Why Refrigerating Cookie Dough Makes for Better-Tasting Treats

Does chilling cookie dough, even when the recipe doesn’t call for this step, make any difference to the finished cookies? We checked in with two pro bakers and food stylists who know all the tricks for getting cookies to look perfect and taste delicious. Find out the benefits of refrigerating cookie dough and how long to refrigerate cookie dough to get the tastiest cookies. Then make a batch of cookies, refrigerate the dough, bake, and enjoy a cookie or two.

Why You Should Refrigerate Cookie Dough

There are several benefits for your finished cookies when you refrigerate the dough prior to baking.

Better Browning

Flour contains naturally occurring enzymes that break down as the dough chills, leading to increased browning when the cookie dough is baked. The sugar in the dough absorbs the moisture from the flour, causing the cookie to brown and caramelize more evenly.

Less Spreading

Refrigerating the dough allows the flour to fully hydrate and helps to make the cookie dough firmer, and this prevents the cookies from spreading too much. Also, "the colder and more solid the fat is, the less the cookie will spread," says food stylist, culinary producer, and recipe developer Caitlin Haught Brown. That's why chilling the dough is crucial for rolled or cut-out cookies, treats that need to maintain their shape.

More Flavor

Chilling the dough also improves the way cookies taste. "In terms of flavor, you'll notice more depth of flavor from the vanilla, and the sugar will taste sweeter," says Haught Brown.

Better Texture

In terms of texture, cookie dough that has been chilled bakes with a crisper edge and chewier center, says Haught Brown.

How Long to Refrigerate Cookie Dough

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Longer than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the finished cookies.

Once the dough has been chilled, let it warm up to room temperature until it's just pliable. This should take 5 to 10 minutes. Don't let it get too warm or you'll defeat the purpose of chilling the dough all together.

How to Refrigerate Cookie Dough

Rather than refrigerating a plastic-wrapped block of cookie dough, baker, food stylist, and cookbook author Jason Schreiber recommends you pre-portion it before chilling. This makes it much quicker and easier to bake the cookies later. Scoop balls of dough into individual cookies, placing them on a sheet pan or in a large resealable bag, chilling, and then baking right away.

When Not to Refrigerate Cookie Dough

There are some cases where you should avoid chilling cookie dough.

• For example, the dough for Alexis's Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies should not be refrigerated. These cookies spread significantly while baking and are super thin and crispy. Refrigerating the dough would prevent these cookies from spreading the way they are intended to.
• "A tuile cookie, where the appeal is based in the thinness or lacy qualities, is another example when you should bake the cookie dough immediately," says Schreiber.
• If you're making a super soft peanut butter cookie or a cakey snickerdoodle, you may not want to refrigerate the dough before baking.