How to Make Hard Cookies Soft Again (2024)

FAQs

How to Make Hard Cookies Soft Again? ›

There are a few common methods for softening cookies, including microwaving them, heating them in the oven, and placing them in an airtight container with a slice of bread.

You see, the only thing that you need to soften up a batch of day-old cookies is a slice of bread. This is a trick I learned from my mom after she saw me turn up my nose one too many times at a slightly crispy chocolate chipper (self-proclaimed gooey, chewy cookie fiend here!).

To fix dry and crumbly cookie dough by adding more liquid, start slowly by mixing in one extra teaspoon at a time. Add more of whatever liquid is in the original recipe, be it water, eggs, or milk (for example). Stop before it gets wet or too sticky and rest it before baking.

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

The easiest way to do this is to place the cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread and leave them for a few hours. The bread will release moisture, rehydrating the cookies, and making them soft and chewy once again. Be sure to monitor the cookies closely to avoid over-softening them.

Steam: This method is great for single cookies that may have gotten a little hard. The steam from the paper towel will help to soften and warm the cookies in seconds. All you have to do is wrap the cookies in a damp paper towel and microwave them for 10-15 seconds. Voila!

simply put the cookies inside a dish that you can seal with a lid. then add a slice of bread to the dish for simplicity purposes. I just added one cookie and half a slice of bread here. let it sit overnight.

This is a tip for after your cookies are baked, but it's one of my favorite hacks. If you leave your cookies out or they start to get stale and harden, you can fix it with a slice of bread! Add your cookies into an airtight container with a soft slice of bread and let it sit for 12-24 hours.

Cornstarch gives the cookies that ultra soft consistency we all love. Plus, it helps keep the cookies beautifully thick. We use the same trick when making shortbread cookies. Egg yolk: Another way to promise a super chewy chocolate chip cookie is to use an extra egg yolk.

Sugar dissolved in baking forms a syrup as the dough heats up. Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

How to add moisture to cookies? ›

Add Molasses or Honey Another way to add more moisture to your cookies is incorporate a tablespoon of molasses into a standard-sized cookie recipe. Don't use any more than a tablespoon, because it will make your cookies very sweet and runny. One tablespoon is just enough.

There are a few common methods for softening cookies, including microwaving them, heating them in the oven, and placing them in an airtight container with a slice of bread.

The bread/apple trick

Here's a baker's trick you'll find in our new Monster Cookies recipe: Adding a piece of fresh white bread to the storage container will keep cookies from becoming hard or stale.

To keep your cookies fresh, you need to keep air out. For that reason, we suggest storing cookies in an airtight container—here are our picks for the best cookie storage containers. Make sure nothing gets in the way of the container and its lid, and double-check that the seal is tight.

Hard cookies: you are over mixing, baking too long, baking at too high a temperature, or some combination of these. Cakey cookies: not enough brown sugar, too much or too little egg, too much flour, maybe you used baking powder instead of baking soda?

Once it's clear that you do have limp cookies or less-than-crispy crackers, put them back into a preheated 300° F or 325° F oven, regardless of the original (presumably higher) baking temperature. I tend to use 300° F for items that can't afford to get darker, and 325° if a little extra color won't hurt.

Adding too little flour can cause cookies to be flat, greasy, and crispy. Most recipes assume you'll use all-purpose, but if you want a lighter, crumblier cookie texture, choose one with a lower protein content such as cake-and-pastry flour. Baking soda helps cookies spread outward and upward while cooking.

If you have a large batch of cookies that could use some hydration, go ahead and add two or three slices of soft bread to the container. When you open up the container the next day, discard the now stale bread (or make some toast with it), and your cookies will be soft and chewy once again.

Microwave Stale Cookies

Cookies go softer when they are warm - even if they have gone a little stale. So, go ahead and wrap wet kitchen tissues around a few cookies, and place them in the microwave on half power for 8 seconds (a second or two longer for really large cookies).

Q: Why are my cookies not crisp enough? They are underbaked. Lower your oven temperature and bake longer but at a lower temperature. Using too much flour or the wrong kind of flour.

How do you make cookies soft or hard? ›

Soft cookies have a water concentration of 6% or higher – moisture being the variable in texture. To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough. Generally bake around 13-15min at 180C for a crispy cookie.

You can also melt a little bit of butter, add brown sugar to it, and incorporate that into your dough if you want an extra tender cookie.

To quickly soften brown sugar: place the sugar in a microwave safe bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel for about 20 second, or use a food processor to loosen the brown sugar. If you aren't pressed for time, use a slice of bread or an apple in an airtight container with the brown sugar for 24 hours.