How to Measure a Cookie Dough Scoop Size

Cookie dough is one of the easiest things to make and the hardest to measure. Because cookies are small, you really want to get them exactly right so you don't have problems with some burning and others being under done.

The best way to make your cookies more uniform is to use a cookie scoop. There are dozens of sizes out there, suitable for everything from butter pats, to cookies, to meatballs, to ice cream. Unfortunately, they are all labeled with "small" "medium" or "large" as their sizes. And every company has a different definition of those sizes.

You may need to know the actual size of yor scoop for several different reasons. One is simply for comparison among kinds of cookie dough scoops. Or you may need a precise size for counting calories or for using a specific size of cookie for making a gingerbread house, or ice cream sandwiches. (Cookie dough scoops can also make handy back up measuring cups too.)

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A cookie dough scoop
• A set of measuring spoons
• Water or sugar

1. Look at your scoops, and your measuring spoons, and make a guess on the size. For small scoops choose a teaspoon measuring spoon. For large scoops, measure with a tablespoon size.

2. Use the measuring spoon to fill the scoop with either water or sugar. Water is handy, but it tends to cling to the edge and sometimes spill rather than go into a smaller scoop. Sugar can be the easiest to be sure your measurements are flat.
   
   To compare among different scoop sizes, remember that three teaspoons make one tablespoon. Four tablespoons makes a quarter cup.

3. If you need to be really exact, use a kitchen scale and measure the actual cookie dough. Because of the little flipper bar that turns the cookie dough out of the scoop, there is always a little dough left behind, so you won't get exactly the full measurement of the cup. A small kitchen scale can give you the size in grams or fractions of an ounce.

4. If you have a lot of cookie scoops (and some of us do) use a bit of tape to label the size so you can tell at a glance which scoop you are grabbing.

[chefbob]

on 9/14/2009 Your measurements are correct in step 2.
2Tbsp = 1oz
6Tsp = 1oz
3Tsp = 1Tbsp
4oz = 1 quarter of a cup
Great idea on the sugar measurement

[toogie2]

on 8/10/2009 Oh my, you're correct! I will change that right away.

[luvamoose]

on 8/9/2009 Step 2 says "Three tablespoons makes a quarter cup." This is not correct. A quarter cup is 4 tablespoons. 1 cup is 16 tablespoons.

[kittycooks]

on 5/12/2009 Sugar is a great way to measure the scoop size. Thanks for sharing.