“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.
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.
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. If you need ideas for your holiday baking, see our collection of Cookie Recipes.
Preheat the oven to 325º F. Grease a baking sheet or pizza pan. Place the whole bar of dough with score lines or marks down on a prepared baking sheet or pizza pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Should dough be room temperature before baking?
Yes, you can bake dough straight from the refrigerator – it does not need to come to room temperature. The dough has no problems from being baked cold and will bake evenly when baked in a very hot oven. I’ve baked many loaves straight from the fridge with great results, and haven’t noticed any problems.
If you’re looking for a way to improve your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, make them with refrigerated cookie dough. Refrigerating the dough for even 30 minutes can improve the texture and flavor of that famous $250 Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookie myth or a tried-and-true Toll House recipe.
How do you soften dough from fridge?
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.
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.
While store-bought cookie dough contains preservatives that may extend its shelf life somewhat, homemade cookie dough will only last in the refrigerator for about three days stored in an airtight container. (If your store-bought cookie dough doesn’t have an expiration date, add a week or so to the “best by” date.)
Cookie Dough Baking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 – 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cover your baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Drop cookies on the baking sheet.
- Gently tap the cookie down to get a good spread and circular shape.
- Allow 2” between each cookie in order to avoid them spreading into each other.
HEAT oven to 350°F (or 325°F for nonstick cookie sheet). PLACE cookie dough rounds about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. BAKE 10 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown.
When should I take dough out of fridge?
Once the dough has reached the point where it can be opened easily and bakes without bubbling, it’s typically good for use over the next three hours.
How do you use refrigerated dough?
You can leave the dough in the refrigerator for as long as 24 hours. When you need to use it, just take it out of the fridge, punch it down, and allow it to rest before shaping.
How long does it take refrigerated dough to get to room temperature?
Dough that’s left to rise at room temperature typically takes between two and four hours to double in size. If left overnight, dough can rise so high it will likely collapse on the weight of itself, making the dough deflate. For best results always keep dough in the refrigerator when leaving it to rise overnight.
Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
The best way to soften cookie dough is by leaving it in a warm place such as near a hot stove or under a lamp. Other methods for softening cookie dough include using a hot water bath, microwaving it on very low power, hitting it with a rolling pin, and cutting it into smaller pieces.
Tough – For rolled cookies, your dough can become “tough” by adding too much flour to your pin or counter before rolling it out. To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough.
There’s no need to thaw frozen drop cookie dough in order to bake your cookies — in fact, we don’t recommend it. Start by preheating the oven slightly lower than the temperature called for in your recipe — about 15 degrees F lower.
For those ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookies, 375 degrees Fahrenheit is your sweet spot. It’s the perfect temperature to ensure super crispy exterior edges, while leaving the center slightly underdone and, thus, doughy and fudgey.
Place one baking sheet at a time onto center rack of preheated 350 degree F oven. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, still have pale tops, and are soft in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Do not overbake! They will firm up more during cooling.)
As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
If you want to prevent spreading, chill your cookie dough in the fridge for 4-6 hours ideally. If you don’t have that much time, plan on chilling the dough for at least one hour to get an effect.
To use: Defrost the unrolled cookie dough in the refrigerator overnight. You can then roll out the dough, cut out the cookies, and bake them according to the recipe’s specifications. If you’ve already cut out and frozen the cookies, simply pop them in the oven.
Lining a baking sheet when making cookies: Not only will the parchment help cookies bake more evenly, the non-stick quality also helps prevent them from cracking or breaking when lifting them off the sheet. Decorating home-baked goods: Parchment paper makes the perfect wrapper for baked goods.
How do I bring dough to room temperature?
Bring your dough to room temperature.
If it’s in plastic from the grocery store (or freezer, you champ!) take it out of the plastic and move it to an oiled mixing bowl. Cover the bowl and set in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.
Can you leave dough in the fridge overnight?
If kept in the refrigerator, bread dough can last for around 3 days. Any longer than this and it won’t bake properly and it can begin to fall. To make sure you get the best out of your bread dough, try to bake it within 48 hours.
How long does refrigerated dough take to rise?
Dough can be put in the refrigerator before it has risen. The cold temperature only slows the rise rather than stopping it completely. Your dough will rise completely within 12-24 hours depending on how much yeast you use and the temperature of your refrigerator.
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.
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.
Baking requires precision, and if you find your homemade cookies are falling apart, then there’s a good chance you have been using too much flour (via Fine Cooking).
You don’t need to adjust the bake time or temperature for thawed cookie dough. Baking Frozen Cookie Dough Straight From The Freezer. If you prefer to bake frozen cookie dough straight from the freezer, you’ll reduce the baking temperature by 20-25 degrees or so and add 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
Chocolate chip cookies are done when they have a firm golden edge or bottom and appear slightly set on top. If the edges become dark brown, they are overbaked. If edges aren’t golden and tops are soft and shiny, bake a little longer.
Preheat oven 10 to 15 minutes before baking the first sheet or pan of cookies. Check oven temperature with an oven thermometer.
“When you bake at a lower temperature, you will get that perfect cookie with a soft center and crisp exterior,” she adds. Just make sure you increase baking time by a couple of minutes or you will end up with gooey underbaked cookies.
Cookies should (almost) always be baked on the middle rack of the oven. The middle rack offers the most even heat and air circulation which helps cookies bake consistently.
How Long to Bake Cookie Dough
| Type of Cookie | Type of Baking Pan | Baking Times |
|---|---|---|
| Drop cookies | baking sheet | 8 – 10 minutes |
| Bar Cookies | 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan | 25 – 30 minutes |
| Bar Cookies | 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan | 20 – 25 minutes |
| Tart Shell or Cheesecake Crust | 9-inch tart or springform pan | 20 – 25 minutes |
If you are able to touch the top of them and they are right between soft and firm (or how you would prefer them), they would be good. if you are able to touch them and they still feel to dough-like, leave them in the oven for another 2 or 3 minutes.