How to Make Soft Cookies Every Time

Soft, chewy cookies don't happen by accident. Everything from the type of sugar you use to how long you bake the cookies can affect their texture.

If you're trying to bake softer cookies, nine simple tips can help you achieve a tender, chewy texture that stays soft longer.

pile of milk chocolate chip cookies. — If you want chocolate chip cookies that stay soft, use this recipe.

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Use More Brown Sugar Than White Sugar
Measure Flour Carefully
Don’t Overmix the Dough
Try a Blend of All-Purpose Flour and Cake Flour
Add One Extra Egg Yolk
Slightly Under Bake the Cookies
Your Baking Sheet Matters
Ensure Your Oven Temperature is Accurate
BONUS TIP FOR SOFT COOKIES
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Use More Brown Sugar Than White Sugar

Brown sugar contains molasses, which helps cookies stay moist.

That's one reason chocolate chip cookie recipes made with a higher ratio of brown sugar often have a softer, chewier texture.

I often will make swap out granulated sugar for brown sugar in a cookie recipe.

butter in glass mixing bowl being creamed with brown sugar with hand mixer. — Using more brown sugar than white or granulated sugar will help keep your cookies soft.

Measure Flour Carefully

Packing flour into measuring cups can totally change a cookie recipe. Even a few extra tablespoons can make cookies dry, thick, and hard instead of soft and chewy.

spoon and level flour into your measuring cup
don’t scoop directly from the bag
use a kitchen scale if you want to be precise

If your dough already feels crumbly before baking, you may also be dealing with dry cookie dough.

Don’t Overmix the Dough

Once you add the flour, mix only until the dry ingredients disappear.

A few streaks of flour are fine. Finish mixing with a spatula if needed.

Overmixing develops gluten, which can make cookies tougher and less tender.

Try a Blend of All-Purpose Flour and Cake Flour

Cake flour contains less protein than all-purpose flour, which can help create a softer, more tender cookie.

For some cookie recipes, replacing a portion of the all-purpose flour with cake flour can improve texture without changing the flavor.

However, using only cake flour isn't always the best choice.

Cookies made entirely with cake flour can be more fragile and prone to breaking.

A blend of the two flours often provides the best balance of softness and structure.

bags of all purpose flour and unbleached enriched flour with piles of flour in front of them. — Try using equal amounts of all purpose flour and cake flour in your next batch of cookie dough for extra softness.

Add One Extra Egg Yolk

Yolks add fat and moisture. But don't add more than one yolk over the amount of eggs the recipe specifies. That will just borrow trouble.

Slightly Under Bake the Cookies

Milk chocolate chip cookies rest on parchment, some whole and one deliciously broken, with scattered milk chocolate chips around. — Soft chocolate chip cookies will be your new go-to recipe.

Cookies continue baking on the cookie sheet after they come out.

Soft cookies often look slightly underdone in the center when they’re ready to come out of the oven.

Get in the habit of pulling cookies out of the oven two to three minutes ahead of time. They'll continue to bake a bit after being removed from the heat.

For softer cookies, don't leave them on the baking sheet any longer than necessary. The hot pan continues baking the cookies even after they're out of the oven.

Many bakeries transfer cookies to cooling racks almost immediately to stop the baking process and preserve a softer texture.

If you want the softest possible cookies:

remove them from the oven when the centers still look slightly underdone
allow them to set for 1 to 2 minutes on the baking sheet
transfer them to a wire rack to cool

If your cookies are spreading thin and turning crisp, here are the most common reasons cookies go flat.

With that in mind, pay attention to your equipment.

Your Baking Sheet Matters

Lightweight dark pans:

cook cookies faster
crisp bottoms faster

Sturdy light-colored aluminum pans:

more even baking
softer cookies

Nordicware makes my favorite cookie sheets, which are technically half sheet pans. They are sturdy but no so heavy to be a struggle if you're dealing with arthritis

A cookie scoop also helps cookies bake evenly so smaller cookies don’t overbake before larger ones are done.

A box of pre-cut parchment paper is open, with sheets protruding. It rests on a metal baking tray. A striped kitchen towel is partially visible on the left side, and the backdrop is a white marble surface. — Nordicware is a good solid choice to bake on. I also like USA baking pans.

Ensure Your Oven Temperature is Accurate

An inexpensive oven thermometer can solve a lot of issues. Do you know if your oven really bakes things at 350F° or is it secretly heating up to 363F°?

This is a good oven thermometer by Taylor, which is a reliable brand for temperature gauges.

You can use this thermometer in gas or electric ovens, and it includes a hook for hanging or you can stand it up.