How To Bake Cookies Without Parchment Paper: 5 Easy Ways

Looking for the best way to bake cookies without the use of parchment paper? Read on for 5 quick and easy ways to bake without your cookies sticking!

Homebaking is one of my favorite things in life, but there have been times when I have prepped all my dough to find out I have run out of parchment paper! Sometimes, I simply decide to go without.

So what do you do if you want to make cookies without parchment paper? Here are five easy ways to bake cookies without parchment paper.

Use Silicone Mats Instead Of Parchment Paper

Silicone mats are great because they don’t stick to cookie dough or baked goods just like parchment paper.

They also come in different shapes and sizes so you can easily fit them onto any size pan.

Plus, they won’t warp or crack over time, making them a good, long-term, non-stick baking option over disposable parchment paper. You can find silicone mats at most grocery stores.

You can also use silicone mats instead of baking parchment as a zero waste option, and put them on top of your aluminum baking sheets.

Just as you would with a silicone baking mold, you'll want to grease this up if your recipe calls for it!

Bear in mind that unlike baking with parchment paper, your cookies and other baked goods may not crisp up as well when placed on a silicone mat. The silicone acts as a buffer from some of the direct heat of your metal pans.

For certain cookies, like macarons, some bakers actually prefer this method! For other cookies, using a silicone mat imparts a softer texture. It's certainly something to keep in mind when you are first getting started baking with them!

Line Your Cookie Sheet With Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

Lining your sheet pan with aluminum foil is another option.

If you have a larger sheet pan, you may need to cut out pieces of aluminum foil to fit inside each section of the pan.

You can even reuse your foil if you don't rip it when removing your cookies! I always have a square of foil in my drawer that can take a good few uses before throwing it away!

This makes a great quick and easy option when you don't want to clean up so many sheets and pans after baking.

While your cookies may bake similar to when using parchment paper, the greaseproof properties are missing. It is worth greasing the foil just a little bit before baking! If your cookie dough contains enough fat, greasing the foil may not be necessary. Experiment with a cookie or two before baking the whole batch.

Grease Your Pan

If you're not too concerned about quick clean-up and want a more professional method, you might want to use an aluminum baking pan and grease it up well.

This old-fashioned approach is often used when a batter sticks more readily.

If you're making cookies that stubbornly cling to the baking sheet, you might want to use a solid shortening such as butter or lard.

Butter adds more flavor to a recipe than shortening, but shortening keeps the pan from burning as it has a much higher resistance to heat than butter does.

If your recipe calls for a high temperature, then you may want to use shortening to grease your pan instead.

To prevent sticking, you could try adding some flour on top of your greased pan - this does leave a bit of residue on your cookies, but can be worth it if you find that your cookies always seem to stick!

Sprinkle the flour on top of the grease using a large spoon. Remove the extra flour by tapping the pan on its side. Once all the excess is removed, add the cookie dough to the baking sheet.

As a bonus benefit, if you use flour, you'll be able to see where you missed any spots when greas­ing your pan.

More Than Just a Silicone Mat, Use A Silicone Baking Pan

While silicone molds are starting to become a must-have item in many kitchens, they're also a good reusable alternative for baking if you're making cookies.

Unlike parchment paper, silicone pans allow for unlimited use as well as simple cleaning.

Silicone baking pans are a great alternative to parchment papers. These pans are non-stick and don't need to be greased unless called for in your recipe.

They're also reusable and dishwasher safe! They work best for small batches of cookies, muffins, cupcakes, etc.

Use Nothing

Yep, you read that correctly… use nothing, nada, zilch! Some cookie recipes just don’t call for a greased up or non-stick surface.

Sometimes, there is enough oil or butter in the recipe to act as an integrated non-stick agent — hooray!

5 Tips For Baking The Perfect Cookies

Don’t Overmix The Dough

When mixing the dough, resist the urge to overwork it. You want to create a smooth texture without lumps. Overmixing will activate any gluten in the flour, causing your finished cookies to be chewier than you expected.

Keep Cookie Mixes Cold

Keeping cookie mixes cold prevents them from spreading too much during baking. This way, you won’t have to worry about overbaking your cookies.

Let Cookies Set Before Cooling Them Down

If you let your cookies cool down slightly before removing them from their baking sheets, they will be easier to remove. You just want the bottom to set up so a spatulas can slip under. Any longer on the hot cookie sheet, and your cookies may continue cooking.

Note: Some recipes use this to their advantage and keep the cookies outside the oven on the hot pan on purpose!

Store Cookies Properly

Once you’ve cooked your cookies, store them properly so that they stay fresh longer. You can keep cookies in an airtight container for 3 days if stored in the refrigerator.

Or, you can freeze them for up to three months. The best way to store cookies is in a sealed bag.

Avoid Using Excessive Heat

Baked goods tend to dry out faster when cooked at high temperatures. So, try not to cook your cookies at extremely high heat levels. Sometimes we may not know that our oven is running hotter than the indicator. This is when an oven thermometer comes in handy!

Voilà, 5 easy tips to help you on your way to making the best cookies in the land!

Final Thoughts

There you have it! Five great alternatives to using baking paper that you can use today!

Always be aware that different methods can affect the baking times and how your cookies crisp up, so you may have to slightly tweak your recipe or keep a closer eye on them whilst you get used to a different method of baking!

Speaking of different, check out YouTuber Fabulessly Frugal's video below as she walks you through cooking chocolate chip cookies in the air fryer. Here, she used no parchment paper and lined aluminum foil in her air fryer for crisp, chewy cookies!

Comment below if you got any good cookie tips of your own. :)

Happy cookie baking!