What’s the only thing more horrifying than finding out someone ate your cookies?
Finding a hard and crumbly cookie instead of a soft, chewy one.
In this article, I test four different ways to soften your stale cookies.
In a rush? Here’s the short answer.
The best way to soften cookies is in the microwave. Place your cookies on a microwave-safe plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Microwave the cookies in 5-second intervals until they’re warm and soft. Eat the cookies while they’re hot, or your they will quickly become stale again.
A note on my experiment
I made a big batch of my favorite cookies (chocolate chip), then left them out overnight so they got hard.
The next day, I tested four different methods to make them soft and chewy again.
I tried to soften the cookies:
- Using bread (Surprisingly effective)
- In the microwave (most effective)
- Using plastic wrap (good for overbaked cookies)
- Using milk or juice (great for an instant snack)
The microwave turned out to be the best method.
It was quick, effective, and a great way to restore the cookies to their natural, melty state.
Using bread also worked well, but wasn’t quick.
Softening cookies using bread
To soften stale cookies, put your cookies into an airtight container with a piece of fresh bread. Wait a few hours or overnight for the best results. Test your cookies. If they’re soft and chewy, they’re ready to go. Swap the bread each day to keep your cookies fresh!
How to soften cookies using bread:
- Place stale cookies into an airtight container.
- Add a piece of soft, fresh bread.
- Wait a few hours or overnight.
- Check your cookies. Are they soft and chewy?
- Swap your hard bread for a new slice to keep them fresh.
When picking your bread, make sure it’s fresh.
This trick works because the bread transfers moisture to the cookies.
If you use stale bread, it won’t have any moisture to transfer!
I’d also stick with a piece of plain white bread. A strongly flavored bread could mess with the taste of your cookies.
If you don’t have bread, you can use fresh orange peel, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, or a slice of apple instead.
You might have a slightly citrusy cookie the next day, but it will be soft.
My verdict
It’s a shame that the process isn’t instant.
When I want a cookie, I am not keen on waiting three hours. Still, it’s surprisingly effective!
A good tip is to keep a slice of bread in with the cookies from the start.
Swap out the bread as it hardens, and your cookies will stay soft for longer!
Softening cookies in the microwave
To soften stale cookies in the microwave, put your cookies on a plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Microwave the cookies in 5-second intervals until they’re warm. Eat them while they’re hot, or your cookie will become even staler than before.
How to soften cookies in the microwave:
- Put your cookies on a microwave-safe plate. Stick to one or two at a time.
- Cover them with a damp paper towel.
- Microwave in 5-second intervals.
- Enjoy them while they’re warm and gooey!
The damp paper towel over the top of the cookies makes sure they don’t dry out.
Without it, the cookies will just get harder.
The only downside to this method is that you’ve got to scarf these suckers down.
If they get cold again, there will be no getting them back to normal. They’ll taste like cardboard.
My verdict
This was my favorite method.
Not only did it make those chocolate chips nice and melty (yum), it was fast, easy, and effective.
Softening cookies using milk or juice
To soften your cookies using juice or milk, prepare a glass of either beverage. Next, take your hard cookie and dunk it into the drink until it becomes soft. Take your cookie one soft bite at a time and enjoy a refreshing drink after.
How to soften cookies using juice or milk:
- Pour a big glass of milk or juice (cold or warm, it’s up to you).
- Dunk your cookie into the drink.
- Hold it in the liquid until it gets soft.
- Take a bite and repeat.
The Oreo crowd already knows this method, right?
This method is perfect for those with no time to waste, whether you’re on the go or just too hungry to wait.
Keep in mind that the longer you hold the cookie under, the softer it will become.
This means you’ve got a golden area of time where it’s perfectly soft. It sits right between “still a little hard” and “oh no, my cookie fell apart.”
Personally, my favorite combination is white chocolate chip cookies with cranberry juice.
Soft, sweet, tart, and delicious!
My verdict
I acknowledge that this method may not be for everyone.
If you don’t like floating cookie crumbs in your drink, this is probably not for you.
I didn’t mind, though! It was quick and easy, and I didn’t have to wait to eat my cookie.
Softening cookies using plastic wrap
To soften your stale cookies using plastic wrap, first heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Next, cover your cookies in foil and heat them in the oven for 5 minutes. When you take your cookie out of the oven, wrap it immediately in plastic wrap. Let it sit for a few minutes before digging in.
How to soften cookies using plastic wrap
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Cover your cookies in foil.
- Heat for five minutes.
- Once you take them out, wrap them in plastic wrap.
- Let them sit for several minutes.
Wrapping the cookies in the plastic wrap while they’re still hot will trap steam and force it back into the cookie, softening it.
You can also use foil or even a thick kitchen towel.
Don’t keep the cookie in the oven for too long, though.
Obviously, at some point, it will have the opposite effect and you’ll have a dry, burnt cookie.
Tip: do this with freshly-baked cookies for a super moist result (or if you overbaked them a bit)
My verdict
This method was better for fresh cookies.
The stale cookies did soften a little bit.
But for really tough cookies, I would suggest another method.
How to keep cookies fresh
The best way to keep cookies fresh is to store them in an airtight container at room temperature. To keep them moist, try storing them with a slice of fresh white bread. While you can extend the lifespan of a cookie with the bread, you should eat them within 4 or 5 days.
Thankfully, cookies don’t necessarily “expire.”
You won’t get sick from eating a stale cookie, but you might regret the dry, tasteless crumbs on your tongue once you take a bite.
Avoid refrigerating the cookies because this will cause them to stale quicker.
Another tip is to keep similar cookies together.
So don’t store soft cookies in the same container as hard cookies.
The soft cookies will transfer their moisture to the hard cookies, and you’ll end up with a bunch of not-hard-but-not-soft cookies.
What to do with stale or overbaked cookies
If your cookies are too far gone to salvage, or you just feel like doing something different with them, here are a few ideas:
- Crumble them and mix them into your ice cream or shake. Even your homemade blue-bell chocolate shake will feel gourmet with this addition.
- Make a pie crust. Combine crushed cookies with melted butter and smush the mixture into shape on the bottom of a pie pan.
- Put them in your brownie batter. Elevate your brownies from nut-filled to cookie-filled and roll in the compliments.
- Make cookie butter! This makes a great spread for your toast or a drizzle for your fruits and desserts.
- Make truffles. Crumble them, add cream cheese, roll them into balls, and refrigerate. Now you’ve got truffles!
- Put a dollop of ice cream in between your cookies for an ice cream sandwich. Wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer. Bonus! Stale cookies will soften from the moisture in the ice cream.
Exactly How To Soften Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 portion cookies stale
Instructions
- Put your cookies on a microwave-safe plate. Stick to one or two at a time.
- Cover them with a damp paper towel.
- Microwave in 5-second intervals.
- Enjoy them while they’re warm and gooey!