Do you smell that? It’s the scent of delicious, freshly baked cookies filling your home. But it’s not coming from your oven. No, they’re coming straight from your handy dandy toaster oven.
Cookies can be baked in a toaster oven, and it’s not much different from baking in your normal range. However, it’s essential to keep an eye on your cookies at all times. The bake time may need to be adjusted by a few minutes.
Hey, there! I’m Michelle, a baker and cookie lover. I just made a batch of cookies last night – and yes, I did it right inside my toaster oven. I enjoy baking cookies in my toaster oven so much that I wanted to share how to do it.
Let’s bake some cookies in the toaster oven!
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Can You Bake Cookies in the Toaster Oven?
There could be many reasons why you don’t want to use your oven for baking cookies. Maybe your oven’s broken, you don’t want to wait for it to heat up, or you’re trying to avoid the dreaded hot kitchen fiasco.
While there are many ways to bake cookies without an oven, the toaster oven might be the best option because it’s so similar to your range.
That said, yes, you can bake cookies in a toaster oven, and the results are excellent. It’s effortless to do, too!
How to Bake Cookies in a Toaster Oven
Baking cookies in a toaster oven is the same as baking cookies in the oven. There are only minor differences, with the most significant being that you won’t be able to bake as many cookies simultaneously.
Here’s how to do it:
Tip: There are some yummy recipes on the internet specifically for toaster oven cookies.
1. Preheat the Toaster Oven
Preheating is always recommended, even when it comes to baking in your toaster oven. You’ll use the same temperature listed on your cookie recipe. If your cookie recipe does not have a temperature, opt for 350F.
Double-check that your toaster oven displays the correct temperature using an oven thermometer. Otherwise, you may end up accidentally under or overbaking your cookies, and nobody wants that to happen!
2. Mix Your Ingredients
While your toaster oven is coming to temperature, it’s time to start mixing!
3. Place Cookies on a Sheet
Now that your cookie dough is ready, it’s time to scoop balls onto your baking sheet. Obviously, you’ll need a non-stick baking sheet that can fit inside your toaster oven.
Now, you have two options for ensuring your cookies don’t stick to the pan:
- Grease your baking sheet. You can use the convenient baking spray you have in your pantry or slab a pinch of butter across the pan. Personally, I enjoy using butter because it gives my cookies a little extra richness!
- Use a Silpat mat. The less “messy” option is a Silpat mat. These mats are uniquely designed to allow cookies (and other treats) to slide right off. You’ll need to buy Silpat mats that fit in the toaster oven. Do not cut regular-sized Silpat mats.
4. Bake Your Cookies!
It’s time for the final step – baking the cookies!
Baking cookies in a toaster oven is not different from baking in a range. That said, place them in the middle rack and use the recommended bake time on your recipe. Check your cookies around the eight-minute mark if there is no suggested bake time.
Note: Bake times may vary, although it is unlikely. I recommend checking on your cookies a few minutes early. For example, if the recipe says they’ll be done in 12 minutes, check on them at eight minutes and continue checking them every two minutes to ensure they don’t under or overbake.
5. Continue Baking Leftover Cookie Dough
Because you’ll be working in smaller batches, you’ll likely have leftover cookie dough that needs to be baked (unless you halved the recipe).
That said, remove the cookies from the toaster oven, wait about three minutes for them to cool, then transfer the baked cookies onto a cooling rack.
Don’t immediately place the new batch of cookie dough on the pan just yet. The baking sheet will likely be pretty hot, and putting cookie dough on a hot sheet can result in too much spreading and an undesirable result.
Instead, run the baking sheet (and Silpat mat, if using) under cold water for a minute or two. Dry it thoroughly. Then, place the cookie dough balls on the sheet and follow step four.
FAQs
Baking cookies in a toaster oven? Yup, totally possible and easy as can be! Before you go to make some freshly baked cookies, check out these frequently asked questions. You might want to know the answer to these prying questions!
Toaster ovens aren’t just good for baking cookies; they’re great for baking cookies! It’s incredibly easy to bake cookies in a toaster oven. The best part is that you won’t have to worry about heating your kitchen or waiting for the range to come to a temperature, allowing you to feast on freshly baked cookies in a flash!
There are two things that are key to avoiding burnt toaster oven cookies. First and foremost, bake on the middle rack. Secondly, keep an eye on your cookie dough. The bake time may be a few minutes less.
If desired, you can perform a “test cookie.” To do this, simply place one ball of cookie dough on your greased/lined baking sheet. Slide into the toaster oven and check to see when it’s done. This will be about the amount of time to bake a batch of cookies. (Due to the extra dough, you may need to add 30 seconds to a minute more.)
What can you not bake in a toaster oven?
Toaster ovens are very versatile and convenient appliances to add to your kitchen. That doesn’t mean they can do it all, though. There are four predominant things that should never be baked inside of your toaster oven, including paper products, cardboard, plastic, and styrofoam.
Who’s Ready for Some Toaster Oven Cookies?
If you want to use your toaster oven for baking cookies, then go right ahead! Follow along with your desired recipe. There should be little to no adjustments required. However, you may need to reduce the baking time by a couple of minutes, so keep an eye on your cookies while baking!
Have you ever used your toaster oven to bake cookies? Do you have any tips?
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