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Baking gigantic cookies can easily result in a gooey top, hockey puck bottom. But how do you keep cookies from burning on the bottom? Especially if you’ve already adjusted the cooking temperature and you know your recipe is solid?!
I thought I’d tried everything, until I came across the double sheet pan trick: Layer two sheet pans on top of each other, then place your cookies on top. This will prevent even massive, half-pound, Levain-style cookies from burning—or over-browning—on the bottom. We’ll prove it:
Okay, so it really works, but how?
“When double sheet pans are used for baking cookies, the cookie bottoms are less apt to burn, since the layer of air between the two sheet pans slows heat transfer,” explains Paula Figoni in How Baking Works (one of the most comprehensive books I’ve seen on food science as it applies to baked goods).
Air is slow to conduct heat, so the warmth of the oven has to pass from one baking sheet, through that thin layer of air, through the second baking sheet. This provides more time for the top and sides of your cookies—and any other baked goods—to bake, resulting in a more evenly cooked treat.
Other Ways You Can Prevent Cookies from Burning on the Bottom:
- Use lighter sheet pans, which tend to heat slower
- Add a layer of parchment paper to the sheet pan
- Make sure your cookies are baking in the center of the oven, not too close to the bottom/top
- Try reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe, a little bit at a time. (Too much sugar could caramelize on the bottom of your treat, resulting in a browned bottom.)
Lead Photo: Candace Braun Davison