How to Cut a Cookie Recipe in Half
To cut a cookie recipe in half, multiply every ingredient by 0.5 and make half as many cookies at the original scoop size. Keep the recipe’s temperature, chilling instructions and usual doneness cues.
- 3 min read
- Updated 2026-10-22
Printable reference chart
Use your browser’s Print command to print this chart and your scaled ingredient list.
| Full cookie batch | Half batch |
|---|---|
| 200 g flour | 100 g flour |
| 150 g sugar | 75 g sugar |
| ½ cup butter | ¼ cup butter |
| ¾ tsp baking soda | ⅜ tsp baking soda |
| 1 egg | Half the beaten egg by weight |
| 24 cookies | 12 same-size cookies |
The ⅜ teaspoon amount is ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon. Yield assumes unchanged portion size.
Scale your ingredients
Paste your recipe into the scaler below, with one ingredient per line. The starting multiplier is 0.5; change it if your recipe or pan ratio differs. This scales amounts in their original units, not baking times or ingredient densities.
Rewrite all the ingredients
Include chips, nuts, salt and leavening, not just flour and butter. The scaler above starts at 0.5. Review quantities mentioned later in the method, such as reserved sugar for rolling, so you do not accidentally use a full-batch amount at the end.
Divide a single egg
Beat the egg until the yolk and white are combined, weigh it without the shell in a tared bowl, and use half that measured weight. For example, a 52 g egg becomes 26 g. Do not replace half a whole egg with just its yolk unless the recipe is designed for that change. Refrigerate unused raw egg right away. Do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour above 90°F; discard it if those limits are exceeded. See FDA food-storage guidance.
Keep cookie size and dough condition
Use the same scoop or dough-ball weight as the original. Making smaller cookies as well as halving the batch changes both yield and baking time. Follow the recipe’s chill step; a smaller bowl does not automatically mean the dough has reached the right firmness.
Bake fewer trays, not half the time
A half batch of same-size cookies generally needs a similar bake window per tray. Check the first tray at the recipe’s earliest time and look for its edge and center cues. Avoid crowded spacing and let the sheet return to the condition the recipe expects before reusing it.
Frequently asked questions
Do half-batch cookies bake in half the time?
No. Keep portion size unchanged and use the original doneness cues.
How do I halve one egg?
Beat it to combine white and yolk, weigh it without the shell, then use half the weight.
Do I halve chocolate chips too?
Yes, halve mix-ins along with the other ingredients to preserve the recipe’s proportions.
Can I skip chilling because the batch is smaller?
No. Follow the recipe’s chilling guidance and dough-consistency cues.