Cookie-Baking Tip: A Quick Way to Cool Hot Baking Sheets

Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong is a writer and public health dietitian focused on food systems, racial equity, and nutrition. Originally from Los Angeles, she has taught English in rural Japan, worked as a private chef in Malibu, and led an innovative city-funded corner store program in New…read more
updated May 2, 2019
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Problem: I live in an apartment with limited kitchen storage space, so I can’t keep a giant stack of baking sheets on hand, which becomes an issue when I am baking cookies in batches. The first round of cookies comes out of the oven, but the next batch can’t go in until the piping-hot baking sheets cool down. Solution: a step so simple I often kick myself for not thinking of it sooner.

After the baked cookies are transferred to a cooling rack, I rinse the baking sheets under cold water until they are cool to the touch, which takes a minute or less. Then I dry them with a towel and load them up with the next round of cookies. Before I stumbled onto this solution, I used to sit around waiting until the metal cooled on its own, adding a sizeable chunk of inactive time to big cookie-baking sessions. Now I am able to bake one batch right after the next, leaving time for a much more important activity: cookie-eating.

Why cool the baking sheets in the first place? Butter-based cookie doughs will begin to melt as soon as they touch a hot sheet pan, which can result in flat, misshapen cookies. Using a cool sheet pan and chilled dough gives better results.

Do you have any tips for making holiday cookie-baking easier or more efficient?