How Duff Goldman Ensures His Cookies Have A Perfectly Soft Middle

If you're looking for pastry tips, who better to get advice from than the man who's become a star from baking sweets? Duff Goldman displayed artistry and inventiveness as the host of "Ace of Cakes," where he constructed some of the most unique cakes of all time. Some of Goldman's caking feats include a snowman cake and a cake replica of the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field. But Goldman's skill and expertise extend past cakes. The renowned founder of Charm City Cakes also knows how to make the softest and chewiest cookies and he does so by following two key steps.

To ensure he gets cookies with a deliciously gummy center, Goldman bakes his cookies for the perfect amount of time and gets them out of the oven as soon as they get some hue. You can use these same tips to make sure your cookies are chewy on the edges and soft in the middle — just like the ones made by Goldman.

When Goldman's cookies are baking, he monitors them very closely because he knows that baking them for the optimal amount of time, as well as removing them from the oven at a key moment, will lead to a delightful softness in the center of the cookies. Goldman shared with Delish, "If you under-bake them, you'll end up with a doughy mess. If you over bake them, you're crunching on granola bars. I like to take them out of the oven as soon as they start to develop some color. Then you end up with perfect gooey-in-the-middle cookies."

Different cookie doughs require different baking times, so be sure to adhere to the ideal baking time for the specific kind of cookies that you're baking to apply Goldman's tip. For drop cookies on a baking sheet, bake for eight to 10 minutes. Bar cookies in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan should bake for 25 to 30 minutes, but if you're using a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan, bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Since you'll be so focused on time while you're baking your cookies, you can also save yourself some time by applying Goldman's cookie dough prep tip.

Making your cookie dough is one of the first steps in any cookie recipe. It seems pretty obvious that you'd just continue from that step to making your cookies out of the dough and proceeding to baking. However, Goldman says not so fast. In fact, the pastry chef keeps some significant distance between when he makes his dough and when he's ready to bake, especially if he plans to serve cookies to his guests during the holidays. 

Goldman told Delish, "As early as October, I'll get my dough prepared, roll it out into sheets, and freeze it. Then, whenever you're ready for delicious cookies, you don't have to worry about so much prep." This means that on the day Goldman is ready to bake, his cooking process is conveniently and efficiently reduced to just letting his dough thaw, creating cookies from the dough, and baking them to perfection. Once you're ready to get that dough out and make your cookies, remember to bake those cookies for the right amount of time, and get those cookies out of the oven as soon as they develop some color for a deliciously soft middle.