Rollout sugar cookie tips (2024)

FAQs

How do you roll out perfect sugar cookies? ›

Place slightly chilled cookie dough between the two pieces of parchment paper and form the dough into rectangle using your hands. Using a rolling pin, start at the center and begin to roll the dough away from your body, rotating the dough 90 degrees every few rolls to ensure even thickness.

Roll dough between sheets of parchment or waxed paper

Rather than roll dough on a floured surface, roll it between sheets of non-stick parchment or waxed paper. Adding extra flour to dough as a result of rolling can make cookies tough.

→ Follow this tip: Chill sugar cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or in the freezer for 15 minutes. The dough will be so much easier to work with! It will roll out nicely, and if you're making cut-outs, chilled dough will help you get clean, sharp edges.

Place two equal-sized sheets of parchment paper underneath and above the dough, making a kind of dough sandwich. Then roll out with your rolling pin, keeping the dough sandwiched between the two parchment sheets. Once it has been rolled to the thickness you're going for, chill the dough for the requisite time.

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.

Rolling out just-made cookie dough is easy since it's still really soft and pliable, and you don't have to worry about cookie dough that's so cold from the chilling process that it cracks and has to warm up on the counter again before you can work with it.

How do you keep cookie dough from sticking to the rolling pin? Before rolling, you'll want to use your hands to evenly coat the rolling pin with flour. If your dough is sticky, you'll also want to sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough before rolling.

Rolling out using baking paper means the dough will have an even thickness and won't stick to the table or baking dish. If you cut a ready sheet of paper the same size as the dish or oven tray, you can transfer the dough and the paper directly to the dish after rolling out.

Warm the dough

Warming cold dough makes it easier to roll out or hand stretch pizza dough because of the protein in gluten that makes pizza dough chewy and stretchy. Additionally, if you have proofed pizza dough at room temperature for an hour or two, and turned it into a dough ball, you can skip this step.

So yes, resting your cookie dough makes better cookies. If you can't swing an overnight rest, we recommend chilling your cookie dough in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours before scooping and baking. If you really don't want to wait, shape your dough into balls and freeze them for 15 minutes, then pop them in the oven.

What happens if I don't refrigerate my sugar cookie dough? ›

"When your cookie dough is not refrigerated, the butter is at room temperature. Therefore the heat from the oven reacts with the butter quickly, making it spread thinner," says Epperson. And while some people prefer a crunchy, thin cookie, there are arguably many more people who like soft, thick cookies.

Apply pressure evenly to the rolling pin and chill the dough if it becomes too soft and sticky. Use two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper to make rolling easier.

By chilling the dough before rolling it out, we allow the present gluten strands time to settle down and relax. This actually makes your pastry dough easier to roll out and cuts down on any shrinking during the baking process. Chilling also lets the available moisture find its way back into all parts of the dough.

Don't reroll scraps more than 3 times.

After you cut out as many cookies as you can, place the scraps together to form a ball of dough and roll out the sugar cookie dough again and cut out additional cookies. After that process has been repeated, place the 2nd batch of scraps together.

Youngman says chilling the dough for at least one hour before baking is crucial. An overnight sleepover in the fridge is even better. But if you can't wait, shape your dough into balls and freeze them for 15 minutes before popping them into the oven. So yes, resting your cookie dough makes better cookies.

The ideal thickness to roll out your sugar cookie dough is about 1/4"--that way, they'll be tough enough to be handled and decorated, but thin enough to stay a little crunchy.

When the temp in your kitchen rises above 73° F (for me, that's all summer long), Parks says "that everything from your countertop to your rolling pin and the flour itself will act as a heat source to the butter." To protect your butter, refrigerate pie plates, rolling pins, and dry ingredients until cool (but not cold ...

The foremost tip to prevent your dough from sticking to the dough is to coat your rolling pin with extra flour. It is one of the standard methods to prevent the dough clumps from sticking to the pin. So, cover your rolling pin with excess flour to fill the pins' pores and grooves to have a non-grease coating.

Flat surfaces like granite, steel, and other counters won't get damaged. Another way you can roll out your dough is by putting it between two sheets of wax paper or brown parchment paper. Again, use flour or powdered sugar to minimize sticking.

Will cookie dough stick to parchment paper? ›

Unlike aluminum foil and wax paper, parchment is treated with silicone, giving it a non-stick quality. That translates to a freshly baked batch, without having to peel slivers of silver from the bottom of your baker's dozen.

When Not to Use Parchment Paper. Parchment paper is not designed for high-heat cooking. Avoid using it in your oven or on the grill if temperature will exceed 400 degrees, says Michelle Weaver, chef at Charleston Grill in South Carolina, as there's a chance it could catch fire.

