You produced some lovely, chewy, handmade cookies—excellent work! Isn’t the first day of fresh cookies the best? But then, on the second day, you go for a cookie only to discover that it has hardened and become crunchy.
What the hell happened?!? Why don’t the cookies last more than a day? Don’t worry, I’ll help you conserve your cookies and keep them soft for many days.
Furthermore, be sure to read our piece on easy methods to keep a cake soft!
Contents
- First, Make Soft Cookies
- My Cookies Were Soft…
- Keep ‘Em Soft
- My Cookies Are Already Hard! Help!
- Keep Cookies Soft- It’s Not That Hard!
- FAQs
- How do you keep soft cookies from getting hard?
- How do you moisten dry cookies?
- How do you freshen stale cookies?
- What causes cookies to be hard?
- What is the secret to making cookies soft?
- What ingredient keeps cookies soft?
- How do you add moisture to cookies?
- How long do cookies stay moist?
- How do you add moisture to baked goods?
- How do you soften cookies left out overnight?
First, Make Soft Cookies
The first step in keeping cookies soft is, of course, to produce soft cookies in the first place. We’ll go through a few tips for producing excellent soft cookies fast.
Let us begin with the most important purpose of all: let us begin with flour. Cake flour may not brown as rapidly as all-purpose flour, but it does help the cookies rise somewhat, making them chewier. One step closer to chewy cookies!
Shortening, which does not melt as rapidly as butter and prevents the cookies from spreading too thinly when baking, should be included in your cookie mix. Thicker, softer cookies result from less spreading.
Brown sugar, rather than white sugar, is also a preferable option for chewy cookies. Brown sugar holds moisture in the oven, and moisture means soft!
My preferred method for keeping cookies chewy is to bake them just until they are cookies but still soft in the middle. Overbaking might cause the cookies to become hard and crisp. Shorter time in the oven results in a soft cookie!
If crunchy and crisp cookies are your thing, try these easy methods for making them crisp.
My Cookies Were Soft…
What happened if you made extremely soft cookies (excellent job!) but then discovered they were as hard as rocks the following day? The first thing to consider is how you kept them.
Were they neatly wrapped or kept in an airtight container? Or were they left out in the open overnight? Dry air is the deadliest enemy of soft biscuits. Even the softest cookie will harden if not properly preserved.
Keep ‘Em Soft
Cover the Cookies Well
The first step in keeping cookies soft is to carefully wrap them in plastic wrap or store them at room temperature in an airtight container, ideally glass. Keep the air out! The less exposed the cookies are, the better off they will be. So tie them up!
Use Bread
It may seem counterintuitive, but keeping the cookies alongside a piece of bread works wonderfully. Place a piece of plain bread in the bottom of the cookie jar or plate and arrange the cookies on top.
The moisture from the bread will permeate into the cookies, keeping them soft. Bread is an ideal tool since it has minimal flavor or aroma and will not impart any undesirable flavor to the cookies.
Replace the bread every day or two to keep the cookies fresh (do handmade cookies ever last more than a day?!?). The bread will get firm and crispy while the cookies will remain soft- this is moisture transfer in action!
Freezer Bags For Soft Cookies
Although we’ve previously discussed how important it is to cover the cookies properly, it’s worth mentioning how beneficial freezer bags are for cookie storage. Regular plastic bags and plastic wrap are substantially thinner and less porous than freezer bags.
Put the cookies in a freezer bag in a single layer, seal it tightly, and your cookies will remain lovely and soft. It is a simple solution!
My Cookies Are Already Hard! Help!
Maybe you’re reading this post too late, and your formerly chewy cookies have hardened. Don’t be concerned! It may yet be possible to preserve them!
You may try a few things to get your cookies soft again.
Apple?
If you have an apple on hand, you are on your way to soft cookies! Chop up an apple and store it in an airtight container alongside your cookies.
Let them to sit for a few hours (preferably overnight). The wet apple will assist to humidify the air in the container and soften the cookies. Such a simple way!
Bread
Is there no apple? No worries. We can use our piece of bread technique again! Wrap a slice of bread around the hard cookies and keep overnight.
Although the cookies will not get as soft as if kept with an apple, they will retain some moisture from the bread. Goodbye, crunchy cookies!
Microwave
If you want to consume one of the hardened cookies straight away, the following tip is ideal. Put the cookie on a platter and add a few teaspoons of water to a microwavable cup. Put the plate and water in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds.
The steam from the water softens the cookie, while the microwave heat warms it up. You’ll be enjoying a soft cookie that tastes like it just came out of the oven in no time!
Oven
In terms of the oven, you may soften cookies by just returning them to it for a minute or two. This procedure works best if you intend to consume the cookies immediately.
Indeed, they will be tender when they come out of the oven, but as they cool, they will become even crisper. Consume them fast while they are still warm and crunchy!
Did you know you can bake cookies in the absence of an oven?
Keep Cookies Soft- It’s Not That Hard!
With so many methods for keeping cookies soft or re-softening them, you should never have to eat a stale, crispy cookie again. Bake soft cookies first, then store them carefully (it seems that having some bread on hand is a good idea!).
If you forget to forgive them, they will forget to forgive you. With our help, you’ll be munching soft cookies in no time.
Now turn on the oven and grab the mixer; it’s time to create some soft, chewy cookies. My mouth is already watering!
FAQs
Ways for Preserving Cookies to Keep Them Tender
Cool cookies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container (not a cookie jar with a loose cover). Refrigerating cookies, cakes, or breads can cause them to dry out.
You can’t have your cookies and eat them. The moisture in the bread will make the cookies softer. Instead, you may just microwave the cookies for 4-5 seconds to soften their texture.
BREAD! Well, according to TikTok user @tasty, all you need to resuscitate your stale cookies is a slice of bread and a food storage container. What’s the catch? Put your slice of bread on top of the cookie stack in a container, shut the lid, and leave overnight.
The most frequent cause of difficult cookies is because the cookie batter was over-mixed. Gluten starts to develop when flour is added to the dough. Gluten helps to bind baked foods, but too much gluten might result in tough cookies.
Brown sugar, which has a higher moisture content and holds moisture better than white sugar, is ideal for soft cookies.
Shortening may be used in place of or in addition to butter.
Instead of baking soda, use baking powder.
Eggs, especially egg yolks…
Instead of all-purpose flour, use cake flour.
Oct 5, 2020
It all comes down to moisture. To keep it simple, cookie recipes with a lot of butter, brown sugar, or egg yolks will produce soft and chewy cookies since those components contribute moisture and hold it for a longer period of time.
Add molasses or honey to taste. A tablespoon of molasses in a standard-sized cookie recipe is another technique to add moisture to your cookies. Use little more than a tablespoon or your cookies will be too sugary and runny. One spoonful is enough.
Most handmade cookies will keep their flavor and texture for up to three days. If you leave the cookies out for too long, they can harden or dry out. To protect cookies from becoming stale, wrap them in plastic wrap or store them in an airtight container.
How do you add moisture to baked goods?
Here are five suggestions for moistening a dry cake that has already been baked.
Glaze with a basic syrup glaze. If your cake layers come out too dry, Velez suggests glazing them with simple syrup.
Soak the cake in milk…
… Fill the cake with mousse or jam.
Decorate the cake…
Place it in the refrigerator.
Apr 27, 2021
Softening Hard Cookies
Cuddle 14 slices of bread per dozen cookies into the bottom of the jar (use plain white bread to avoid flavor transmission).
Let it rest covered for 24 hours, and replace the bread as required when it begins to stale.
What if you don’t have any white bread?
Nov 2, 2020