Everyone loves baking cookies, but sometimes we can make a start only to realize too late that we don’t have everything we need.
Every recipe calls for the same things – flour, butter, an oven – but one common baking tool often forgotten is the cookie sheet.
Can you bake cookies without a cookie sheet?
Well, baking cookies without a cookie sheet will mean that your baked cookies will stick to the pan! So, what can you use instead of a cookie sheet?
Here, we are going to be checking out all the ways you can bake cookies without using a cookie sheet.
This way, you can still make your delicious cookies without ruining them. So, check out the options below and get baking!
Parchment Paper
One of the easiest go-to alternatives for a cookie sheet is parchment paper.
Parchment paper acts as a baking sheet and is used to make all kinds of baked goods as it’s affordable, easy to manage, and can prevent sticking.
Most bakers are never without parchment paper so check your cabinets and you should be able to find some.
To use parchment paper, all you have to do is rip or cut the paper to fit your cookie tray. Place it down and then place your evenly portioned cookie dough on top.
It works just as well as a cookie sheet and stops you from baking cookies directly onto the pan.
A good alternative for parchment paper is baking paper or wax paper.
They work just as well as parchment paper as a substitute baking sheet so if you have one of them instead, give it a try.
Cast Iron Skillets
If you have a cast iron skillet in your cabinet, then this heavy duty cooking tool is great for baking cookies.
It’s oven safe and great for baking cookies, although you should ideally still use a baking sheet to help keep your cast iron skillet clean during baking time.
We have already touched on some great materials you can use as a baking sheet including wax paper, parchment paper, and plain baking paper.
The downside to using a cast iron skillet is that they might not have enough room for all of your cookies.
A typical baking pan is a lot bigger than most cast iron skillets, so you will probably have to bake a couple of individual batches of cookies.
Cooking Oil
Some baking pans are actually non-stick, which means you might be able to get away with baking your homemade cookies directly on the pan.
However, if you are not sure if your baking pan is non-stick, then most people would recommend you use some kind of baking sheet like parchment paper.
If you are stuck without parchment paper or any other kind of baking sheet, then non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil could be the answer for you.
Just take your non-stick cooking spray or cooking oil and cover your baking pan with a very thin layer.
Do not use too much as the oil will get extremely hot in the oven and become a fire hazard. So, only coat where you will be placing your cookies to bake.
Aluminum Foil
If you have no baking sheets, cooking spray, or any kind of cast iron baking tray, then here is an unusual alternative – heavy duty aluminum foil.
You can use an aluminum baking pan instead of a typical baking tray to bake cookies. Aluminum foil can withstand high temperatures and is safe to use in an oven, so you can use aluminum foil to bake cookies.
You can either get an inexpensive aluminum baking pan from your local store, or use aluminum foil to make your own. Just take a sheet of aluminum foil, create some raised edges and you are done!
You can use aluminum foil as a baking sheet too but when making cookies, it’s a good idea to first cover the foil lightly with cooking spray.
Different Types Of Pans For Baking Cookies
So, we’ve talked about aluminum pans, but what other types of pans can you use to bake cookies?
Cookies bake in pretty much any type of baking pan including cake pans, muffin tins, glass pans, silicone pans, and more. You can even use a casserole dish or a pizza stone if you have one!
It’s important that you use a pan that is oven safe and heat resistant. Glass meets these targets which is why a glass pan or glass casserole dishes work great for baking cookies without a cookie sheet.
You should still use parchment paper or greased aluminum foil to help keep your glass pan clean from cookie dough.
A muffin tin also works great as you can easily portion your cookie dough to fit into each muffin pocket.
They are also great with high temperatures and safe to be placed in an oven, but also needs some kind of paper or foil to make lifting the baked cookies out with ease.
The best kind of alternative pan to use to bake cookies without a cookie sheet is a silicone baking pan.
Silicone is safe for oven use and is non-stick, so you don’t even need to use aluminum foil or parchment paper to line the pan. Instead, you can place the cookie dough straight onto the silicone pan with any baking sheets.
So using a silicone pan or silicone muffin tin is a super easy way to bake cookies without cookie sheets.
Final Thoughts
It’s not a good idea to bake cookies directly on your pan. Not all pans are non-stick and this means baking your cookies without a cookie sheet will allow your cookies stick to the pan as they bake.
Luckily, if you don’t have a good cookie sheet when baking homemade cookies, there are plenty of alternatives you can use.
From baking cookies in different kinds of baking pans, using wax paper, or just a thin layer of cooking spray, there are tons of different ways you can get your cookies baked without using a cookie sheet.
So, check out the information above and happy cookie baking!
