I just got a new Samsung convection oven and I'm having trouble getting my chocolate chip cookies to bake evenly. They brown too fast on the edges but stay undercooked in the middle. Should I lower the temperature or switch to a different setting?
Turn off the convection setting and bake on regular heat instead - that's usually your best bet for cookies. Convection ovens circulate hot air constantly, which speeds up browning on the outside while the inside hasn't had time to set properly. Since you're getting that uneven bake, the convection is probably working against you here.
If you do want to use convection for some reason, drop the temperature by 25 degrees from what your recipe calls for, and keep a close eye on them starting around the two-thirds mark of baking time. Also rotate your baking sheet halfway through - move it from front to back. That helps even things out, though honestly you'll still get better, more predictable results going the regular oven route.
One more thing: make sure your oven is properly preheated and check if your rack position matters. Middle racks generally work best for cookies. Sometimes the issue isn't really the convection setting at all, but just uneven heat zones in the oven itself. If you're still getting hot spots even on regular bake, try baking one sheet at a time rather than stacking multiple trays.
Convection mode can actually work fine for cookies - the issue is usually temperature and timing, not the setting itself. I've had the same problem with my Samsung: edges crispy, middle soft. The culprit was running it too hot. Try dropping the temp 25°F lower than your recipe calls for, so if it says 375°F, go 350°F. Convection heats faster and more aggressively than conventional ovens, so that adjustment alone often fixes the uneven baking.
Also check your oven rack position. If you're baking on the middle rack and it's too close to the heating element or the convection fan, the tops will brown before the centers cook through. Move to a lower rack position if possible, or invest in a baking stone - it buffers the heat and helps distribute it more evenly underneath the cookies. Finally, rotate your baking sheets halfway through. Even with convection, hot spots exist, and a 180-degree turn at the midpoint makes a real difference.
Most convection ovens bake 25 degrees hotter than they display, so try dropping your temp by that amount first - that alone fixes the uneven browning issue in most cases. If that doesn't help, rotate your baking sheets halfway through instead of switching modes entirely; convection actually speeds things up evenly when the temperature is right, so you'll end up with better results than going back to regular bake mode.
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