The #1 Reason Why You Should Chill Your Cookie Dough (2024)

If you’re like most, you don’t want to take the time to chill your cookie dough. I totally get it…because who wants to wait for cookies. But here’s the thing if you REALLY want the best cookies… you know a little patience goes a LONG way.

This is the thing the pros know and appreciate.

Just take a look at the difference chilling makes:

MAGIC!

This chilling period does quite a few things.

Most importantly, it allows the flavors to develop and intensify! You can think of it like marinating.

It gives the liquid in the egg a chance to hydrate the starch in the flour, making the dough firmer. And it allows the enzymes in the flour and egg yolk to break down the carbohydrates into its component sugars, fructose and glucose.

The short of it? Chilling cookie dough makes the cookies much more flavorful, with that blissful caramelized butterscotch flavor, and it makes them thicker, chewier, and browner.

Q: WHAT IF I REALLY CAN’T WAIT TO ENJOY A COOKIE?!

Totally understandable. When I can’t wait, I simply bake off a few cookies immediately after making the dough then send the rest to chill in the fridge. You can even save a few of the ones you baked immediately to compare the results of the chilled ones!

Q: SHOULD I CHILL THE ENTIRE MASS OF DOUGH OR BALLS OF DOUGH? DOES IT MATTER?

You can do either! If chilling the entire mass of dough, remove it to an airtight container. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature until it’s malleable enough to safely scoop, which can take over an hour depending on your kitchen environment. This method allows you to get away with storing the dough for a little longer without having it dry out.

The easier method is to scoop the dough after you mix it up, then remove the scoops to a single layer in an airtight container or cover very tightly with plastic wrap. This method reduces the amount of time you can store the dough without it drying out, but makes it so you can bake the cookie dough balls directly from the fridge. No waiting for it to come to room temperature!

Q: HOW LONG SHOULD I CHILL THE DOUGH?

Anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. 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. After 72 hours the dough will begin to dry out and you risk it going bad, especially if chilling pre portioned balls of dough instead of the entire mass of dough.

Q: WHEN DO I FREEZE THE DOUGH?

If you’re wanting to freeze the cookie dough (specific directions on that here), simply do it after the 24 – 72 hour chilling period. Do not skip the chilling period.

Once you put the dough in the freezer, the moisture in the dough will actually freeze. If you freeze right away and skip chilling your dough, you won’t be able to have the same benefits in the freezer as in the fridge, it’s like the dough is in suspended-animation and the flour/starch won’t be able to absorb moisture because the moisture is frozen. The chemical processes that happen while the dough is marinating canonly happen in the fridge.

Q: DOES THIS APPLY TO ALL COOKIE DOUGH?

This most directly applies to chocolate chip cookie dough. But any time you want to develop stronger flavors and a thicker chewier texture in any drop-style cookie dough, chilling will be your friend. When making cookies with oatmeal, it’s best not to refrigerate more than 48 hours at most as oats are such a drying ingredient, and you don’t want the dough to dry up too quickly.

Q: DOES CHILLING COOKIE DOUGH OVERNIGHT WORK WITH COOKIES CONTAINING BAKING SODA AS THE LEAVENER?

It’s important to remember that baking soda will begin its chemical reaction when it encounters the acidic components of the cookie dough (brown sugar, in the case of most choc chip cookies), and baking powder will react to the water in the dough. Both occur before the dough hits the heat of the oven. Baking Soda will alter the dough pH to help promote some spread and browning when the dough is baked off. Since cookie dough is relatively low in moisture (compared to muffin or cake batter), the chemical reactions occur more slowly anyway. Also, cookies rely less on leavening than say muffins or cakes. That’s why we see an improvement to the taste and texture with chilling in cookies! Read more about Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder here!

So what do you think? Will you chill your dough next time? Will you do a side-by-side experiment?

If so, be sure to snap a photo and tag me #handletheheat @handletheheat on Instagram or join our Facebook group and share your results!

FAQs

The #1 Reason Why You Should Chill Your Cookie Dough? ›

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.

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Why is it important to chill cookie dough? ›

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.

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Why do we put cookie dough in fridge? ›

"When your dough is refrigerated, the butter hardens. So when you bake them, they spread less and hold their shape better," adds Epperson. "Which means a better likelihood of a soft, chewy cookie in the center." Chilling the dough creates fluffier cookies with better consistency.

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What happens if you don't chill cookie dough? ›

Chilling dough does several things: It provides ample time for the sugar to dissolve and the flour to hydrate, and some argue it helps deepen the flavor of the dough altogether. But the truth is, the primary reason bakers chill their dough is to prevent cookies from spreading too much.

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What does chilling do to 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.

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Does chilling cookie dough help it rise? ›

Chilling cookie dough changes texture.

So, allowing the ingredients to rest lets them absorb some of the liquid, gives you less spread, taller, browner cookies.

Do you always need to chill cookie dough? ›

The cookie baked from room temperature, being thinner, has a more uniform texture, while the one baked straight from the fridge. is thick enough to accommodate a softer interior. and crispier exterior. No contest. Generally speaking, you should chill your cookie dough before baking it.

Is it OK to refrigerate cookie dough overnight? ›

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.

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Does cookie dough go bad if refrigerated? ›

Homemade cookie dough should be stored in small containers in the refrigerator for two to four days or freeze for two months. Alternatively, small quantities of dough can be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator as needed.

Should cookie dough be sticky? ›

When cookie dough is too sticky, you may have an imbalance of wet and dry ingredients. You can fix this by adding a teaspoon of flour or cornstarch at a time until your dough is just how you want. The added flour or cornstarch will absorb the excess liquid and reduce the dough's overall stickiness.