I've Been Baking for Years. I Wish I'd Bought This Cookie Scoop Sooner

I’ve been baking cookies for years, and for the longest time, I used a regular spoon to portion out my dough—one less gadget to clutter my kitchen, I figured. However, within the last few years, I’ve really upped my baking game, so I finally gave in and bought a cookie scoop. My only regret? Not doing it sooner. It makes the process faster, keeps every cookie the same size for even baking, and, best of all, helps keep my notoriously messy baking sessions a little neater.

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances Lab, I’ve tested many baking-related items, such as stand mixers, hand mixers, and bread makers. So, when the opportunity arose to test cookie scoops, I was excited to see which ones would come out on top. After whipping up two batches of cookie dough and scooping a few dozen cookies, here’s what I found.

OXO Cookie Scoop

OXO Cookie Scoop

Now 17% Off

$20 $17AmazonAlso Consider

$18Target$20Macy's

Pros

• Easy to squeeze and release
• Silicone grip is comfortable and helps prevent hand from sliding
• Dishwasher-safe

Cons

• Left a little cookie dough behind

Out of the seven different cookie scoop models I tested, the Oxo came out as the top one. While the cookie scoops look somewhat similar, some differences make the Oxo cookie scoop a better option. To start, the silicone grip helped keep my hand from slipping as I scooped dough out of the bowl. It was also more comfortable to grip compared to those made of just metal.

One of the things that helped set it apart was that it was easier to squeeze than others, while still feeling sturdy, and it released the cookie dough easily. After repeated squeezing, I appreciated that it didn't make my hand feel as fatigued. Like other scoops, it left some cookie dough behind, but the amount was minimal and less than that of some of the other scoops.

I like that they're offered in small (1-tablespoon), medium (1.5-tablespoon), and large (3-tablespoon) sizes—it makes it easier to bake different-sized cookies or use them for other purposes as well. Unfortunately, they're not sold as a three-piece set, but you can purchase a two-scoop set (small and medium) from Williams-Sonoma.

• Norpro Grip-EZ: This scoop works well, and I found it similar to the Oxo with its silicone handle. However, the handles are wider apart, making it harder to hold when scooping and squeezing.
• Pampered Chef: After Oxo, this was one of my favorite scoops because the metal handles are slightly thicker, so it didn't dig into my hand as much when scooping. The only slight drawback is that it doesn't have a silicone grip to help keep your hand in place.
• Williams Sonoma Piazza Ice Cream and Cookie Scoop: I found this comfortable to hold with handles that are closer together. These scoops were very similar to Pampered Chef's, with an all-stainless steel design, but slightly harder to squeeze.
• King Arthur Cookie Scoop Set: These were the most uniquely shaped scoops, allowing you to squeeze them with your hand or thumb. They worked well, but I found the plastic a little slippery.
• Gorilla Grip: This scoop is wildly popular on Amazon and resembles the Oxo and Norpro models. However, it wasn’t as easy to squeeze as the Oxo, and the dough didn’t scrape out as cleanly.
• Wilton Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop: Wilton’s cookie scoops were decent and got the job done. However, they’re hand-wash recommended, whereas the other ones are dishwasher-safe.

For each cookie scoop model I tested in the Kitchen Appliances Lab and at home, I scooped at least three dough balls and checked for:

✔️ Leftover dough: I inspected how cleanly each scoop released the dough, looking for any dough that stayed stuck inside the scoop.

✔️ Easy to squeeze and release: I noted how much pressure was needed to operate the handles and whether the mechanism worked smoothly without sticking.

✔️ Comfortable to grip: I considered overall comfort, including the handle size and shape. I also took into account whether my hand slipped or any edges or metal parts dug into my hand during repeated use.

✔️ Dishwasher-safe: I checked whether each scoop was dishwasher-safe, ran them through a dishwasher cycle, and inspected them afterward to ensure there was no rust and that they still functioned properly.

A cookie scoop might seem like an unnecessary item; after all, a spoon can scoop out cookie dough, and it’s already in your drawer. The advantage of a cookie scoop is that it portions out perfectly uniform dough balls every time, ensuring your cookies bake evenly. With a spoon, it’s hard to gauge the size of your dough ball. Also, if you’re baking a large number of cookies, the spring-loaded design allows for faster and less messy scooping, especially with sticky doughs that tend to cling to utensils.

Cookie scoops with silicone-grip handles, like the Oxo, keep your hand comfortable, even through marathon baking sessions. And most are dishwasher-safe, so you can just as easily throw them in your dishwasher as a spoon. If you bake drop cookies often, it’s one tool you’ll want to have in your arsenal.

Cookie scoops come in varying sizes, and the size can affect how your cookies turn out. Some are labeled as small, medium, or large for sizing, while others use numbers like #20 or #40, which correspond to the number of scoops required to fill a quart; the lower the number, the larger the size of the dough ball. Regardless of the size label, most fall somewhere between 1 and 3 tablespoons.

A 1.5- to 2-tablespoon scoop is perfect for your classic, homemade chocolate chip cookies, while a 3-tablespoon scoop will yield those big, bakery-style cookies with chewy centers and crisp edges. It’s also not just the size that changes; different scoop sizes also affect texture and bake time, so picking the right one can help consistently nail your ideal cookie every time.

Cookie scoops are useful for more than just cookies. They make portioning muffin or cupcake batter much easier and less messy. They can also be used for shaping meatballs, making melon balls, scooping mashed potatoes, or even portioning burger patties. So if you think it’s just for scooping cookies, you may be surprised by how many other ways you’ll use it.

In my search for the best cookie scoop, I noticed that some were labeled for both cookies and ice cream. Although a cookie scoop can be used for ice cream, I wouldn't recommend it, especially for hard ice cream. Over time, the resistance from frozen ice cream may strain or damage the scoop's release mechanism. If you do occasionally use your cookie scoop for ice cream, make sure it's had time to soften so it doesn't require as much effort to scoop. However, ideally, it's best to stick with a dedicated ice cream scoop for that job.

Jamie Ueda is a consumer products expert with nearly two decades of experience in product testing, development, and manufacturing. She has tested products and written numerous reviews across dozens of categories, including hand mixers, baking pan sets, cake decorating tools, ice cream makers, and more. In addition to Lab testing, she is an avid baker and loves to whip up cookies, cakes, and more baked goods.

Nicole Papantoniou runs the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she oversees all content and testing related to cooking products. She has been testing kitchen appliances professionally since 2013.

Reviewed byNicole Papantoniou

Kitchen Appliances Lab Director

Nicole (she/her) is the senior director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab. She oversees all content and testing related to kitchen products, food, and recipes. She has worked at GH since 2019, and is a trained cook, published recipe developer, and seasoned product tester with nearly 15 years of experience. She has worked in test kitchens for national magazines and kitchen appliances brands, where she also helped develop products for the home cook. She earned a degree in journalism from SUNY New Paltz, graduated with a Grand Diplome in Classic Culinary Arts from the French Culinary Institute, and studied culinary nutrition at the Natural Gourmet Institute (both now part of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.)