As you peek through the oven window, it can be disappointing to see that your cookies are spreading into puddles after you spent time precisely measuring the ingredients and carefully mixing your dough. It may appear like a total failure, but you have time to save the batch if you act quickly. As soon as you notice a spreading issue, remove the cookies from the oven so that you can reshape and separate them while they're still hot and malleable.
You can use practically anything except for your fingers (the dough and pan will be hot) to push the edges of the cookies into the desired shape: A spoon or the tip of a paring knife will work nicely. Alternatively, place a slightly larger cookie cutter or jar lid around each hot cookie, and swirl it quickly so that the sides nudge inward. When you're done making the cookie smaller around, place the baking sheet back in the oven to finish baking.
This trick works if your cookies are fully baked, too, because cookies don't fully set until they cool off. If you already used this hack once while baking, you can do it a second time when the cookies are done. Just whip them into shape out of the oven, and allow them to cool as usual afterward.
Recipe adjustments that prevent cookie spreading If your cookies spread too much in the oven every time you make them, consider adjusting your recipe. The sugar ratio, for instance, has an impact on what happens to your cookies during baking. Since sugar absorbs liquid, reducing the amount that you a.