Tessa Arias, Chef and Cookbook Author

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The #1 Reason Why You Should Chill Your Cookie Dough is simple: it vastly improves your cookies in both taste and texture.

If you’re like most, you don’t want to take the time to chill your cookie dough. I totally get it – who wants to wait for cookies!? But here’s the thing if you REALLY want the best cookies… you know a little patience goes a LONG way.

Just take a look at the difference chilling makes:

MAGIC!

I’ll explain WHY this happens, and answer all the questions you may have, just below.

Sprinkle of Science

The #1 Reason Why You Should Chill Your Cookie Dough

This chilling period does quite a few things:

1. Most importantly, it allows the flavors to develop and intensify! You can think of it like marinating meats – everything intensifies and gets better with time.
2. It gives the liquid in the egg a chance to hydrate the starch in the flour, making the dough firmer, which helps the cookie spread less in the oven (hello, thick cookies!).
3. And it allows the enzymes in the flour and egg yolk to break down the carbohydrates into their component sugars, fructose, and glucose.

The short of it? Chilling cookie dough makes the cookies much more flavorful, with that blissful caramelized butterscotch flavor, and it makes them thicker, chewier, and browner.

How Long Should I Chill Cookie Dough to See These Benefits?

In the photos here, you can see this play out with my Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Each cookie was baked on the same baking sheet, at the same temperature, for the same amount of time. The taste and texture improved with every batch… until 72 hours. Then I noticed diminishing returns. I think that’s because this particular recipe has a lower hydration level so after a certain point the dough starts to dry out.

Oppositely, I notice 72 hours of chilling time are my favorite cookies when I’m using my Ultimate Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. That one has a higher hydration level and yields well, chewier cookies.

Either way, I’d HIGHLY recommend chilling for 24-48 hours the next time you bake any drop-style cookie. Bake off a few immediately so you can compare the chilled ones (like in the image below)!

But Tessa … What if I Really Can’t Wait to Enjoy a Cookie?

Totally understandable! When I can’t wait, I simply bake off a few cookies immediately after making the dough, then send the rest to chill in the fridge. You can even save a few of the ones you baked immediately to compare the results of the chilled ones!

Should I Chill The Entire Mass of Dough, or Portioned Cookie Dough Balls? Does it Matter?

You can do either! Here’s how:

• If chilling the entire mass of dough, place it in an airtight container. After the chill period, allow the dough to sit at room temperature until it’s malleable enough to safely scoop (which can take over an hour depending on your kitchen environment). This method allows you to get away with storing the dough for a little longer without risking it drying out.
• The easier method is to scoop the dough right after you make it, then place the dough balls in a single layer in an airtight container or cover very tightly with plastic wrap. This method reduces the amount of time you can store the dough without it drying out, but this way, you can bake the cookie dough balls directly from the fridge. No waiting for it to come to room temperature!

How Long Should I Chill Cookie Dough?

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.

How Long Can Cookie Dough Last in the Fridge?

After 72 hours, the dough will begin to dry out and you risk it going bad, especially if chilling pre-portioned balls of dough instead of the entire mass of dough. If you want to store longer than 72 hours, see the freezing tips below.

Can You Freeze Cookie Dough?

If you want to freeze the cookie dough (specific directions on that here), simply do it after the 24 – 72 hour chilling period. Do not skip the chilling period. Once you put the dough in the freezer, the moisture in the dough will freeze. If you freeze right away and skip chilling your dough, you won’t get the same benefits; it’s like the dough is in suspended animation and the flour/starch won’t be able to absorb moisture because the moisture is frozen. The chemical processes that happen while the dough is marinating can only happen in the fridge.

Can I Chill ANY Cookie Dough?

This most directly applies to chocolate chip cookie dough, but any time you want to develop stronger flavors and a thicker, chewier texture in any drop-style cookie dough, chilling will be your friend. When making cookies with oatmeal, it’s best not to refrigerate more than 48 hours at most, as oats are such a drying ingredient, and you don’t want the dough to dry up too quickly.

Does Chilling Cookie Dough Work with Cookies Containing Baking Soda as the Leavener?

It’s important to remember that baking soda will begin its chemical reaction when it encounters the acidic components of the cookie dough (brown sugar, in the case of most chocolate chip cookies), and baking powder will react to the liquid in the dough. Both occur before the dough hits the heat of the oven. Baking soda will alter the dough’s pH to help promote some spread and browning when the dough is baked. Since cookie dough is relatively low in moisture (compared to muffin or cake batter), the chemical reactions occur more slowly anyway. Also, cookies rely less on leavening than say muffins or cakes. That’s why we see an improvement in the taste and texture when chilling cookie doughs! Read more about Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder here!

So what do you think? Will you chill your dough next time? Will you do a side-by-side experiment?

Be sure to post on Instagram and tag @handletheheat if you do!

More Cookie Science Articles:

• Best Baking Pans
• The BEST Cookie Scoops (Plus How and Why to Use One!)
• How to Cream Butter & Sugar
• How to Freeze Cookie Dough (& bake from frozen)
• Everything You Need to Know About Sugar in Baking
• Gingerbread Cookies

This post was originally published in 2020 and has been updated with additional tips and Baking Science information.