Help with burnt edges

[Ichigo]

I just joined this forum... and I'm pretty very inexperienced and I just recently found an interest in baking. But I've been finding that for one reason or another, I've yet to have a batch of cookies turn out right. They're always burnt on the edges and on the bottom before the center of the cookies themselves are done. I thought my oven might just be too strong as all my attempts are always thouroughly brown well before the suggested baking times. So I tried lessening the temperatures (50, even 75 degrees) to no success. The edges still burnt (even though the bottoms were fine).

Any ideas on what I can do??

oh... another note. I usually halve or even quarter the recipes. Since I just don't want to bake that large a batches of cookies. Might that have anything to do with it?

[lorea]

The first thing you can do is to get yourself an oven thermometer - they're reasonably cheap, and you can tell if your oven is at the correct temperature. I've seen ovens that are off by over 100 degrees.

Are your cookies too thin, which is leading to your burned edges? If so, you can try to refrigerate your cookies for about 15 minutes prior to baking so they don't spread as much.

Another thing you can try is to double up your sheet pan/cookie sheet so you have an "insulated" bottom.

What kind of cookies are you making?

[Wendy DeBord]

Welcome to egullet Ichigo!

Lorea made some great suggestions. I agree with her take on it being your oven, that it's still too hot. That's pretty much the only answer for what your describing: burned edges and bottoms before the center is done.

You can decrease the size of the batch your making but it could lead to problems because you don't have enough ingredients in your bowl to mix them correctly. For instance, many recipes have you cream your butter with your sugar until light. But if you only have a very small amount of butter most of it will get stuck in your paddle and there won't be enough in the bowl to get hit by the paddle to make it light/incorporate air. I'd suggest you make a full batch and then freeze 1/2 of it. Cookie doughs typically freeze very well both raw (scooped into balls) or baked.

But it's unlikely that decreasing your recipe is whats causing your bottoms to burn. It could effect your cookies rise, but the burning issue is too hot of an oven.

In addition to Loreas suggestions are you placing your baking sheet in the middle of your oven? Some ovens don't distribute their heat well and too much heat comes from the bottom heat source. So place your pans higher up in the oven.....even the top shelf.

[Drewman]

The next time you go to the grocery store, pick up a pack of Pilsbury biscuits. They've been tested over and over in Pilsbury's test kitchens and follow the directions exactly. If your biscuits come out burned, your oven temp is off. If the biscuits are perfect, you screwed up the cookie recipe. It's a cheaper alternative to buying an oven thermometer and might help you to figure out your problem.

[jgarner53]

Biscuits or no, $6 isn't a whole lot of money to drop for an oven thermometer.

I concur that your oven is probably too hot. Are you putting more than one cookie sheet in the oven at a time? With some cookies, it seems to make a difference to bake one sheet (on the center rack) at a time. (If you have a convection oven, this is less true, but you do need to adjust the oven temp and baking time.)

I use insulated cookie sheets and silpat mats for all my cookies. I found early on that the insulated sheets made a big difference when it came to not burning them. But, as lorea said, you can double up the sheets for the same effect.

[Ichigo]

I tried baking a couple of different types of cookies I've found. All of them are drop cookies since I heard they were the easiest of them all.

What exactly are insulated cookie sheets? I've always thought cookie sheets were the big silver pans that you put cookies on. Since you're mentioning sheets... I'm wondering if cookie sheets are actually pieces of paper (?) similar to aluminum foil??

Thanks for all the replies :D I'll know what to watch out for when I bake again.

[jgarner53]

An insulated baking sheet is kind of like having two cookie sheets stuck together with air in between. A baking sheet (as opposed to a sheet pan) is a flat piece of metal (usually aluminum) with no rim and usually one, sometimes two edges bent upward at an angle, for easy gripping.

An insulated baking sheet takes that and adds another layer of aluminum underneath, sandwiching air between the two sheets.

A sheet pan, on the other hand, has about a 1" rim all around, and comes in several sizes: full sheet, half (the size of a cookie sheet, usually), and quarter. They can be used as a baking sheet, but are also good when you're baking something that might bubble over, and you want to make sure that is contained and doesn't drip all over your oven. They are also used for baking jelly rolls, and, well, sheet cakes.

[sequim]

Hi Ichigo!

I definitely believe the heavier the cooking sheet, the better. I learned the hard way when my sheet warped half-way through the cooking time and sent things flying. I also found a very good insulated sheet at my local thrift store. Great find.

Maybe your cookies are too thin and so the edges burn. I have found chilling the dough beforehand to help so they don't spread so much.

[Wendy DeBord]

I agree on finding thick professional style pans verses the less expensive thin ones many stores sell (actually the professional ones aren't very expensive either). I inherited a couple of thin pans from my husbands family, I double them up when I use those......

[amyd]

I've found that insulated baking sheets do not allow for a good crisp on the bottom of the cookies; maybe it's something to do with the air in between (???). I use sheet pans with silpat. My oven temperature runs cool, so I usually have to bake a bit longer than the recipe calls for. I agree with the above posters - "invest" in a thermometer.

[DiH]

One thing that hasn't been brought up yet (probably because all the posters are using professional pans) is the finish on your particular baking sheets. If you're using pans that have a dark finish, whether applied by the manufacturer or a build-up due to years of usage, they're absorbing too much heat. Pans that have a shiny finish will produce a nicer, more evenly baked cookie.

Good luck.