There is nothing quite as delectable as the scent of freshly baked cookies, but they can be touchy if you cook them wrong. Can you cook cookies on tinfoil? Is there a better way to prevent them from sticking to the pan? Having the perfect recipe for crispy or chewy cookies is only half of the problem. If your sweet treats stick then, you may end up with more pieces than whole cookies. Fortunately, there are plenty of techniques for getting your cookies baked to a golden brown and remove them from the pan. I’ll share my favorite tips and techniques. Plus, I’ll explain everything you need to know about using tinfoil. You can have perfect cookies every time.
Can you cook cookies on tinfoil? You can cook cookies on tinfoil. Using foil is a great way to brown the bottoms faster, so you can get a nice crunchy base. Every recipe is different, but a golden brown bottom can be hard to achieve. Use tinfoil when your recipe bakes quickly.
Do You Need To Bake Cookies On The Shiny Side Of Aluminum
Although you do not need to cook your cookies on tinfoil, there are some excellent reasons to choose foil. As for the shiny-side up versus down debate, the answer will surprise you. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter.
When tinfoil is manufactured, one side is down against the highly polished steel rollers. Resultantly, you get a smoother and shinier side on the foil. While this might matter on something larger, tinfoil is extremely thin.
The heat foil conducts moves evenly through the paper-like structure. Thus, both sides of the tinfoil get equally hot. Furthermore, the minute variation in reflectivity and smoothness won’t affect your cookies. Since they are made of a thick, porous substance, you will still have cookie-textured bottoms evenly heated regardless of which side is up.
It is the thin and thermal properties of tinfoil that matter to your cookies. Because foil conducts heat so well, it becomes hotter, faster than the baking sheet. This effect gives you brown, crisp cookie bottoms. Meanwhile, using a standard baking sheet is going to give a softer, less crunchy cookie base.
Lacy and thin cookies do best on the foil. However, for thick, chewy cookies like oatmeal or chocolate chip, it’s better to opt for a silicone baking mat as your liner. Doing this prevents the underside from getting too crisp since the bake time is longer on thick cookies.
A set of 18/8 Stainless Steel Cookie Sheets with Nonstick Silicone Baking Mats are great for cookies. The reinforced fiberglass and food-grade silicone mats prevent sticking, so your cookies come off the sheet. Moreover, cleanup is a breeze. Plus, the rolled edge baking sheets are warp-resistant. Read the excellent Amazon reviews by clicking here.
Is It Safe To Cook With Aluminum Foil In The Oven
There are numerous studies linking aluminum to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. However, you will find aluminum in nature and lots of cooking products. Should you be worried? Probably not.
Big scary words and inconclusive ‘links’ are not enough to prove that making a batch of cookies will harm you. What cooking with foil will do is raise the amount of aluminum already present in your diet slightly. If you are concerned, there are alternatives.
Opt for stainless steel cookware or nontoxic granite nonstick liners. Additionally, you can use parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. There’s no particular reason to be afraid of a small amount of aluminum.
However, aluminum is like anything else; too much can be problematic. It would be best if you practice moderation. Hopefully, you aren’t baking cookies every day, but if you are, use non-aluminum sheets. It’s improbable that a little cooked aluminum will ever affect you, but erring on the side of caution is always wise.
Which is Better? Baking Cookies On Aluminum Foil Vs. Parchment Paper
Just because you can cook your cookies on tinfoil, does that mean you always should? Well, naturally, if your recipe calls for a specific pan liner, then it’s probably best to use it. Unless you’re an experienced baker, messing with the process can result in some interesting mishaps.
Under-baked cookies fall apart. Moreover, they can be dangerous if they contain eggs. Meanwhile, overdone cookies are tough to chew at best. No one likes a burnt cookie.
In the world of ‘best’ cookies, the determines are more than merely the baking surface. Every type of cookie has its best baking surface. That said, if you have both foil and parchment paper, use the parchment paper.
