General Pan Preparation for Cookies

To ensure proper baking and even spread, use only flat pans. Pans should usually be lined with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Some cookies, such as tuiles, bake best on silicone baking mats. If these are not available, butter and flour the pans (see for pan preparation for stenciled tuile cookies). Generally, however, flouring pans for baking cookies is not desirable, as the flour could prevent the full spread of a cookie. Greasing pans for cookies is also not commonly recommended, as the fat may cause excessive spreading and browning of the bottoms.