Do you have to refrigerate cookie dough before baking?

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that and you won’t see a noticeable difference in the final product, says Haught Brown.

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.

Most cookie dough can be refrigerated, well-wrapped, for three to five days before baking. If you want to make it farther in advance, freeze the dough.

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.

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The primary reason for a brief resting period to redistribute the liquid in the dough. While the dough sits, turning from loose and soft to drier and more scoopable, the flour is hydrating, yielding cookies that will bake and brown more evenly.

Editor: Jen, we would probably vote for cookie dough, since nothing beats a truly fresh-baked cookie. But we would recommend scooping the dough and freezing it solid on cookie sheets, then sealing the frozen in lumps in bags for longer storage.

It is best to chill dough in the refrigerator for the entire recommended amount of time. … However, if you are in a hurry, placing the dough in the freezer for one-fourth of the recommended refrigerator time will work, too.

Cool down your dough for a tastier, chewier cookie.

If you’ve ever been puzzled by a chocolate chip cookie recipe that calls for chilling your dough for an hour, don’t skip it. As little as 30 minutes in your fridge or freezer can help your cookie brown better, spread less, and develop a richer chewy texture.

Why do my chocolate chip cookies flatten?

Mistake: When cookies turn out flat, the bad guy is often butter that is too soft or even melted. This makes cookies spread. The other culprit is too little flour—don’t hold back and make sure you master measuring. … If too-little flour was the issue, try adding an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour to the dough.

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Many cookie recipes call for long refrigeration times, but a finicky dough or a little extra chilling time can result in dough that’s as hard as a rock, and nearly impossible to work with. … Trena cuts the dough into smaller pieces using a pastry cutter, figuring that they will come to room temperature faster.

How long can dough be left unrefrigerated?

The standard time dough can be left out for is 4 hours. But this can change depending on the ingredients used and the baking methods used. The use of science to study the bacteria growth generated during the baking process should be acknowledged.

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.

If it is going to be cooked and eaten, it’s fine. Bacteria in the raw cookie dough will not multiply, but can remain for some time. However, it is not safe to eat RAW cookie dough at any time, whether it has been left out or not.

So now, many years later, you like the dough better than the cookies. Because you know you shouldn’t be eating it yet. Cookie dough expands. It’s a more concentrated form of the cookie itself.

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Better Homes and Gardens says that you can freeze cookie dough for one-fourth of the recommended refrigeration time with good results. In a pinch, I’ve put cookies in the freezer for as little as fifteen minutes and it’s improved the end product immensely.

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