Why Baking Cookies On The Middle Rack Makes All The Difference (And How To Make Room For More)

Sometimes how you do something can make all the difference. You can railroad others' ideas during a conversation to force your desired outcome or muscle your way into a yoga pose, which you might pay for later, or you can approach things with a degree of thoughtfulness and care which will likely lead to the most positive results. The same is true for baking. You can shove cookies into the oven and then declare them baked (or overbaked, as the case might be), or you can think about how to maximize the tools you have — in this case, your oven.

As simplistic as it sounds, oven rack positioning can have a huge impact on the texture and overall baking and browning of your cookies. Since ovens have heat sources both at the bottom and the top, the ideal place to position your cookie trays is right smack in the middle. This way, the rising heat towards the top of the oven showers the dough with enough warmth to make the tops golden, while the heat from the bottom is simultaneously caramelizing and baking the underside of each cookie.

Baking a sheet of cookies in the ideal middle of the oven position is all well and good, but what if you're baking large batches that yield more than a dozen cookies? If you did one sheet at a time, you'd be baking round the clock. The answer is to let each tray have its moment in the sun, or middle, as it were. If you add a minute or two to the baking time, you can easily bake two cookie sheets at a time. Simply slip one tray into the bottom third of the oven and one tray in the middle and then swap the trays halfway through baking. Pastry experts also tout silicone baking mats as another tool for achieving the most evenly baked morsels.

By slowing down your baking process and only baking a maximum of two trays at a time, you also give yourself an extra beat to amply chill the dough. Though many bakers opt to skip this step, chilling cookie dough allows the butter to firm up, helping them keep their shape and letting the gluten in the mixture relax, producing more tender results. By slowing down to maximize oven placement and allowing for chilling time in the process, peak cookie prowess can be yours. Another life reminder: Slow down and smell the tempting cookies, courtesy of best baking practices.