The Great Cookie Experiment: Baking Pans and Liners!
Time for the next installment of The Great Cookie Experiment! (Part 1 on butter temperature here; part 2 on chilling the dough here.)
Today, we’ll keep it short and sweet and address the question:
What should I line my baking sheets with?
Great question! Let’s set some ground rules before we begin. First, I did not experiment with baking pan type, only what to put on the pan. I exclusively use the rimmed 12X18-inch baking sheets for all my cookies (I buy them at Sam’s Club in a 2-pack and they are inexpensive and awesome).
Secondly, for this experiment, I used my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe but I think the results could be applied to almost any drop-type cookie (similar in texture to a chocolate chip cookie).
I tested out three “lining” options: a silpat liner, parchment paper and cooking spray.
The results? Well, the baked cookies, on top, don’t look terribly different from each other. Upon closer inspection (and I mean a really closer inspection) I noticed that the cookies baked on the greased cookie sheet didn’t seem to flatten quite as much but the difference is so minimal that most people probably wouldn’t notice unless they dug out a ruler and measured in millimeters (I may or may not have done just that and then felt like a complete neurotic dork).
Overall, the shape, browning on top, and inner texture of all the cookies were pretty similar.
The bottoms of the cookies are a slightly different matter. I baked all the cookies for the exact same time (11 1/2 minutes in a 350 degree oven). The parchment baked cookies had noticeably less browning on the bottom. The greased baking sheet produced much more crispiness and browning around the edges of the cookies (you can see it in the upper left rounded edge of the cookie from the greased baking sheet).
While the cookies were warm, it didn’t seem to matter quite as much (I went ahead and sampled a variety of each batch…for testing purposes of course). But after they had cooled, the parchment baked cookies stayed softer and less crispy on the bottom. The cookies baked on greased baking sheets were almost crumbly on the edges and the silpat baked cookies were firm on the bottom but still soft in the center.
In summary, after baking all the cookies for the same amount of time, I preferred the baked and cooled cookie that was baked on parchment-lined baking sheets; however, baking the other cookies (on silpat-lined or greased cookie sheets) for a bit less time may help the bottoms of the cookies not brown quite as much. Overall, it doesn’t seem to really matter what you line your baking sheets with as long as you keep an eye on baking time but if I had to insist on a preference, I would avoid the greased baking sheets if you want to minimize crunchy cookie bottoms.
A note about convenience and what I use, I’m not ready to give up my silpat liners quite yet. I actually bake cookies on them 99% of the time, although from now on, I think I’ll decrease the baking time just a bit. Although silpat liners have to be washed and dried, I like the convenience of being able to reuse them over and over. I’ve had mine for over five years (2 of them) and they still look and work fabulously (incidentally, I bought them on Amazon long, long ago; not sure if they still have them there).
As for parchment? Well, I couldn’t live without it either. I pull it out to bake cookies on when I’m using all four of my baking sheets and don’t have enough silpat liners to go around. Plus, cleanup is obviously a breeze (toss!) although not quite as “green” as the silpat liners. I also use it to line my baking pans for cakes (cut to size) and for a variety of other kitchen projects (wrapping up quick breads with twine to give away, baking pizzas on the pizza stone, etc.). I almost exclusively buy my parchment paper from King Arthur Flour (not affiliated with them; just love their parchment). I reuse the parchment several times before throwing away unless it is excessively greasy or dirty.
Pretty simple experiment this time!
74 Comments on “The Great Cookie Experiment: Baking Pans and Liners!”
Interesting experiment. Silpat has the reputation of causing cookies to spread. The creator of the Tate’s CC cookie calls for baking them on Silpat to increase the spread. I have not personally noticed this effect.
Greased cookie sheets also have the reputation of causing spread.
Yum! Cant wait to try. With this recipe did you chill for 24 hours? If not, how do you think they will turn out if you do? What about the temperature of the eggs? Do you use straight from the fridge or set them on the counter to come to room temperature? Thanks!
