Sounds like your oven is too hot; the dials are not usually very trustworthy. If your cookies are running the edges will be quite thin and can burn, and bottoms are always a pretty fine balance between browning and burning. If you like pale bottoms, insulated cookie sheets will do it. Also, if you're cooking them on a low shelf the bottoms may tend to burn.
Are your cookie sheets dark and/or non-stick? Dark baking pans tend to absorb a lot of heat on the surface, so perhaps the middles of your cookies aren't given enough time to bake by the time the bottoms and sides brown. Maybe you can bake your cookies at a lower heat if you don't have lighter colored sheets.
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