I used to chill cookie dough for an hour now I do 24 hours

For years I just threw my sugar cookie dough in the fridge for 60 minutes and called it good, but last Christmas I tried an overnight rest after reading a blog post from a bakery in Portland. The cookies came out thicker with way more flavor and less spread on the pan. Has anyone else noticed a big difference with longer chilling times?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

the_hayden2mo ago

Wait have you tried it with chocolate chip cookies too? I did the same thing last year after seeing that same kind of blog post, and honestly the difference was way bigger than I expected. My dough used to spread out into thin sad discs after an hour, but after a full day in the fridge they came out thick and chewy with better texture overall. The extra time lets the butter really harden up and the flavors kind of mingle together, plus the dough is way easier to scoop and shape. I pretty much always do overnight now for any cookie that calls for chilling.

5

owens.cameron2mo ago

Nah hard disagree honestly. I tried overnight chill with chocolate chip cookies and they came out way too dense and cakey for my taste. The texture was almost doughy in the center no matter how long I baked them. Plus the browned butter flavor I worked for got muted after sitting that long in the fridge. My go-to is still just 30 minutes in the freezer right before baking. That firms the butter enough to stop spreading but keeps that crispy edge and gooey middle everyone actually wants. Week-old dough might work for some recipes but not for a classic choc chip.

7