diff --git a/src/static/js/pad_cookie.js b/src/static/js/pad_cookie.js
index e4f748d45..0e946ea5c 100644
--- a/src/static/js/pad_cookie.js
+++ b/src/static/js/pad_cookie.js
@@ -63,4 +63,8 @@ exports.padcookie = new class {
     prefs[prefName] = value;
     this.writePrefs_(prefs);
   }
+
+  clear() {
+    this.writePrefs_({});
+  }
 }();
diff --git a/src/tests/frontend/helper.js b/src/tests/frontend/helper.js
index 2a406a4f3..05c5f3347 100644
--- a/src/tests/frontend/helper.js
+++ b/src/tests/frontend/helper.js
@@ -51,22 +51,21 @@ const helper = {};
   };
 
   helper.clearSessionCookies = () => {
-    // Expire cookies, so author and language are changed after reloading the pad. See:
-    // https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document/cookie#example_4_reset_the_previous_cookie
-    window.document.cookie = 'token=;expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT; path=/';
-    window.document.cookie = 'language=;expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT; path=/';
+    window.Cookies.remove('token');
+    window.Cookies.remove('language');
   };
 
   // Can only happen when the iframe exists, so we're doing it separately from other cookies
   helper.clearPadPrefCookie = () => {
-    helper.padChrome$.document.cookie = 'prefsHttp=;expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT; path=/';
+    const {padcookie} = helper.padChrome$.window.require('ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pad_cookie');
+    padcookie.clear();
   };
 
-  // Overwrite all prefs in pad cookie. Assumes http, not https.
+  // Overwrite all prefs in pad cookie.
   helper.setPadPrefCookie = (prefs) => {
-    const val = encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify(prefs));
-    helper.padChrome$.document.cookie =
-        `prefsHttp=${val};expires=Thu, 01 Jan 3000 00:00:00 GMT; path=/`;
+    const {padcookie} = helper.padChrome$.window.require('ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pad_cookie');
+    padcookie.clear();
+    for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(prefs)) padcookie.setPref(key, value);
   };
 
   // Functionality for knowing what key event type is required for tests
diff --git a/src/tests/frontend/index.html b/src/tests/frontend/index.html
index e8a8012fb..3b0f1c6e0 100644
--- a/src/tests/frontend/index.html
+++ b/src/tests/frontend/index.html
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 
     <script src="/static/js/vendors/jquery.js"></script>
     <script src="/static/js/vendors/browser.js"></script>
+    <script src="/static/plugins/js-cookie/src/js.cookie.js"></script>
     <script src="lib/underscore.js"></script>
 
     <script src="lib/mocha.js"></script>
diff --git a/src/tests/frontend/specs/authorship_of_editions.js b/src/tests/frontend/specs/authorship_of_editions.js
index 2552ab9e0..f78b9d1e1 100644
--- a/src/tests/frontend/specs/authorship_of_editions.js
+++ b/src/tests/frontend/specs/authorship_of_editions.js
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ describe('author of pad edition', function () {
     await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
 
     // Expire cookie, so author is changed after reloading the pad.
-    // See https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document/cookie#Example_4_Reset_the_previous_cookie
-    helper.padChrome$.document.cookie = 'token=foo;expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT; path=/';
+    const {Cookies} = helper.padChrome$.window.require('ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pad_utils');
+    Cookies.remove('token');
 
     // Reload pad, to make changes as a second user.
     await helper.aNewPad({id: padId});
diff --git a/src/tests/frontend/specs/helper.js b/src/tests/frontend/specs/helper.js
index bac14ce53..d0a69c563 100644
--- a/src/tests/frontend/specs/helper.js
+++ b/src/tests/frontend/specs/helper.js
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ describe('the test helper', function () {
       this.timeout(60000);
 
       // set cookies far into the future to make sure they're not expired yet
-      window.document.cookie = 'token=foo;expires=Thu, 01 Jan 3030 00:00:00 GMT; path=/';
-      window.document.cookie = 'language=bar;expires=Thu, 01 Jan 3030 00:00:00 GMT; path=/';
+      window.Cookies.set('token', 'foo', {expires: 7 /* days */});
+      window.Cookies.set('language', 'bar', {expires: 7 /* days */});
 
       expect(window.document.cookie).to.contain('token=foo');
       expect(window.document.cookie).to.contain('language=bar');
@@ -56,8 +56,8 @@ describe('the test helper', function () {
       // helper function seems to have cleared cookies
       // NOTE: this doesn't yet mean it's proven to have taken effect by this point in execution
       const firstCookie = window.document.cookie;
-      expect(firstCookie).to.not.contain('token=foo');
-      expect(firstCookie).to.not.contain('language=bar');
+      expect(window.Cookies.get('token')).to.not.be('foo');
+      expect(window.Cookies.get('language') == null).to.be(true);
 
       let chrome$ = helper.padChrome$;
 
