diff --git a/http/cookie.ts b/http/cookie.ts
index 91a2d14d8126..98d9fc2fe1df 100644
--- a/http/cookie.ts
+++ b/http/cookie.ts
@@ -233,6 +233,12 @@ function validateDomain(domain: string) {
 /**
  * Parse cookies of a header
  *
+ * The returned object has a null prototype (so it does not inherit from
+ * `Object.prototype` — properties like `toString` or `hasOwnProperty` will be
+ * `undefined` rather than the inherited methods). The return type is
+ * `Partial<Record<string, string>>` to reflect that arbitrary key access may
+ * yield `undefined` when no cookie of that name was set.
+ *
  * @example Usage
  * ```ts
  * import { getCookies } from "@std/http/cookie";
@@ -242,15 +248,21 @@ function validateDomain(domain: string) {
  * headers.set("Cookie", "full=of; tasty=chocolate");
  *
  * const cookies = getCookies(headers);
- * assertEquals(cookies, { full: "of", tasty: "chocolate" });
+ * assertEquals(cookies.full, "of");
+ * assertEquals(cookies.tasty, "chocolate");
+ * assertEquals(cookies.missing, undefined);
  * ```
  *
  * @param headers The headers instance to get cookies from
- * @return Object with cookie names as keys
+ * @return Object with cookie names as keys (null-prototype). Values are
+ *   typed as `string | undefined` so missing-key access is caught at compile
+ *   time.
  */
-export function getCookies(headers: Headers): Record<string, string> {
+export function getCookies(
+  headers: Headers,
+): Partial<Record<string, string>> {
   const cookie = headers.get("Cookie");
-  const out: Record<string, string> = Object.create(null);
+  const out: Partial<Record<string, string>> = Object.create(null);
   if (cookie !== null) {
     const c = cookie.split(";");
     for (const kv of c) {
diff --git a/http/cookie_test.ts b/http/cookie_test.ts
index 72f5eecacb2c..fac04877a33d 100644
--- a/http/cookie_test.ts
+++ b/http/cookie_test.ts
@@ -45,9 +45,12 @@ Deno.test({
   fn() {
     const headers = new Headers([["Cookie", "foo=bar"]]);
     const cookies = getCookies(headers);
-    assertType<IsExact<typeof cookies, Record<string, string>>>(true);
-    // allowed due to `noUncheckedIndexedAccess`
-    const baz = cookies.baz as undefined;
+    // Return type is Partial<Record<string, string>> so arbitrary key access
+    // surfaces as `string | undefined` regardless of `noUncheckedIndexedAccess`.
+    // Closes the type/runtime gap reported in #6852 and #7053 — at runtime the
+    // returned object is null-prototyped, so missing keys really are undefined.
+    assertType<IsExact<typeof cookies, Partial<Record<string, string>>>>(true);
+    const baz: string | undefined = cookies.baz;
     assertEquals(baz, undefined);
     assertEquals(Object.getPrototypeOf(cookies), null);
     assertEquals(cookies.toString, undefined);