Dark or Burned

Here are some helpful solutions for the common causes:

• Dark cookie sheet

  SOLUTION

  • Use a light-colored aluminum cookie sheet.; dark sheets absorb more heat and transfer it to the cookies.
  • Turn dark cookie sheets over. Often the bottom side is lighter in color.
  • Reduce the baking time.
  • Reduce the oven temperature by 25°F.
  • Cover dark cookie sheets with heavy-duty aluminum foil or parchment paper.

• Oven rack too low

  SOLUTION

  Position oven rack in the center of the oven.

• Too many cookies on cookie sheet

  SOLUTION

  Place cookies about 2 inches apart and avoid putting them close to the edges of the cookie sheet.

• Ratio of dry ingredients to fats and liquids was too high

  SOLUTION

  Oven thermostats can change over time, requiring adjustments by the baker or calibration by a professional. To assure the correct temperature each time you bake, always use an oven thermometer.

• Cookie sheet too big for oven

  SOLUTION

  Use a cookie sheet that is 2 to 3 inches smaller than the oven. This allows the air to circulate around the sheet, and heat the oven more evenly.

• Cookies baked at high altitude

  SOLUTION

  As altitude increases, liquids and even the moisture in foods evaporate faster. This causes cookies to continue to brown a bit more than usual after they have been removed from the oven. Reduce oven temperature or baking time. Since cookies brown a little after removing from the oven, bake to a lighter color than desired.

• Unbleached and bread flour contain more protein than bleached all-purpose flour

  SOLUTION

  Particularly when making light-colored cookies such as sugar cookies, switch to bleached all-purpose flour. It usually contains less protein than either unbleached or bread flour. The more protein a flour has, the darker the color of the baked cookies will be. Learn more about flour.