Although foil provides fairly even heating, parchment paper is better. It offers an even more perfect heating surface. You will get exceptional coverage on the bottoms of your baked goods with parchment.
M Mcirco Stainless Steel Baking Sheets from Amazon come with silicone mats and cooling racks. Once you finish cooking, you can easily and quickly bring your cookies to room temperature for eating. Both non-toxic and twist and warp-free, these durable cookie sheets don’t need any foil or paper to give you superb cookies every time. Learn more on Amazon when you click here.
How To Bake Cookies Without A Cookie Sheet
There are two ways to bake without a standard cookie sheet. Firstly you can cook cookies on tinfoil. Second, you can use a silicone baking sheet.
Using foil works well. However, the downside is that it is disposable and wasteful. Furthermore, you will need to use multiple layers and form your own sheet. Plus, it isn’t easy to get a smooth surface with this method.
Layer three to five sheets of same-size foil on top of each other, and turn the edges up. You will need to pinch and fold at the corners. Additionally, this style of cookie sheet tends to fold in the middle when you pick it up. Use extra caution placing your makeshift cookie sheet in the oven.
Silicone baking sheets, on the other hand, come pre-formed. Silicone is usually rated up to around four-hundred-fifty degrees. This should be more than sufficient to bake any cookies.
However, if your recipe requires an especially high temperature, do not use silicone. It can burn and melt, though most baked goods are fine. Furthermore, just as your foil sheets tend to bend, the flexible silicone can also fold and droop in transit.
When you plan to bake cookies more than once, I strongly suggest investing in cookie sheets. Unlike softer materials, they don’t droop or bend while moving your baked sweets to and from the oven. After all, hot cookies are great, but not when they are on the floor.
Instead of skipping the cookie sheet, grab a set of CasaWare 3pc Ultimate Commercial Weight Cookie Sheets. Available in four colors to match any kitchen decor, these are more than just beautiful. The ceramic coating is California Proposition 65, FDA, and European Union approved. Moreover, it is Cadmium, Lead, PFOA, PTFE, and PFOS Free. Best of all, the cooling rack is a grid rather than straight metal rods to prevent smaller cookies from falling through. Grab yours from Amazon by clicking here.
You could temporarily substitute a baking tray such as a pizza tray for a small batch of cookies. However, your cookies may stick, and you will not be able to fit very many on the tray.
Can You Bake Cookies Directly On A Pan
If you cannot find anything except your pan to cook your cookies, don’t worry. You don’t need to bake on aluminum foil, parchment, or silicone to get good cookies. However, you still don’t want them to stick.
In place of the usual pan liners, you can use butter, cooking spray, or oil. It’s important to be aware that this will leave more mess and change the flavor of your cookies. Strongly flavored oils like olive are not the best plan.
Alternatively, using butter, canola, or flavorless coconut oil is ideal. Still, this can lead to burnt edges as the oil heats up. You will want to place your cookies on a paper-towel-lined plate to cool and remove some of that extra oil for the best results. Better still, get a good nonstick baking sheet.
I recommend baking cookies on a Boxiki Kitchen Nonstick Baking Sheet from Amazon. These nontoxic carbon steel baking sheets are ideal for making cookies directly on the pan. The wide rim makes these pans easy to pick up. Plus, they are cadmium-free, and resist denting, warping, and twisting. To have a set delivered to your door, click here.
Final Thoughts
Cooking the perfect cookie is hard, but tinfoil can help. It all depends on how you want your treat to taste and feel in the mouth. A truly soft cookie recipe is wrong for tinfoil cooking.
Alternately, thin, crispy cookies work exceptionally well on the foil. Especially when you get pale or too-soft bottoms, using this technique will give you a tasty treat with a more toasted underside. Cookies that take longer to bake, huge ones on lower heat, will come out superbly using tinfoil.
When you’re not sure how to get your cookies right, try pre-cooling the dough and varying the balls’ size. A couple of test batches can mean the difference between an ideal cookie and one that’s only so-so.
