As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. In addition, I participate in several other affiliate programs that allow me to earn while I recommend products I love.
You’ve been looking forward to enjoying your batch of cookies, but you bite into one only to realize that they’re hard as a rock.
How do you soften hard cookies?
Dry, hard cookies are some people’s favorite kind, but for most of it, we want that soft bite to our cookies.
Is there anything you can do to fix a dry cookie?
Luckily, yes there is!
Check out these tips for how to soften stale cookies and how to soften overbaked cookies to learn more.
Our Favorite Quirky Kitchen Gadgets
- Select-A-Spice Auto-Measure Carousel – Get your exact spice amount without measuring spoons with this spice carousel. Simply twist the dial for a perfect 1/4 teaspoon measurement!
- Silicone Utensil Rest with Drip Pad – This utensil rest keeps my countertops neat & drip-free!
- Snap N Strain Pot Strainer and Pasta Strainer – I love this strainer because it fits on all pots and pans while also being compact and easy to use!
- Herb Scissors Set – I use these scissors to cut and mince fresh herbs directly into any dish without the tedious work of cutting each herb or dirtying up a cutting board.
- Knife Sharpener – I love how quirky and nifty this rhino shaped knife sharpener is. It definitely puts the FUN in functional!
1. Put it in the microwave
If you really don’t want to put much effort into softening your cookies, then just go ahead and put it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds when you’re ready to eat them.
It will temporarily soften your cookie, but if you let it cool again then you’ll notice that it goes back to being hard.
The best plan of action is to put the cookies in, microwave, and then immediately eat them while they’re still soft (but don’t burn your mouth!)
Never put them back into the oven to soften them. That’s a recipe for making them go even harder!
2. Store them with bread
One of the most popular ways of making hard cookies soft is to store them with bread. Yes, with bread.
You’ll want an airtight container, like a mason jar, as well as a slice of bread.
Make sure to pick a type of bread, like white bread, that doesn’t have an intense flavor because your cookies may take on the flavor of the bread if you opt for something like a rye or flavored bread.
Put the bread at the bottom of the jar, and then put your cookies on top.
Leave it overnight, and you should have softer cookies the next day.
If you don’t, yet, then go ahead and wait another 12ish hours and check again.
After 24 hours has passed, you’ve probably reached the softest you’re going to get to using this method, but you can keep refreshing the bread as well.
This works because the cookies absorb the moisture from the bread, making your cookies much softer.
3. Store the cookies with sugar cubes in an airtight container
Want to know how to fix dry cookies?
Try putting them in an airtight container with sugar cubes!
This has a similar reasoning to the bread option, as the cookies will absorb any moisture from the sugar cubes when they’re stored in the container together.
Put the sugar cubes on the bottom of the container and your cookies on top, and then wait about 12 hours.
Not everybody swears by this method, but if you have sugar cubes, plenty of people say that it works.
4. Microwave with a damp towel over them
If you want a quick fix to soften your dry cookies, but don’t have much more time than the microwave method, add just a small extra step.
Instead of microwaving your cookies with nothing on top of them, add a damp paper towel (not soaking wet, but damp).
Microwave for about 20-30 seconds, and then take them out and eat right away.
The cookies will absorb some of the moisture from the damp paper towel and it will also help them not to harden even more in the microwave.
5. Dunk them in tea or hot chocolate
Here’s one of those classic, tried and tested ways to make those rock hard cookies soft in an instant!
Dunk them in something!
You’ll make them softer by dunking them in something hot, like tea or hot chocolate (cookies dunked in hot chocolate are incredible).
But you can also use something like milk if you want to stick to the usual “milk and cookies” combination.
The liquid is going to help turn the cookies a bit mushier, which is going to bring a rock solid cookie to a cookie that you can actually sink your teeth into.
Leave the cookie in the liquid for about 20 seconds for best results – a quick dunk won’t be long enough and will simply coat your cookie in liquid without really penetrating into it.
6. Store them with a slice of apple
Oh, yes, it’s true.
Got apple slices? They can work similar to the bread and sugar cubes when paired with cookies in an airtight container.
Throw a few apple slice in the bottom of a mason jar or really secure tupperware, and then put your cookies on top.
You may end up with apple-tasting cookies (particularly good if they’re already sugar or cinnamon flavored), but the cookies should absorb the moisture from the apples within about 12 to 24 hours and end up softer.
7. Put them in a container with a damp paper towel
If you don’t have bread, apples, or sugar cubes, or you’re really not too happy about your cookies tasting like bread or apples (we don’t blame you), you’ve got another options when it comes to softening your hard cookies.
Get an airtight container, and put a damp paper towel covered in foil at the bottom.
Poke some holes in the foil with a fork so that the moisture can escape through the barrier.
Add cookies on top, and wait about 12 hours.
This is another great way of getting the cookies to absorb moisture.
If you don’t wrap the foil around the damp paper towel, your cookies could just become soggy or wet instead of decadently soft, so make sure to wrap the paper towel in foil for this method.
Hey! Want more genius cookie hacks? Check these out?
- Why are my cookies burnt on the bottom (and how to fix them)
- Can you bake cookies on aluminum foil?
- Exactly how long do homemade cookies last?
- Oops! Burned cookies! Here are 9 ways to fix them
- Help! My cookie dough is crumbly!
- How long does raw cookie dough last?
- Secret hacks to making chewy cookies
- Tips on Avoiding Cakey Cookies
- Exactly how to freeze your cookie dough
- The ultimate guide to chilling cookie dough
- Help! Too much butter in cookies: what to do!
- Tips on Making your Cookies Super Moist
- Exactly how to bake your frozen cookies
- Can you use salted butter in cookies?
- Expert cookie storage tips
- Help! I’m out of butter – can I still make cookies without butter?
- How to make cookies without vanilla extract
- Help! How to make cookies without brown sugar
- How to use cake flour in cookies
- Help! How do I make cookies without eggs?
- Can you make cookies without baking soda?
- Can you use bread flour in cookies?
- Exactly how to make cookies more puffy
- How to make cookies without baking powder
- How to fix wet and sticky cookie dough
