Radio Q+A: How to make any cookie crispier?

A Milk Street Radio caller asked how to transform the classic chewy chocolate chip cookie into a crispy version, seeking techniques that would work with any recipe.

Our Testing Approach

We used the standard Nestlé Toll House recipe as our baseline and tested several variables known to affect cookie texture: sugar type (brown vs. white), fat choice (butter vs. shortening), dough hydration (resting times), and baking temperature and duration.

What We Found

Most ingredient swaps produced minimal or undesirable results. Substituting white sugar for brown created only slightly crispier cookies. Using shortening instead of butter did increase crunchiness but created an unpleasant sandy texture and bland flavor. Resting the dough for various periods had little impact on final texture.

The Solution

The most effective method required no ingredient changes at all. Instead of baking at 375°F for 11 minutes, we baked the cookies at 325°F for 22 minutes. This low-and-slow approach produced uniformly crunchy cookies with a delicate snap and even texture throughout—exactly what crispy cookie lovers are after. The key is simply giving moisture more time to evaporate at a gentler temperature.