@@ -76,21 +76,26 @@ describe('the test helper', function () {
 
       // Now that we have a chrome, we can set a pad cookie
       // so we can confirm it gets wiped as well
-      chrome$.document.cookie = 'prefsHttp=baz;expires=Thu, 01 Jan 3030 00:00:00 GMT; path=/';
-      expect(chrome$.document.cookie).to.contain('prefsHttp=baz');
+      const getPadcookie =
+          () => helper.padChrome$.window.require('ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pad_cookie').padcookie;
+      let padcookie = getPadcookie();
+      padcookie.clear();
+      padcookie.setPref('foo', 'bar');
+      expect(padcookie.getPref('foo')).to.be('bar');
 
       // give it a second to save the username on the server side
       await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
 
       await helper.aNewPad(); // get a new pad, let it clear the cookies
       chrome$ = helper.padChrome$;
+      padcookie = getPadcookie();
 
       // helper function seems to have cleared cookies
       // NOTE: this doesn't yet mean cookies were cleared effectively.
       // We still need to test below that we're in a new session
-      expect(window.document.cookie).to.not.contain('token=foo');
-      expect(window.document.cookie).to.not.contain('language=bar');
-      expect(chrome$.document.cookie).to.contain('prefsHttp=baz');
+      expect(window.Cookies.get('token')).to.not.be('foo');
+      expect(window.Cookies.get('language') == null).to.be(true);
+      expect(padcookie.getPref('foo') == null).to.be(true);
 
       expect(window.document.cookie).to.not.be(firstCookie);
 
@@ -105,10 +110,9 @@ describe('the test helper', function () {
 
     it('sets pad prefs cookie', async function () {
       this.timeout(60000);
-      await helper.aNewPad({padPrefs: {foo: 'bar'}});
-      const chrome$ = helper.padChrome$;
-      expect(chrome$.document.cookie).to.contain('prefsHttp=%7B%22');
-      expect(chrome$.document.cookie).to.contain('foo%22%3A%22bar');
+      await helper.aNewPad({padPrefs: {foo: 'padPrefs test'}});
+      const {padcookie} = helper.padChrome$.window.require('ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pad_cookie');
+      expect(padcookie.getPref('foo')).to.be('padPrefs test');
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/src/tests/frontend/specs/language.js b/src/tests/frontend/specs/language.js
index afc1e2402..fa361a7ff 100644
--- a/src/tests/frontend/specs/language.js
+++ b/src/tests/frontend/specs/language.js
@@ -1,12 +1,8 @@
 'use strict';
 
-const deletecookie = (name) => {
-  document.cookie = `${name}=; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:01 GMT; path=/`;
-};
-
 describe('Language select and change', function () {
   // Destroy language cookies
-  deletecookie('language', null);
+  window.Cookies.remove('language');
 
   // create a new pad before each test run
   beforeEach(function (cb) {
diff --git a/src/tests/frontend/specs/multiple_authors_clear_authorship_colors.js b/src/tests/frontend/specs/multiple_authors_clear_authorship_colors.js
index b7cea5545..4f081e313 100755
--- a/src/tests/frontend/specs/multiple_authors_clear_authorship_colors.js
+++ b/src/tests/frontend/specs/multiple_authors_clear_authorship_colors.js
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ describe('author of pad edition', function () {
     // Need a timeout here to make sure all changes were saved.
     await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
 
-    // Expire cookie, so author is changed after reloading the pad.
-    // See https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document/cookie#Example_4_Reset_the_previous_cookie
-    helper.padChrome$.document.cookie = 'token=foo;expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT; path=/';
+    // Delete token cookie, so author is changed after reloading the pad.
+    const {Cookies} = helper.padChrome$.window.require('ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pad_utils');
+    Cookies.remove('token');
 
     // Reload pad, to make changes as a second user.
     await helper.aNewPad({id: padId});