In conclusion, there is a right and wrong side to parchment paper. What is this? The shiny side should always be facing up when baking because it creates a better seal and results in a more consistent bake. If you use the dull side of the parchment, your food may stick or burn easier.

Best practices will have you grease the cake or baking pan (to help the paper stay in place), line it with parchment, then grease the parchment to make baked good liberation go as smoothly as possible.

Grease and flour the pan or parchment paper. To prevent batter or dough from sticking, it is usually recommended to grease and flour the pan or parchment paper.

You can chill your dough during either the first or second rise. Your yeast won't give you much love if it's asked to do both rises in the fridge, so it's best to do one or the other at room temperature.

The answer to getting light and fluffy bread is by letting the bread rise long enough. How long should your bread rise? That depends on the temperature of your kitchen. Yeast— the agent that allows bread to rise— is very sensitive to temperature.

The colder your dough is before it heads into the oven, the less it will spread during baking, which makes for loftier cookies. The chilling phase also gives the flour in your dough time to hydrate, just like pie dough, which translates into a cookie that's more chewy than cakey.

You overwork the dough.

If you mix (or roll out) cookie dough too much, you'll add excess air to the dough, causing it to rise and then fall flat in the oven. Overmixing the dough can also lead to excess gluten development, resulting in dense cookies.

You really can overmix sugar cookie dough, which then leads to a tougher, chewier cookie. To ensure a light, fluffy cookie every time, mix until your ingredients are just incorporated and then put the mixing spoon down for good.

Can I use wax paper to roll out cookie dough? ›

Wax paper is coated with a very thin layer of paraffin. It is water-resistant, but not heat-proof, so it should never be used as a liner for baking sheets and pans. But it is the perfect vehicle for rolling the dough for cut out cookies because it is translucent and flexible.

It's best to chill your dough in the refrigerator for the entire recommended time.

As a general rule, any cookie dough left on the counter at room temperature will be good for 2-4 hours but then may risk going bad, especially if it is already past its “best by” date. The cool, dark, air-free container in your fridge or freezer will be the best place to maximize the lifespan of your cookie dough.

The longer you chill the dough, the more flavor will develop. The flour will also absorb more of the moisture so the thicker and chewier the final texture will be.

The ideal thickness to roll out your sugar cookie dough is about 1/4"--that way, they'll be tough enough to be handled and decorated, but thin enough to stay a little crunchy.

On a clean surface, roll each ball of dough out into a rope about 8 inches long. Start with your hands together in the center, then pull them outward as you roll to help stretch the dough. Place rope of dough onto your prepared pan. Place close together for pull-apart breadsticks.

Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush tops of rolls with egg wash and bake until golden brown on top, about 20-25 minutes. Remove rolls from oven and immediately brush with butter.

MILK: Brushing with milk will help to color the crust, the sugars in the milk helping to brown it. WATER: Water is often sprayed or brushed onto bread before it is placed in a very hot oven, and during baking, to give the bread an extra-crisp crust.

Butter or Olive Oil Brush: Brush softened butter or olive oil atop the loaf before baking to add flavor and color. Milk Bath: Brushing a loaf with milk before baking gives the baked bread a tender, golden crust. For a sweet bread recipe, sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Should you flatten cookie dough balls before baking? ›

Here are the attributes to look for when experimenting with imprints: The recipe calls for flattening the dough. If you're not directed to flatten the dough before baking it means it's soft enough to spread on its own, and the cookies won't hold an imprint.

Right before baking, roll the cookie dough balls in sugar and bake as directed, as though you were making them fresh. (This can be easier to do if you thaw the dough in the refrigerator first) Cookie dough will stay fresh in the freezer about 6 weeks.

Butter adds the most flavor and richness to your baked goods. Butter is the most common fat used in baking as it lends a wonderful flavor and texture to cakes, cookies, pie crusts and fillings, frostings, brownies and more.

Sugar cookie dough should be cool to touch while you're working with it. Room temperature dough or warmer will stick to your counter tops and cookie cutters. Too warm dough will even stick to parchment paper, if you're rolling it out on that–which is my recommended method.

The foremost tip to prevent your dough from sticking to the dough is to coat your rolling pin with extra flour. It is one of the standard methods to prevent the dough clumps from sticking to the pin. So, cover your rolling pin with excess flour to fill the pins' pores and grooves to have a non-grease coating.

Too much sugar and butter can make sugar cookies spread and lose their shape when baked. This one requires a little patience because once you roll out your dough, you are ready to bake. Be patient and bake your cookies when the dough is really cold.