°C) 10-13 min. Use lighter pans (silicone or parchment) for prevented over-browning.
The full answer
The cookie-temperature-time tradeoff
Cookie baking is a tight 6-15 minute window. Wrong temperature = the difference between perfectly chewy and burnt-bottom.
Standard temperature targets by cookie type
| Cookie style | Temperature | Time | Doneness signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop cookies (chocolate chip) | 350-375°F | 9-12 min | Edges golden, center barely set |
| Bakery-style thick cookies | 400°F | 10-13 min | Set edges, soft center |
| Sugar cookies (drop) | 350°F | 8-10 min | Edges golden, surface dull (not glossy) |
| Sugar cookies (cut-out) | 350°F | 9-12 min | Edges starting to brown |
| Snickerdoodle | 350°F | 9-11 min | Cinnamon-sugar dimpled top |
| Peanut butter | 350-375°F | 10-12 min | Crisscross fork pattern set |
| Oatmeal raisin | 350°F | 11-13 min | Golden edges |
| Snowball / wedding cookies | 325°F | 18-22 min | Slightly golden bottom (no browning top) |
| Shortbread | 325°F | 14-18 min | Edges golden; center still pale |
| Linzer / sandwich | 350°F | 10-12 min | Edges set; centers may be slightly soft |
| Macaron | 300°F | 12-15 min | Feet formed; surface set |
| Madeleine | 375°F | 9-11 min | Hump formed (signature shell shape) |
| Biscotti (1st bake) | 350°F | 25-30 min | Log golden, firm |
| Biscotti (2nd bake) | 300°F | 8-10 min each side | Slices crisp, golden |
| Florentine / lace | 350°F | 8-10 min | Bubbly all over (spread to thin) |
| Macaroons (coconut) | 325°F | 18-22 min | Golden brown |
| Brownies (cookie-format) | 350°F | 22-30 min | Toothpick with moist crumbs |
| Bar cookies (blondies) | 350°F | 25-30 min | Toothpick clean |
Why bakery-style cookies use 400°F
The classic NYT-style + bakery-style "thick chewy" cookies use 400°F. Why: - High heat sets crust quickly → traps moisture in center → chewier interior - Faster rise + spread before edges set → thicker shape - Better caramelization on top (more golden)
Risk: at 400°F, bottom burns quickly. Use: - Insulated baking sheets, or - Double-stacked baking sheets, or - Light-colored aluminum sheets, or - Silicone baking mats over the sheet
Why shortbread uses 325°F
Shortbread has no eggs, no leavener, high-butter content. The classic golden + crumbly texture requires SLOW even baking. At 350°F: surface browns too fast → tough bottom. At 325°F: butter melts slowly + dough sets gradually → tender crumb.
The cookie spread mystery
Three things control how much cookies spread:
- Butter temperature at mix — soft = spreads more; cold = spreads less
- Sugar type — white = spreads more; brown = retains moisture, holds shape
- Oven temperature — higher temp + immediate set = less spread
For thick cookies: use cold butter + brown sugar + 400°F + chill dough. For thin crispy cookies: use soft butter + white sugar + 350°F + no chill.
Pan-temperature interaction
Dark pans absorb more heat → bottom of cookies cooks faster. Adjust: - Dark non-stick pans: reduce temp 25°F or watch closely - Light aluminum: standard temp - Silicone mat: standard temp + better non-stick - Stoneware: stays hotter, careful
Don't open the oven too early
For drop cookies: don't open before 8 min mark (lets oven temp drop). For thick bakery cookies: don't open before 9 min. The lost 25-50°F from open-door event causes spread + flatness in cookies relying on heat-set structure.
Doneness for chewy vs crispy
- Chewy cookies: pull when edges are golden but center looks barely set. Will firm as it cools.
- Crispy cookies: pull when center is fully golden + barely set. Continue baking 1-2 min for full crispness.
Cooling on the baking sheet for 2-3 min continues the cook ("carryover" baking). Move to wire rack after to prevent further sogginess.
