How to Soften Cookies – Sustainable Cooks

October 13, 2022

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Learn all the tips and tricks for how to soften cookies. Make crunchy hard cookies soft again with these easy kitchen hacks.

3 chocolate chip cookies stacked on a plate with a small bottle of milk with a straw in the background.

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Perfectly soft cookies are a delightful and wonderful treat. But if those cookies get left out for too long or are stored improperly, they can become hard and brittle.

Thankfully, there are a few different ways to soften hard cookies so that you can enjoy them again.

I’ll walk you through my favorite methods for how to soften cookies, but the best way to keep them fresh is to not let them become hard in the first place.

You can prevent this by: 1) using butter 2) using brown sugar (vs. just white sugar) 3) not over-baking them, and 4) using proper storage.

Old-fashioned cookie jars are wonderful decorations but are almost never air-tight. Allowing your cookies to be exposed to air for too long will dry them out, leading to hard cookies.

I prefer to store mine in glass containers with air-tight lids (like these Snapware containers). Sure they’re not as cute as a kitschy cookie jar, but in my eyes (and mouth) soft cookies win over aesthetics.

How do You Make Hard Cookies Soft Again?

There are three main ways to make cookies soft again – the microwave method, the slice of bread method, and the sliced apple method.

Each method works well but will take a varying amount of time to show results. Let’s break each of them down below.

Softening Cookies in the Microwave

Place 1-2 cookies on a microwave-safe plate and loosely cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 5 seconds at a time until the cookies have softened.

Enjoy it as soon as it is safe to eat. Once it cools, the cookie will go back to being hard.

Why it works: the butter in the cookies will harden a bit once cooled after the initial baking. Most butter is about 80-82% milkfat, and when it is heated the milkfat will return to a softened form.

Softening Cookies With Bread

Place a piece of soft bread in an air-tight container with hard cookies, and over 12-24 hours the cookies will soften up. For best results, use fresh soft white bread. The heel end of the bread that seems to always be ignored by most family members, would be great.

Why it works: soft FRESH bread has moisture in it that will “stick” to the sugar crystals in the cookies. That moisture will plump up the sugar within the cookies, leading to a softer cookie.

Pro tip: use a neutral-flavored fresh slice of bread. Bread with bold or savory ingredients (garlic, cheese, rye, etc.,) will likely negatively impact the flavor of your cookies.

a piece of bread in a glass lidded container with cookies.

Softening Cookies With Apples

Place a few slices of apple in an air-tight container with the cookies, and over 12-24 hours the cookies will soften up.

Why it works: much like the bread method, the cut apple has moisture in it that will “stick” to the sugar crystals in the cookies. That moisture will plump up the sugar within the cookies, leading to a softer cookie.

Pro tip: For a sustainable option, you can even use the core of an apple.

4 apple slices in a glass lidded container with cookies.

How Do You Soften Cookies Without a Microwave?

If you don’t have a microwave, you can soften cookies using either the bread or apple method discussed above. Please note, both of those methods do not give you instant results, but they will work!

You can also purchase a brown sugar bear and use it in the cookie container. These bears are made from food-safe clay and can help maintain moisture in foods for 3-6 months.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

If using the microwave method, make sure the paper towel is damp and not wet. You want to introduce just a bit of moisture to the cookies without soaking them.
Using brown sugar leads to softer initial cookies due to the moisture from the molasses that is in brown sugar. You’ll get even better results if you make homemade brown sugar because it’s fresh!
Cookies that are overbaked initially likely won’t soften up using any of the above methods. For cookies that were in the oven too long, your best bet is to enjoy them dunked in milk or cocoa.
The bread and apple method also both work well with softening brown sugar that has crystalized.

Our Favorite Cookie Recipes

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