It might be the simplest trick in the baker’s book, but cookies can, quite literally, be tough to crack. This writer has been through enough batches of overburnt cookies, darkened to a crisp, to know that it requires a fine balance to get that perfect blend of crisp exterior with a soft, gooey interior when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. Actor Ananya Panday recently joined the long list of new bakers trying their hand at the old-familiar of chocolate chip cookies. While Panday got it right, not many are as lucky on the first try.

Binal Valand, Malad-based food stylist, explains, “Overbaking is the most common mistake. I did it myself when I started out first as a novice baker. Your cookies should be fudgy and soft inside, but crispy on the outside.” Overbaking leads to the cookies turning crisp and hard, quite like biscuits. “There is a thin line between perfectly baked and overbaked cookies, and that is a very common mistake among first-time bakers,” she remarks.