How long should you leave cookie dough in the fridge 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.

“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.” So chilling the dough before baking means fluffier cookies with better consistency.

Chilling cookie dough controls spread.

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.

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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. Merrill recommends putting dough near a warm stove, and pounding it with a rolling pin once it starts to soften.

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.

Most cookie doughs freeze well for up to 3 months. … Drop Cookies: Shape the cookie dough into balls as you would when preparing to bake them. Place them on a silicone- or parchment-lined sheet. Freeze for an hour (or until solid) and transfer to a freezer zip-top bag.

You can store cookie dough in the refrigerator for two days. Place the cookie dough in an airtight container, such as a plastic snap-top container or a plastic bag. If desired, roll the cookie dough into a log and wrap with plastic — it’ll be easy to slice later.

Why do you put dough in the fridge?

Refrigerating Dough

Chilling dough slows the activity of the yeast, but it does not stop it completely. For this reason, it is necessary to punch down the dough a few times over the first few hours it is in the refrigerator. Once the dough has completely cooled, it needs to be punched down only once every 24 hours.

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How long can I keep cookie dough in the refrigerator before baking? 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. See my previous post on freezing cookie dough for more information.

When baking frozen cookie dough, you do not have to thaw the cookie dough. Simply place the frozen, pre-scooped cookie dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes longer than the original recipe recommends. That’s it!

We recommend storing your cookie dough in a small airtight container in your fridge or freezer, depending on when you want to bake it. 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.

These recipes most likely contain a lower percentage of fat and are designed to spread less. If you want to ripen a cookie dough recipe that tells you to bake them right away, just allow your ripened dough to come to room temperature before baking.

How do you defrost cookie dough quickly?

  1. Place your cookie dough in the microwave for 2-3 seconds.
  2. Remove it and pound the dough with a rolling pin.
  3. Microwave for another 2 seconds.
  4. Remove it and cut the dough into 1-inch slices using a knife.
  5. Line a microwave safe with parchment paper.
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Should you refrigerate cookies?

At room temperature: Eat these cookies as quickly as possible—within three days is best. If you have cookies with fillings, like brandy snaps, keep them in the fridge. In the freezer: Delicate cookies like these do not store well in the freezer. Cookie dough: These batters should be prepped and used immediately.

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