I use eggs straight from the refrigerator. This dough wasn’t chilled but it should work just fine if you chill it first.
I want to try this so tell me does this really work because I want to bake the best cookies like you
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Please do a baking experiment using the perforated baking sheets with the Silplat. It’s supposed to make a big difference. Thank you!
How can i get a cookie that is more moist. I want a cookie that is like a boughten cookie. Just like the chips ahoy. 😛
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So glad you can do the experimenting, and tell us the results. I’d really like to know if most or all cookies can be baked on a 10 x 15 pan, and cut into squares. I would like to do this, but hesitate to try this. Thanks.
I just found your blog and have really been enjoying reading your past posts. There are lots of recipes that i am excited to try. I would like you to experiment with baking in a convection oven verses a traditional oven.
Thank you for this series! I am actually baking several different types of cookies as we speak and this came in very handy at just the right time! I sadly just ruined a batch of dough for browned butter snickerdoodles by being impatient about letting the butter cool back to room temperature!! So…I guess I actually found this blog a bit too late 🙂 But I will try again and hopefully get it right! Thank you again! I enjoyed all three of you posts so far.
I second the cookie storage challenge. I always have a hard time at Christmas because I don’t want to bake too early and have the cookies get soft or hard. Then I’m frazzled trying to do everything at the last minute!
Oh, just thought of another experiment. I always mix all my ingredients together at the same time (yes, I am lazy ;)) vs. mixing wet ingredients and adding dry…wonder if it makes a difference.
Love this series, thanks for doing it…I would be happy to be a taste tester for you too, haha. Have you tried cooking times with different sized and/or flavored chips, i.e mini vs. regular vs. chunks and white vs. milk vs. dark. Don’t know how much it would change things…might be fun to try!
I wash my silpats too. I would be curious to have you test the same cookie on greased vs. ungreased. I generally do not grease the cookie sheet for chocolate chip cookies.
I made your cookies tonight to take to work tomorrow. I can guarantee they will be a big hit!
My sister bought me Silpats as a Christmas gift several years ago, and I love them for all types of baking. I’ve had my eye on parchment sheets from King Arthur Flour for years, too, because they’re flat, perfectly fit a sheet pan, and you don’t have to fight the sheets cut off from a roll. I’d love to get them for my daughter, who is expecting a baby in December – lots of cookie baking in her future. My only problem is how to store them. If I bought 100 at a time, I’m wondering if they could be rolled up and stored inside a long cylinder. Any suggestions, Mel?
I was about to bake some cookies yesterday (the dough was already made hanging out in the fridge) when I came upon his post. Hallelujah! I was going to spray the pan because a lot of people commented that the recipe was sticky, but instead used parchment paper. Thanks for saving the day- you always have a way for doing that!
For all those that asked, I do wash my silpat liners because I bake cookies and rolls on them (and I don’t like my rolls tasting like cookies and vice versa). I rinse them in hot soapy water, dry them and store them. Been working like a charm for 10 years now!
I recently started using parchment paper, and I love it, but I’m hoping to get a silpat for Christmas. I occasionally bake cookies on ungreased baking sheets as well.
Maybe you could do an experiment based on the type of flour used? all-purpose, self-rising, cake flour, etc?
Mel, this was fun to read! Good to know that we should reduce the baking time with the silpat. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with mine, mostly cause I hate cleaning the grease off. How do you clean yours? I think mine says don’t use soap, but I don’t want a rancid grease smell or taste coming from them, so I wash them with hot water and soap and then dry immediately. Is that what you do?
It was fun to read everyone’s comments. I am a semi-sweet lover and my husband likes milk, so we always do half and half and we are both satisfied! B
But I agree with whoever said that it would be fun to know about hand mixing vs a stand mixer. I guess I kind of consider hand mixing to mean that I could use my hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar, etc. but maybe it would be nice to know about hand mixer vs by hand (wooden spoon etc) vs a stand mixer.
Thanks for all the fun results! I’m loving these posts!