How Long to Bake Cookies: an easy guide

If you’re trying to make a batch of cookies, but can’t find the exact recipe or the time the recipe says to bake them for, you might be wondering how long to bake the perfect cookies!

Is it like a cake where you bake it for 20+ minutes? Is it just a few minutes? Somewhere in between?

Each cookie recipe is going to be specifically formulated to bake in a certain amount of minutes, BUT there is also that little old chestnut of the fact that your oven could bake hotter or cooler than other people’s.

This is why there is often a range of times people give when telling you how long to bake cookies for.

They don’t necessarily know if yours will be done, or golden, at 8 minutes or at 12 minutes.

But let’s go back to the fact that you don’t have the recipe in front of you and just want to know how long to bake your cookies for.

Using a method of averaging out the baking times for the top 10 cookie recipes that come up on a search in each category, we’ve been able to figure out the perfect average baking time depending on the type of cookies you’re making.

You’ll notice that “drop cookies” like chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies tend to be similar baking times, while shortbread takes longer and a cut-out sugar cookie may take less time so you don’t burn the edges.

If you have any other types of cookies you’d like us to calculate the best baking time for, let us know in the comments!

putting cookies in oven

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How Long to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies

The average time to bake chocolate chip cookies for is: 11 minutes

Recipe SourceBaking Time
BBC Vintage Chocolate Chip Cookies8-10 minutes
Sally’s Baking Addiction Chewy Choc Chip Cookies12-13 minutes
Tasty Chocolate Chip Cookies12-15 minutes
Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies8-10 minutes
Handle the Heat12-15 minutes
All Recipes10 minutes
Bon Appetit8-10 minutes
Nigella15-17 minutes
Cookie & Kate14-17 minutes
Martha Stewart8-10 minutes

Must-Have Baking Tools (seriously)

How Long to Bake Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies

The average time to bake soft sugar cookies for is: 10 minutes

A plate of sugar cookies
Recipe SourceBake Time
Bigger, Bolder, Baking8-10 minutes
A Spicy Perspective9-11 minutes
All Recipes8-10 minutes
Life, Love and Sugar7-8 minutes
Add a Pinch8-10 minutes
Host the Toast12-16 minutes
Girl vs Dough9-11 minutes
Mel’s Kitchen Cafe11-13 minutes
Pretty Simple Sweet11-12 minutes
Kim’s Cravings12-13 minutes

How Long to Bake Shortbread Cookies

The average time to bake shortbread cookies for is: 16 minutes

Recipe SourceBake Time
Simply Recipes15-18 minutes
BBC15-20 minutes
Preppy Kitchen10 minutes
Joy of Baking15 minutes
Bigger, Bolder, Baking16-18 minutes
Cooking Classy13-16 minutes
Daring Gourmet30-35 minutes
Two Peas & a Pod15-17 minutes
All Recipes10-12 minutes
Live Well, Bake Often12-15 minutes

How Long to Bake Cake Mix Cookies

The average time to bake cake mix cookies is: 10 minutes

Recipe SourceBake Time
Cookies & Cups9-10 minutes
Tasty10-12 minutes
Sally’s Baking Addiction10-12 minutes
Live Well, Bake Often10-12 minutes
Betty Crocker10-12 minutes
I Heart Naptime9-11 minutes
Taste & Tell10-12 minutes
Cookie Rookie8-12 minutes
The Kitchn10 minutes
Lauren’s Latest8-10 minutes

How Long to Bake Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

The average time to bake cut-out sugar cookies for is: 9 minutes

joanna-gaines-crew-cookies
Recipe SourceBake Time
Sally’s Baking Addiction11-12 minutes
All Recipes6-8 minutes
Life, Love, and Sugar6-8 minutes
Haniela’s10-11 minutes
Tastes of Lizzy T12-13 minutes
Food Network10 minutes
Joy Food Sunshine9-10 minutes
Brown Eyed Baker10-12 minutes
Fifteen Spatulas9-12 minutes
Wilton8-11 minutes

How Long to Bake Snickerdoodle Cookies

The average time to bake snickerdoodle cookies for is: 10 minutes

snickerdoodle-cookies
Recipe sourceBake time
Sally’s Baking Addiction10 minutes
Modern Honey9-11 minutes
Delish12 minutes
Cookies & Cups12-15 minutes
Hummingbird High10 minutes
All Recipes8-10 minutes
Betty Crocker8-10 minutes
Natasha’s Kitchen8-10 minutes
Preppy Kitchen10 minutes
The Frugal South8-10 minutes

How Long to Bake Gingerbread Cookies

The average time to bake gingerbread cookies for is: 11 minutes

Cookie Cutter Cookies
Recipe sourceBake time
Sally’s Baking Addiction9-10 minutes
BBC9-10 minutes
Gimme Some Oven8-10 minutes
Delish9-10 minutes
King Arthur Baking8-10 minutes
Martha Stewart20 minutes
The Pioneer Women12-15 minutes
Tastes Better from Scratch8-11 minutes
Simply Recipes8-10 minutes
Joy of Baking8-12 minutes

How Long to Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

The average time to bake peanut butter cookies for is: 11-12 minutes

peanut-butter-cookies
Recipe sourceBake time
Sally’s Baking Addiction10-12 minutes
Preppy Kitchen8 minutes
Simply Recipes9-10 minutes
All Recipes10 minutes
Baking Mad18-20 minutes
Live Well, Bake Often10-12 minutes
Ahead of Thyme8-10 minutes
Love & Lemons12-13 minutes
Bigger, Bolder, Baking15 – 20 minutes
Erren’s Kitchen10 minutes

How Long to Bake Crinkle Cookies

The average time to bake crinkle cookies for is: 11 minutes

Recipe sourceBake time
BBC10 minutes
Sally’s Baking Addiction11-12 minutes
Cafe Delites10 minutes
Preppy Kitchen10-12 minutes
All Recipes10-12 minutes
Bake or Break14-18 minutes
Bigger, Bolder, Baking10-12 minutes
eat, little bird10-12 minutes
Two Sisters8-10 minutes
Gimme Some Oven10 minutes

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