How To Make Store-Bought Cookies Seem Freshly Baked - Tasting Table (2024)

How To Make Store-Bought Cookies Seem Freshly Baked - Tasting Table (2)

How To Make Store-Bought Cookies Seem Freshly Baked - Tasting Table (3)

How To Make Store-Bought Cookies Seem Freshly Baked

How To Make Store-Bought Cookies Seem Freshly Baked - Tasting Table (4)

Liveslow/Getty Images

ByStephanie Friedman/

When you're walking past the bakery at a grocery store, it's hard to resist picking up a package of pillowy sugar cookies with pastel frosting. You know the ones— they look soft, fluffy, and like they could give you a toothache just from glancing at them. But oftentimes, when we buy cookies at the store, they end up tasting less than satisfying when we eat them at home. What looked like a soft treat turns out to be crunchier and harder than expected.

Why does this happen? Cookies are fresh right out of the oven because of the ingredients used to bake them—butter, brown sugar, and egg yolks all contribute to a chewy texture. Unfortunately, once they're left to sit out on the counter, their moisture begins to evaporate as their sugars and starches start becoming solid. This isn't just a cookie problem, as muffins, bread, and a plethora of other baked goods face the same dilemma. However, this doesn't mean you have to avoid the package that's calling your name in the bakery because it's pretty easy to make your store-bought cookies taste fresh at home.

Pop cookies in the oven for a minute

How To Make Store-Bought Cookies Seem Freshly Baked - Tasting Table (5)

IC Production/Shutterstock

If your first bite into a store-bought cookie is more cold than heavenly, you may want to use this quick trick to bring it back to life. All you have to do is pop it in the oven for one minute at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and your cookie should already taste better than when you bought it. Not only will it be warm and smell delicious, but anychocolate chipsshould be slightly melted, making for a gooier cookie.

While it is convenient to only re-heat your cookie for a minute, the low oven temperature and short warming time are also important to make sure you're not overbaking or burning it. If you leave your cookie in there too long, it may actually end up drier and more crumbly than what you started with. If one minute isn't doing the trick, you can try keeping it in the oven for up to five minutes, but make sure to take it out after that.

For an even quicker method that will bring moisture back into your cookie, try wrapping it in a damp paper towel and microwaving it on a plate at 10-second intervals. The water will turn into steam, which will absorb back into your treat. But if you just want to warm your cookies, you don't need to bother with all that— a quick stint in the oven will do.

Recommended

How To Make Store-Bought Cookies Seem Freshly Baked - Tasting Table (2024)

FAQs

How To Make Store-Bought Cookies Seem Freshly Baked - Tasting Table? ›

All you have to do is pop it in the oven for one minute at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and your cookie should already taste better than when you bought it. Not only will it be warm and smell delicious, but any chocolate chips should be slightly melted, making for a gooier cookie.

How do you make packaged cookies taste homemade? ›

No one will even suspect they're store-bought (and we won't tell anyone!).
  1. Add brown sugar. ...
  2. Experiment with extracts. ...
  3. Mix in different candies and snacks. ...
  4. Add espresso or coffee grounds. ...
  5. Deepen the flavors by refrigerating the dough. ...
  6. Salt before baking the cookies. ...
  7. Reduce baking time for extra soft cookies.

How can I make store bought cookies look more homemade? ›

Once the butter is lightly bubbling, place cookies in the pan. Leave them in just long enough so that they begin to brown on the bottom. Remove from heat, and with your (very clean) hand, slightly dent the tops and sides to create a slightly "homemade" look.

How do you tell if a cookie is baked enough? ›

If it feels set and springs back slightly, it is likely done. Avoid pressing too hard, as this can deflate the cookie. Light Cracking – Look for light cracks on the surface of the cookies. If you see them, the cookies have been baked long enough and are ready to be taken out of the oven.

How to make cookies taste fresh again? ›

Simply lay the bread at the bottom of the container and pile your cookies on top of it, seal the lid, and wait a few hours. The cookies will soak up all the moisture from the bread and by the next morning, they will taste as good as the day they came out of the oven gooey.

How do you make store-bought sugar cookies taste better? ›

A teaspoon or two of extracts will noticeably boost flavor when blended into your sugar cookie mix. Vanilla is the obvious choice. For a more intriguing flavor, add both vanilla and almond extracts. Rum, maple and anise are other delicious varieties to consider.

How do you keep store-bought cookies fresh? ›

To help store-bought cookies stay fresh, remove them from their original packaging and place them in an airtight container. You can also freeze store-bought cookies to help them last longer.

How to dress up store-bought chocolate chip cookies? ›

Dip cookies into melted bittersweet chocolate chips. Add chocolate-covered pretzels for ears, candy eyeballs and a cinnamon imperial for the nose.

What if cookies are not baked enough? ›

They are likely not fully cooked if they feel excessively soft or doughy. Properly baked cookies should have a slightly firm texture on the outside. Spread: Raw or undercooked cookies may spread excessively during baking and have a flatter shape than desired.

Should you bake cookies at a higher or lower temperature? ›

For those ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookies, 375 degrees Fahrenheit is your sweet spot. It's the perfect temperature to ensure super crispy exterior edges, while leaving the center slightly underdone and, thus, doughy and fudgey. If you're feeling particularly bold, give 400 degrees Fahrenheit a go.

Is it better to bake cookies on top or bottom? ›

Which oven rack position should you use when baking cookies? Cookies should be baked on the center oven rack for even heating and air circulation. As a best practice, is it recommended to rotate the cookie sheet or sheets roughly halfway, or shortly thereafter, through the baking time, if needed.

What brings out the flavor in cookies? ›

If you brown your butter (cook the butter until the milk solids brown and it gives off a rich, nutty aroma), this causes the water content of the butter to evaporate, lending no extra moisture to the dough, yielding a very dense, but richly flavoured cookie.

Why do my cookies have no taste? ›

The ingredients you used could be the culprit – using different sugars, melted butter, baking powder or baking soda can alter a cookie's texture and taste.

Why do cookies taste better when refrigerated? ›

Since cookie dough is relatively low in moisture (compared to muffin or cake batter), the chemical reactions occur more slowly anyway. Also, cookies rely less on leavening than say muffins or cakes. That's why we see an improvement in the taste and texture when chilling cookie doughs!

How to make store-bought cookie mix good? ›

Box mix cookie dough is just a box of the dry ingredients. You typically only add eggs and butter to a box mix recipe, but A Good Tired blog says you shouldn't stop there. Add in milk, vanilla, oatmeal, and a little bit of coconut oil to increase the flavor profile of the box mix dough.

How to cook pre packaged cookies? ›

Prep Instructions

HEAT oven to 350°F (or 325°F for nonstick cookie sheet). PLACE cookie dough rounds about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. BAKE 10 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. COOL 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet.

Why do homemade cookies taste better than store-bought? ›

Have you ever read some of the ingredient labels for your favorite store-bought cookies? They can have a lot of additives, preservatives, and hydrogenated fats. When you make homemade cookies the ingredient list is pretty straight forward - butter, eggs, flour, and sugar, which results in higher quality cookies.

How do you make store-bought cookies moist? ›

The easiest way to soften cookies with bread is to place the cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread and leave them for a few hours. The bread will release moisture and help to rehydrate the cookies, making them soft and chewy once again.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 5926

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.