You are making cookies and you want to know, Do I need to chill my cookie dough? Find out the answer and why!
One step many people skip when baking cookies is chilling their cookie dough. The question is, do you need to take that extra step? Is it necessary to wait for the dough to chill? Do I need to Chill my Cookie Dough? Check out the answer to this, and get the reason behind it!
Do I need To Chill my Cookie Dough?
Long story short, YES! Chilling your cookie dough scientifically changes the structure of the dough giving you a chewier, more flavorful cookie. This is true for ANY type of cookie dough.
Stop the Spread!
When you chill your cookie dough, it allows the butter to stiffen back up. A firmer dough will stop it from spreading in the oven. This is great for cutout cookies, but it is also great for drop cookies. It gives you a loftier, chewier result when you bake them up. Even if you are short on time, and hour chill can make a big difference.
Chilling for Better Flavor
Chilling isn't just to stop spreading; it enhances the flavor of the cookies too! The longer the flavors marry together in the fridge, the better. The flour can absorb the butter and the caramelly flavors in the brown sugar. If you can chill your dough for at least 24 hours, I promise you will notice a difference.
Do All Cookie Doughs Need Chilled?
Rolled Dough
Rolled cookie dough that you are going to cut into shapes should be chilled! It will prevent spreading and weird shape stretching, but it will make rolling the dough out easier! Even just one hour in the fridge can make a huge difference.
You can even chill the dough a second time once it is cut and on the pan. This type of cookie includes rolled sugar cookie doughs, gingerbread cookie doughs for gingerbread people and especially gingerbread houses where the pieces have to fit properly together to build a house.
Scoop and Drop Dough
Any recipe for scoop and drop cookies like oatmeal raisin cookies or chocolate chip cookies are better if you chill them overnight. It makes a better-textured cookie and the cookies with bake up thicker and chewier.
However, if you are hungry and need a cookie now...I understand. There are many scoop and drop cookies that don't have to be chilled, but if you do they will turn out more beautiful.
Freezer Cookie Dough
I am all about working smarter, not harder. Make your cookie dough and freeze it until you are ready. Freezing your dough is a great way to prep ahead and have cookie dough ready for any moment. I love using a cookie scoop for all of my scoop and drop cookies, so they are all the same size and bake up evenly. Learn more about Freezer Cookie Dough here
Questions? Comments?