I try, desperately, to avoid single-use cooking gadgets. A cherry pitter? Not a smidge of space in my utensil drawer for that. A pizza cutter? My kitchen shears will do just fine. But a cookie scoop is one tool I’ll take with me to every tiny kitchen I live in. The best cookie scoop will ensure size uniformity, which means your snickerdoodles will bake to the degree the recipe intended, and you’ll get an even bake across the whole batch. It’s a tool no food stylist would be caught dead baking a batch of cookies without—how else could they get a plate of perfectly even, crispy-edged, gooey-centered cookies like this one, each and every time? Plus, this little wonder is not in fact single-use at all, despite what the name might tell you.
Each red velvet cookie just like the last.
Why do I need a cookie scoop?
The biggest benefit of using a cookie scoop instead of any ol’ spoon (or your hands) to transfer cookie dough from the mixing bowl to the baking sheet is also the most obvious: It creates consistency—the exact same size, shape, and diameter—among each cookie. While having uniform cookies makes for an attractive, professional-looking final presentation, it also ensures that the cookies bake evenly. Plus, using a scoop will keep your hands free from sticky dough and speed up the shaping process. I’m not sure how many different ways I can say this, but if you’re wondering whether this kitchen tool is worth it, it is.
What size cookie scoop should I get?
You’ll often find cookie scoops ranging from #70 (which dispenses about 2 teaspoons of dough) to #20 (3.2 tablespoons). Since a cookie dough scoop is essentially an ice cream scoop, the numbers correspond to the number of scoops you can get from a quart of ice cream. This is not wildly useful for the home baker, but just remember that the higher the number, the smaller the scoop.
The cookie scoop size you should use depends on a few factors, like how much the cookie dough you’re working with will spread and how big you’d like your cookies to be. A large cookie scoop is #20 or #24. I reach for that one when I want a big cookie—generally one with a sweet-savory kick, since I don’t want a cookie the size of a compact disc that is too cloying.
OXO Good Grips Large Cookie Scoop
A medium cookie scoop, the Goldilocks size for most bakers, is often a #30 or #40, which dispense 2 tablespoons and 1.6 tablespoons of dough, respectively. I favor a medium-size scoop for my peanut butter, chocolate chip, gingerbread, and oatmeal raisin cookie needs.
OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop
Small cookie scoops come in handy when you have cookies that are a bit more precious or delicate. When I’m baking cookies that are rich, like all-butter shortbread or nutty baci di dama, I reach for a small size like the #70 or even the #100, which scoops up a dainty .64 tablespoons.
OXO Good Grips Small Cookie Scoop
What’s the best cookie scoop for cookie dough?
The Oxo good grips medium stainless-steel cookie scoop, which is a #40, will cover the broadest number of cookie recipes, making it one of the most usable sizes (and a nice gift for bakers). It’s my Platonic ideal of a scooper, thanks to its built-in easy-release wiper—a reliable mechanism that glides across the scoop’s “bowl” and dispenses the dough cleanly thanks to the spring-loaded handle. With a simple squeeze, I can get close to a dozen cookies onto a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet in two minutes flat, which means I’m that much closer to eating my brown butter and toffee chocolate chip cookies. It’s made of stainless steel and has a nonslip spring-loaded handle. Its soft grip and ergonomic design prevents my hand from cramping whenever I bake big batches of cookies for the holidays, and I love that it is dishwasher-safe.
