How to Make Homemade Cookies

Co-authored by Quynh La

Last Updated: March 9, 2023 Approved

There's nothing like a batch of homemade cookies to lift your spirits and make your house smell wonderful. Homemade cookies aren't much more difficult to make than the slice and bake kind, but they taste a lot better. Read on to learn how to make a variety of popular cookies.

Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces chocolate chips
2 ¼ cups plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

1 ¾ cups white sugar
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup peanut butter
3 cups quick oatmeal
½ teaspoon salt

Ginger Cookies

¾ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Making Chocolate Chip Cookies

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2
Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Put the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and whisk them together.

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3
Cream the butter and sugars in a separate bowl. Place them in a large bowl and use a hand mixer to beat them together until the butter and sugars are fully combined and the mixture has turned light and fluffy.
4
Add the eggs and vanilla. Keep beating the mixture until the eggs and vanilla are completely blended in.
5
Stir in the flour mixture. Use a long-handled spoon to stir the dry ingredients in with the wet; keep stirring until you can't see any white specks of flour.
6
Mix in the chocolate chips. Pour them into the bowl and use the spoon to mix them in with the batter.
7
Drop spoonfuls of batter onto a baking sheet. Use a spoon or a small ice cream scoop to scoop even amounts of batter onto a baking sheet. Space them an inch or two apart so they'll have room to spread while baking.
- To keep the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet, you can line it with parchment paper before placing the cookies on it.
- For perfectly even cookies, use a 1/8 measuring cup to scoop the batter.
8
Bake the cookies. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake the cookies for 15 minutes, or until they turn golden brown on top and the edges look slightly crisp.
9
Remove the cookies from the oven to cool. Place them on a cooling rack or move them to a plate and let them cool until they aren't too hot to eat.
10
Finished. Enjoy!

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Making Sugar Cookies

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).^{[1]
X
Expert Source

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Expert Interview. 11 March 2022.}
2
Mix the dry ingredients. Place the flour and baking soda in a bowl. Whisk until they are fully combined.^{[2]
X
Expert Source

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Expert Interview. 11 March 2022.}
3
Cream the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.^{[3]
X
Expert Source

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Expert Interview. 11 March 2022.} Place the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a bowl and beat until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy.
4
Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients.^{[4]
X
Expert Source

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Expert Interview. 11 March 2022.} Use a long-handled spoon to stir the batter until you can no longer see the specks of white flour.
5
Drop the cookies onto a baking sheet. Use a spoon or a small ice cream scoop to place even amounts of cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Space them an inch or two apart to allow the cookies room to spread.^{[5]
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Research source}
6
Flatten the cookies. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the cookies flat.
7
Sprinkle the cookies with sugar. This will give the cookies a sweet, crunchy finish.
8
Bake the cookies. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the cookies for 15 minutes, or until the tops turn slightly golden.
9
Let the cookies cool. Remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack or a plate. Let them cool for a minute or two before eating.
10
Decorate the cookies. Sugar cookies are fun to decorate with glaze or icing. Add sprinkles or edible glitter to make them look festive.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Making No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

1
Boil the milk and sugar. Place them in a saucepan. Put the saucepan on the stove and turn the burner to medium high. Let the milk and sugar come to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves, which should take about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat.^{[6]
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Research source}
2
Add the vanilla, peanut butter and salt. Pour the ingredients into the saucepan and stir them in until they're completely incorporated.
- You can add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to make chocolate peanut butter cookies.
- Stir in 1/2 cup peanut butter
3
Stir in the oatmeal.
4
Scoop the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a spoon or a small ice cream scoop to scoop the batter in even amounts onto a baking sheet.
5
Let the cookies cool for 15 minutes. As they cool, they'll harden slightly. When you can pick them up without them falling apart, they're ready to eat.
6
Store leftover cookies in the refrigerator. Save some treats for later by storing them in the fridge, which will keep them from melting and falling apart.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Making Ginger Cookies

1
Mix the dry ingredients. Put the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves in a bowl. Use a whisk to stir the ingredients together.
2
Cream the butter and sugars in a separate bowl. Place them in a mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat the ingredients until they become light and fluffy.
3
Add the remaining wet ingredients. Place the egg, vanilla, and molasses in the bowl with the butter and sugars. Beat the wet ingredients until they are fully combined.^{[7]
X
Research source}
4
Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Use a spoon to stir the batter until you no longer see specks of white flour.
5
Form the batter into a ball and chill it. Use your hands to form it into a ball shape, then place it on a sheet of plastic wrap and pull up the edges to completely wrap the dough ball. Put it in the refrigerator and chill for 1/2 hour.
6
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
7
Roll out the dough. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and put it on a floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough to ¹⁄₄ inch (0.6 cm) thickness.
8
Cut the dough. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough, then place the unbaked cookies on a baking sheet as you go.
9
Bake the cookies. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake the cookies for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven before the edges brown.
10
Let the cookies cool. Place them on a cooling rack or a plate and let them cool for a minute before eating.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Making Other Cookies

1
Make homemade biscotti. This Italian cookie is usually served with espresso or red wine.
2
Make snickerdoodles. This riff on the sugar cookie combines the delectable flavors of cinnamon and sugar.
3
Make oatmeal cookies. These hearty cookies make a great after school snack.
4
Make double chocolate cookies. There's nothing like two types of chocolate in the same cookie to satisfy your cravings.
5
Make thumbprint cookies. They're a combination of buttery shortbread and sweet jam.
6
Make lemon drop cookies. These little bursts of sunshine are a perfect treat for afternoon tea.

Expert Q&A

Question

Should I flatten cookies before baking?

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Quynh La is a Professional Baker and the Owner of Sugar Bakery & Cafe in Seattle, Washington. With over seven years of experience, she specializes in baking cakes, cookies, croissants, and bread. Quynh holds an AAS in Culinary Arts from South Seattle College and a second AAS in Specialty Desserts & Bread from Seattle Central College.

Quynh La

Professional Baker

Expert Answer

If you want a crispy texture, definitely! A lot of people don't like to press their cookies down because they enjoy a chewier texture.
Question

What is the secret to making cookies?

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Quynh La is a Professional Baker and the Owner of Sugar Bakery & Cafe in Seattle, Washington. With over seven years of experience, she specializes in baking cakes, cookies, croissants, and bread. Quynh holds an AAS in Culinary Arts from South Seattle College and a second AAS in Specialty Desserts & Bread from Seattle Central College.

Quynh La

Professional Baker

Expert Answer

Make sure that your butter is at room temperature before you get started! Your egg doesn't need to be at room temperature, but people don't realize that sometimes.
Question

How much is in a cup?

Qamar

Top Answerer

There are 3 ounces (85 grams) in a cup.