This Is Why You Should Chill Your Cookie Dough Before Baking (2024)

Updated: Sep. 28, 2023

Still trying to make the perfect cookie? It's easier than you think! All you need to do is chill cookie dough before you bake it.

There are few things in the world more satisfying than cookies fresh out of the oven. If you’ve been baking long enough, you probably have all the cookie supplies you need, plus a few secrets for baking perfect cookies. But there’s one thing many folks forget. You need to chill cookie dough before baking it!

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Why You Need to Chill Your Cookie Dough

For starters, chilling prevents cookies from spreading out too quickly once they’re in the oven. If you use a higher fat butter (like Kerrygold), chilling your dough is absolutely essential. 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. This is thanks to a few different factors.

The dough becomes hydrated as the dry ingredients soak up moisture from the wet ingredients. This subtle hydration makes the dough less wet, concentrating the flavors. The result is cookies with a nice even bake and lovely golden brown color. And if you use brown butter in your cookie recipes, chilling the dough overnight allows the flavors to develop so you get a richer, more decadent cookie.

While this hydration is taking place, the flour also breaks down into sugar, making the dough taste sweeter. After as little as half an hour, your dough transforms into a bowl of goodness with an additional kiss of sweetness. Is it worth the wait? You bet.

How Long You Should Chill Cookie Dough For

This is really up to you. If you’re short on time, try and squeeze in at least half an hour if you can. 30 minutes will do the trick if you’re simply looking to avoid your cookies spreading all over the place. If you have the luxury of chilling the dough overnight to develop flavor, go for it.

@bromabakery cookie science 👩‍🔬🔬 #cookiedough #bakersoftiktok #chocolatechipcookies. (inspired by @Tastemade ♬ original sound – Sarah Crawford

According to this in-depth video by TikTok user @bromabakery, how long and whether you chill your cookie dough can have a significant effect on your final product.

As she says, not chilling the cookie and baking at 350 degrees can result in a more crackly cookie, since the dough hasn’t had enough time to absorb the flour. Chilling it for half an hour, however, gives you thicker, chewier dough. Chilling for 2 hours, however, resulted in the best cookie—giving it a deep flavor, crispy edge and the optimal amount of spread.

The Best Cookies for Chilling

People always recommend chilling chocolate chip cookies but shortbread, sugar cookies and even these terrific ginger cookies all benefit from a little time in the fridge. Feel free to test it out using your favorite recipes and compare the results.

Ready to become a cookie-baking master? Check out our complete guide to baking cookies and easy cookie recipes for essential tips and tricks to make can’t-resist cookies every time!

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Air-Fryer Chocolate Chip Oatmeal CookiesI am crazy about chocolate chips, and this chewy cookie has enough to satisfy me. My husband and kids love these cookies. This big batch is perfect for our family. —Diane Neth, Menno, South DakotaGo to RecipeCostco chocolate chips are a must-try for any chocolate chip cookie.You'll win hearts—and maybe a ring—with this recipe for Marry Me cookies. It's loaded with two kinds of chocolate!

Chocolate Pecan Skillet CookieBake up the ultimate shareable cookie. For variety, replace the chocolate chips with an equal quantity of M&M's or chocolate chunks. Or go super fancy by mixing the chocolate chips and pecans into the dough, then gently folding in 1-1/2 cups fresh raspberries. —James Schend, Taste of Home Deputy Culinary Editor

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Coconut Chocolate Chip CookiesHere's a new type of chocolate chip cookie. They're great for coconut lovers, textured by the coconut and flavored by the extract...a compatible combination that results in a crispy, chewy cookie. My whole family agrees this recipe is a winner. —Laura Bankard, Manchester, Maryland

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FAQs

This Is Why You Should Chill Your Cookie Dough Before Baking? ›

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.

Keep Reading ›

Is it better to chill cookie dough before baking? ›

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. In addition, the sugar in the dough gradually absorbs liquid.

How long can you keep cookie dough in the fridge before baking? ›

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.

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Does chilling cookie dough prevent spreading? ›

“When chilled cookies bake, the butter stays in a solid form longer, slowing the spread,” says Dawn. “30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator does wonders, and you can bake the cookies right from the fridge.” Not only will chilling help the fats firm up and the flour hydrate, but it also helps the flavors develop.

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Why does refrigerating cookie dough make a difference? ›

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.

Tell Me More ›

Why is my cookie dough hard after refrigeration? ›

The fridge constantly circulates cool air to keep things cold, but this will also result in drying out your dough. (There are some recipes that call for chilled dough and typically the recipe will have been created to account for this.)

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Can I freeze cookie dough instead of refrigerating it? ›

That's right, you can freeze it for a bit to shave quite a bit of time off the chilling suggestion in the recipe. Here's what our Test Kitchen recommends when quickly chilling cookie dough in the freezer: Place the cookie dough in the freezer for one-quarter of the recommended refrigerator time.

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How to soften cookie dough from the fridge? ›

Take it out of the fridge and let it soften at room temperature for while, perhaps 30 minutes to an hour. If you are in a particular hurry, divide the dough into smaller parts; a small amount of dough will warm more quickly than a large lump. Do not put it in the microwave oven. Do not put it in a conventional oven.

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What happens if you chill cookie dough too long? ›

Even a short shift in the fridge will do, however, long periods of chilling time (such as 3 to 5 days) allows the cookie dough to dry out, Hill adds. This is actually a good thing; it leads to even more concentrated flavor.

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Why are my cookies flat and spread out? ›

OVEN IS TOO HOT

If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.

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What makes cookies fluffy and not flat? ›

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

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Does chilling cookie dough make it less sticky? ›

Solidifies the fat in the dough, allowing the liquid to dissolve the sugar and flavorings and the flour to absorb them. This improves the flavor of the cookies. Makes the cookie dough less sticky and easier to handle.

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How long does it take for refrigerated dough to come to room temperature? ›

After a cold bulk fermentation, allow your dough to regain some warmth on the counter for 40 to 60 minutes and become slightly puffy before shaping it.

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Does cookie dough need to rest before baking? ›

The short answer is: Yes. Resting your dough in the refrigerator will almost always yield better results. But why? Chilling your cookie dough in the refrigerator after mixing it allows the flour to hydrate and gives the other ingredients time to blend, resulting in a richer, more well-rounded flavor profile.

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What makes a cookie soft vs crispy? ›

Butter contributes milk solids and water to a cookie, both of which soften it. Brown sugar contributes molasses – again, a softener. Using lower-moisture sugar (granulated) and fat (vegetable shortening), plus a longer, slower bake than normal, produces light, crunchy cookies.