The center of the oven is the baker’s sweet spot. It’s where you get the most even baking and browning on all sides. The higher in the oven you go, the darker the tops of your cookies will be and the reverse is true about the lower part of your oven -- the darker the bottoms of your cookies will be. That's why I like to bake my cookies one sheet at a time in the center of the oven so the bottoms and tops of the cookies will be evenly golden brown and crispy. And because these cookies won't spread too much, you can fit twelve 1-ounce (2-tablespoon) dough balls on a standard rimmed baking sheet without fear that they’ll bake into one another.