Love to bake cookies? Whether you are new to baking or looking to update your baking wares, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite baking tool must-haves that any novice or expert baker should have in their kitchen. While there are different tools used for different types of baked goods (such as cake pans for cakes), this list centers around the basics of what every baker may like for baking up their favorite cookie recipes.
The Basic Must-Have Tools for Cookies
1. Cookie Sheets
I use two half sheet pans for cookie sheets so I can have one ready to pop into the oven while the first batch is cooling. A light-colored, heavy-gauge cookie sheet pan heats evenly and helps to prevent dark cookie bottoms that can happen with thinner or darker baking pans. Cookies should cool on the pan for about two to five minutes before moving them onto a cooling rack since they continue to “bake” from the residual heat of the cookie sheet. Having at least two sheet pans can speed up baking so you are not waiting for one pan to cool between batches.
2. Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mats
There is no need to grease your cookie sheet pan if you line cookie sheets with parchment paper or use silicone baking mats. Regardless of which option you choose, both create a non-stick barrier on the cookie sheet so cookies release easily from the pan. Either parchment paper or a baking mat helps cookies bake more evenly by preventing direct contact to the metal sheet pan, which can cause the bottoms of cookies to darken.
3. Cooling Racks
Once cookies are ready to be moved off of the cookie sheet, transferring them to a wire cooling rack helps cookies finish cooling down. The open design of a cooling rack allows air to circulate around and underneath cookies, which keeps steam from getting trapped and turning cookie bottoms soggy.
4. Cookie Scoop
Using a cookie scoop ensures all cookies are the same size. Cookies that are consistently the same size bake at the same rate, which helps bakers avoid having some cookies that are either underbaked and others that are overdone on the same cookie sheet. Cookie scoops come in various sizes, from small scoops for the typical-sized cookie to large scoops for bakery-style cookies.
5. Liquid Measuring Cup
Measuring a liquid ingredient for a recipe requires a liquid measuring cup. These measuring cups are made to be read at eye level and have a spout for easy pouring. This gives a more accurate measurement than trying to measure liquid in a dry measuring cup. The right tool for the right measurement ensures you use the correct amount needed for your recipe, as too much or too little liquid affects how your cookie bakes.
6. Measuring Cups
Even if you weigh your ingredients on a scale, having a nice set of measuring cups to measure out dry ingredients is helpful. Flour is one of the easiest ingredients to over-measure and is one of the more common reasons that cookies turn out dry versus soft and chewy.
7. Measuring Spoons
Another needed item is measuring spoons. It is always easier to use a measuring spoon for smaller measurements, such as vanilla, salt or leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda. Accurate measurements are the difference between a cookie that rises too little or spreads too much.
8. Mixing Bowls
It’s best to have mixing bowls that are microwave-safe for melting ingredients like butter or chocolate, as well as stainless steel bowls for measuring out and prepping ingredients. Having a few sizes on hand makes it easier to prep dry ingredients while creaming ingredients like butter and sugar in another.
9. Whisk and Spatula
Using a whisk on dry ingredients to stir them together, like flour and salt for example, helps to distribute the ingredients before adding them to the mixer so all ingredients are mixed evenly throughout the cookie dough. A silicone spatula is perfect for scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl, ensuring no ingredients are left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl and are, instead, fully incorporated into the recipe. While optional, a cookie spatula is helpful for removing cookies from cookie sheets.
10. Stand or Hand Mixer
I personally love my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, but any 4.5 quart tilt-head mixer or hand mixer works great. Using a mixer for making cookies keeps a steady and consistent speed which is needed to properly mix butter and sugar together, as that step sets up the texture to your cookies.
Helpful Baking Tool Tips
A few of these tools work best with a little extra care, allowing for more life out of your baking tools. Here are a few helpful tips to consider:
- Allergy-safe baking. If part of your kitchen is nut-free or allergy-aware, consider keeping a dedicated set of mixing bowls, spatulas, measuring cups and spoons. This helps to avoid any cross contact with ingredients that you’re avoiding in your baking.
- Use two cookie sheets. Be sure to let your cookie sheet cool down before adding the next batch of dough, as a warm pan can cause cookies to start spreading before they start baking. By having two cookie sheets, one can cool down completely while the other pan is in the oven.
- Spray the cookie scoop for sticky dough. Lightly coat your cookie scoop with nonstick spray or dip it in water between scoops for sticky cookie doughs. This helps the dough release cleanly from the scoop.
- Hand wash baking mats. Wash silicone baking mats by hand instead of putting them through the dishwasher. This helps keep the non-stick surface intact much longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While all these types of tools are helpful and make the baking process easier, you’ll just need a cookie sheet, measuring cups, measuring spoons and a mixing bowl to start. You can add more tools as you go.
Yes. A hand mixer can mix ingredients just as well as a stand mixer. The main difference is that a stand mixer is hands-free while you’ll have to hold a hand mixer to mix ingredients.
Yes! Mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, whisks, spatulas and a mixer are all baking tool staples that can be used for most types of baking.
Not necessarily. A spoon will get the job done, but a cookie scoop gives you evenly sized cookies every time you scoop, which helps them bake more evenly.
Both work well and neither requires greasing your baking sheet. Parchment paper is disposable and great to use if you do not want any extra cleanup, however a silicone mat is reusable and a better long-term option if you bake more often.
Let's Get Baking
Whether you’re starting your baking journey or just restocking a few things, these top 10 baking tools for cookies should serve as a good starting point in making your baking process easier. Having the right tools can help you focus on the fun part of baking: getting a batch of cookies to enjoy with consistent results each time. Ready to put these tools to work and bake up some cookies? Try these Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, these Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies or some Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
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