31 Cookie Dough Recipes That'll Make You Weak In The Knees (2024)

FAQs

What does putting cookie dough in the fridge do? ›

Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.

It gives the liquid in the egg a chance to hydrate the starch in the flour, making the dough firmer, which helps the cookie spread less in the oven (hello, thick cookies!). And it allows the enzymes in the flour and egg yolk to break down the carbohydrates into their component sugars, fructose, and glucose.

Firm dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much, which is why chilling the dough is a crucial step for cut-out and rolled cookies. "The colder and more solid the fat is, the less the cookie will spread," says food stylist and recipe developer Caitlin Haught Brown.

Most cookie dough can be refrigerated, well-wrapped, for 3-5 days before baking. If you want to make it farther in advance, freeze the dough. You can either freeze the entire brick of dough or divide it into portions for quick baking.

Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less cookies spread.

cookies | TikTok. Scooping then chilling your cookie dough for at least. 2 hours before baking. As you can see, this primarily affects spread and height, both of which significantly contribute to texture.

Since most cookies are made with softened butter, which is then creamed with the sugar to act as the foundation, it's best to chill the dough after mixing to allow that butter to cool off. “Cookies made from chilled dough expand more slowly as they bake,” Hill says.

Though freshly baked cookies can last for several days, they generally taste the very best within 48 hours of baking.

The CDC regularly warns people to stop eating raw dough but acknowledges it's a tough sell. “When making cookies, brownies, cakes, or bread, you might be tempted to taste a bite before it's fully baked,” the CDC says. “But you can get sick after eating or tasting raw (unbaked) dough or batter.”

Cool down your dough for a tastier, chewier cookie.

As little as 30 minutes in your fridge or freezer can help your cookie brown better, spread less, and develop a richer chewy texture. There's a few reasons why, but one important part is it gives the butter in your dough a chance to firm up before baking.

Can you eat cookie dough everyday? ›

Although the risks are generally low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises to resist the temptation of eating raw cookie dough to prevent illness. This year, 26 people fell ill due to a salmonella outbreak that left four hospitalized.

Chilling the dough is a key step in making sugar cookies, especially when you're making cut-outs. Even if you're tight on time, make sure to get the dough in the fridge, or even the freezer, even if it's only for a little while. Skip this step, and the dough will be sticky, and much harder to work with.

Sure, you can skip the chilling step and bake the dough right away, but doing so runs the risk of flat disks with dry edges and a brittle texture; a far cry for the plush, chewy cookies with fudge-like centers we all crave.

Without chilling, these cookie cutter sugar cookies won't hold their shape. Chill the rolled out cookie dough for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days. Cut into shapes.

Scooping then chilling your cookie dough for at least. 2 hours before baking. As you can see, this primarily affects spread and height, both of which significantly contribute to texture.

Chill the ingredients: This is especially important for the butter or margarine, which should be cold but not hard. Cold ingredients make the dough come together easier and be less sticky. Use Shortening: Substitute all or a portion of the butter or margarine in the recipe with shortening.

As Martha Stewart explains, for cookies that are intended to be served thin, crispy, or crunchy, refrigerating raw cookie dough isn't required.