Oops! Burned Cookies! Here's 9 Ways to Fix Them

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Whether you left them in the oven too long on accident or the cookie recipe wasn’t right, you went and burned your cookies.

It happens to the best of us.

But you also love cookies, and you want to eat said cookies and you don’t have time to make new cookies.

So how do you fix burned cookies so that they don’t taste like charcoal and instead taste like the delicious cookies that you know and love?

If they are completely dark hockey pucks that you left for 30 extra minutes in the oven and somehow didn’t start a fire, there isn’t much hope.

But if they are just burnt on the bottom or there’s a light layer of burn around the cookie, then there is hope!

The easiest way to fix a burnt cookie is to scrap off the bottom of the burnt part with a butter knife.

But there are plenty of options, so keep reading.

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How to Fix Burned Cookies

Someone, think of the burnt cookies!

Save them!

Your burnt cookies may have visible burn on the bottom or on the sides, turning that usually golden color into a darker brown or black.

They may also be harder, because they’ve cooked longer and more of the moisture has left the cookie.

Here are some amazing ways to solve both of those issues so you can still enjoy.

1. Scrape Off the Bottom with a Knife

This is the time and tested method of saving burned cookies.

Simply pick them up one by one, preferably over the sink because you’re about to get burned parts everywhere, and scrap them with a knife.

Lightly just drag the knife (use a butter knife, not a steak knife for safety purposes) along the burnt parts and they will start to scrape off.

Do short, quick strokes, rather than long ones, and eventually you should have gotten rid of enough of the burned parts to still eat it.

That being said, wielding a knife in one hand and a cookie in the other is not always the best if you’re watching out for your fingers, so we have some other fun hacks below to do a similar thing.

2. Use a Cheese Grater

You know that grater that you mostly use for cheese?

Yeah, it can double as a burned cookie fixer. I know, miracle.

Simply grab your grater and your burned cookie and gently scrape the burnt parts along the grated edges.

This should help give you the same impact as running a knife along it, without worrying as much about your fingers.

It also may give you a more even fix, and is something the kids can do to help while you go and get a glass of something in the other room and breathe through the baking disaster.

3. Turn them Into Cookie Crumbles

If you don’t have time to actually worry about getting rid of the burnt parts, crumble those cookies right up.

Seriously, put them in a big Ziploc bag and smash it against the counter a few times.

You’ll end up with a wonderful topping for ice cream, or a cookie crumble mix you could use on brownies, on top of a cake, or as a layer in a parfait.

The burnt bits won’t taste as bad when the cookie is crumbled up, and while you won’t get to enjoy them in the exact form you wanted, you’ll still be able to enjoy them with another dessert.

4. Cut off the Bottoms

Sometimes, depending on how thick the cookie is, you can simply just cut off the burnt bottom of the cookie and you’ll be good as new.

This does work when the cookie is thicker, because with thin cookies, you won’t have enough room to cut off the bottom without the cookie completely falling apart.

But maybe you made a thick chocolate chip cookie or were trying to make a really puffy cookie so you have some room to work with.

This is where you need a sharp knife, not a butter knife.

Use knife safety skills while slicing off the bottom and then either just leave it as is or you could then carry on with some of the other tips we have below like making cookie sandwiches to hide that bottom part.

5. Make Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

Maybe you burnt the bottom enough to change the look of the cookie, but the taste is fine.

Or you’ve cut off the bottom or scraped off the burnt bits.

For presentation purposes, you might still want to manipulate your cookies a little so you don’t show up to the party with sad looking scraped cookies.

In this case, get creative with some ice cream or some frosting!

Cookie sandwiches naturally cover up the bottom sides of cookies, because you sandwich them together with the bottom sides facing each other.

This way, people will just see the tops of the cookie and be so taken in by the ice cream filled center that they won’t have time to notice any burnt parts.

If you are able to keep the cookie sandwiches cold, then adding one scoop of ice cream per two cookies would work well, but if you need to leave them out, use a delicious buttercream frosting for the center.

6. Use Lots of Frosting

If you have burned parts on the top of your cookie, why not use lots of frosting to cover it up?

The actual taste of the frosting will help to conceal any burnt taste, and it will also help visually distract and cover up any parts that got too dark for your liking.

If you want to get really creative, you could also do something like dipping the cookies in candy melts or melted chocolate so that the entire cookie is cased in a deliciously sweet cover up!

7. Zest Off the Burnt Bits

Ever heard of a lemon zester?

Today, they’re not just for lemons!

This is another great option, like the grater, to remove burnt parts from your cookie without the precarious nature of using a knife.

Simply scrap the cookie with the zester like you’re scraping a lemon, and watch the burnt parts fall off.

It also helps because it will take away small bits of the cookies and reveal the still-good parts underneath instead of taking off too much of the cookie.

8. Microwave the Cookies

One of the best ways to deal with a burnt cookie if you just want to eat it at home anyway is to microwave the cookie for about 30 seconds.

This can help soften the cookie, but it can also make the cookie harder if you let it cool, so you’ll want to be prepared to eat it soon after it comes out of the microwave.

Microwave it on a paper towel or a microwaveable plate and do it in 15 second intervals if you’re not happy with the results after 30 seconds (but don’t leave it in there for 2 minutes at a time or anything crazy, bit by bit is best).

You can also do an extra bit of softening if you actually cover your cookie with a damp paper towel!

Yes, it’s true! It will help the cookie absorb the moisture and not make it so rock hard.

9. Serve the Cookies with Milk or Hot Chocolate

Cookies and milk are such a classic staple in America, but you can also use tea or something like hot chocolate.

Take your burnt cookies and dunk them in your drink of choice.

Leave it in for a solid 10 or so seconds, and you should have a very moist, melt-in-your-mouth kind of cookie with the memories of the burned cookie being out of your mind.

Hey! Want more cookie baking hacks? Check these out!

Oops! Burned Cookies! Here’s 9 Ways to Fix Them

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