Convection adjustments
For most cookies: convection at 350°F = conventional at 325°F. Reduce setpoint 25°F. Convection can produce more even cookies + faster bake, but watch the BOTTOM closely (more air circulation = faster bottom cook = burnt bottom risk).
Cross-reference: see /pages/how-long-does/cookie-dough-chill-time (existing) + /pages/what-substitute-for/baking-powder + /pages/what-substitute-for/butter + /pages/what-substitute-for/brown-sugar + /pages/how-to-convert/grams-to-cups-flour.
Time ranges by condition
| Condition | Duration | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Standard chocolate chip cookies | 9-12 min at 350-375°F | Edges golden, center barely set |
| Bakery-style thick cookies (400°F) | 10-13 min | Set edges, soft center; insulated pan |
| Sugar cookies (cut-out) | 8-12 min at 350°F | Edges starting to brown |
| Shortbread (low + slow) | 14-18 min at 325°F | Edges golden, center pale |
| Biscotti (first bake) | 25-30 min at 350°F | Then slice + bake again at 300°F 8-10 min/side |
What changes the time
- Cookie type. Standard drop = 350°F. Bakery-style thick = 400°F. Shortbread = 325°F. Macaron = 300°F.
- Chewy vs crispy desired. Pull early at golden edges + center barely set = chewy. Pull when center fully golden = crispy.
- Pan type. Dark pans cook bottom faster → reduce temp 25°F. Insulated/double-stacked = best for bakery thick.
- Convection. Reduce 25°F + watch bottom; faster cook + risk of burnt bottoms.
- Dough temperature. Chilled dough (24-72hr) = thicker + more flavor. Room-temp dough = spreads thinner.
Common questions
Why are my cookies burning on the bottom but raw on top?
Pan absorbs too much heat. Three fixes: (1) Use a lighter-colored aluminum pan (vs dark non-stick). (2) Use insulated baking sheets (also called "airbake") or double-stack two pans. (3) Use silicone baking mat over standard pan. (4) Reduce temperature 25°F. Burnt bottoms are almost always a pan-thermal-mass issue, not an oven issue.
How do I get bakery-style thick cookies at home?
Three keys: (1) High oven temp — 400°F for 10-12 min. (2) Cold butter + chilled dough — refrigerate 24+ hours after mixing. (3) Large dough balls — 1/4 cup or 2 tbsp+ per cookie. Result: bakery-thick chewy cookies. The classic NYT-style chocolate chip recipe uses this exact approach. Don't skip the cold-dough step; it's what creates the structure that allows thickness at high heat.
My oven says 350°F but cookies are over-cooking — what's wrong?
Oven is running 25-50°F hotter than dial says (very common with home ovens). Buy a $10 oven thermometer to verify. Standard ovens can be 15-50°F off, especially older or cheap models. Fix: identify your oven's offset + adjust the dial. If oven runs +25°F hot: set to 325°F for recipe calling 350°F. Some oven dials can be recalibrated; most cannot.
Sources
We cite primary research, expert practice, and authoritative reference. Higher-tier sources weighted heavier. See methodology.
- T2America's Test Kitchen — Cookie Recipe Testing — Tested temperatures + times across cookie types
- T2Cook's Illustrated — Cookie Variations — Side-by-side temperature comparisons (350° vs 375° vs 400°)
- T2King Arthur Baking — Cookie Temperature Guide — Authoritative published reference
- T2Stella Parks, "BraveTart" — Scientific approach to cookie chemistry + temperature
- T2Shirley Corriher, "BakeWise" — Detailed chemistry of cookie baking
Books referenced in this answer
This answer draws on these books. Want to read the full source? Find them on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, AskedWell earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. These are the same books we cite as sources above — we link them only because the answer draws on them. See our disclosure.
- BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts — Stella ParksFind on Amazon
- BakeWise — Shirley CorriherFind on Amazon
Cite this page
de Vries, P. (2026). What temperature for baking cookies?. AskedWell. Retrieved 2026-08-29, from https://askedwell.com/pages/what-temperature-for/cookie-baking-temperature
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