Save The Bottoms Of Burnt Cookies With A Quick And Easy Hack

Did you implement all the tips in your arsenal to prevent burnt cookies to no avail? It can happen to the best chefs. But, although some people like burnt snacks, they're not appealing to everyone. If you make that blunder, don't get frustrated or jump the gun by throwing out your burnt cookies. If they aren't too hard to bite into and the tops and centers are still edible, you can save them with one quick and easy step: Scrape off the crusty bottom with a cheese grater.

Before you can fix burnt cookies, though, you must let them cool completely on a rack. Doing so stops the baking and burning process, allows the dough to set, and prevents you from burning your hands. Then, rub the bottoms of the cookies over a cheese grater, using short, quick strokes in one direction and being careful not to scrape your fingers across the sharp metal.

Box and handheld graters or zesters work for this hack. For easy cleanup, place the box grater on a large plate or tray for the burnt bits to fall onto. If you use a handheld grater or zester, hold it and the cookies over the sink while shaving off the burnt bits.

If you don't have a cheese grater or a zester, you still have a chance to save your burnt cookies. Flip over the cookies so that the burnt side faces up, and quickly scrape the subtly serrated edge of a butter knife over them to remove the dark, crusty parts. For cookies that are thick enough, you could use a well-serrated knife to cut off the bottoms.

Even when you can remove the burnt side of your cookies, they might be a little harder than you prefer. That's because overbaking cookies dries them out. Fortunately, there's a hack to make overcooked cookies soft again. Wrap each cookie in a damp paper towel and stick it in the microwave for 10 seconds at 50% power. If it's not soft enough, repeat those steps. Remember that repeating this method too many times will make the cookie too soft, causing it to lose its texture and structure.

Like with overbaked cookies, perfect ones harden over time because they continue to lose moisture. A few tricks that work for softening stale cookies may also work for softening burnt ones. For instance, soak a terracotta disc (an unglazed piece of clay that absorbs and releases water) for 15 minutes and store it in a sealed container with the cookies. They should be softer in an hour or two as the released moisture rehydrates them. Another option is to put an apple slice in the container, which releases moisture like the disc but takes a few hours longer.

Even after scraping and softening burnt cookies, their taste might not be up to par to eat on their own. That's okay because you can still make use of them in other desserts. For example, substitute the graham crackers on s'mores for cookies. They will provide a nice outer crunch, while the gooey marshmallow and chocolate in the center will help mask any burnt flavor that's still left. Turning them into ice cream sandwiches works the same way.

On the other hand, you don't have to keep the burnt cookies in their original form. Consider breaking them into pieces to put on top of ice cream sundaes or sweet casseroles. Taking that option a step further, put them in a bag and roll over them with a rolling pin to create a finer crumble for a pie crust. Then, you can replace the biscuits or graham crackers that your recipe calls for with the cookie crumbs, adjusting the sugar added based on how sweet your cookies are.