Discover the closed book to trim 75 % of the chill prison term and seduce the same result .
From whether you canconvert a cake into cupcakestohow to make a meringue piethat does n’t weep tohow to substitute brown dough for white sugar(and frailty versa ) , here atBHG , we love tackling all of your biggest baking conundrums head on . Chances are gamey that if you ’re funny about a specific dubiousness about how to bake , we ’ve been there and test that .
One of the most common head we get in the baking space relate to cookies ; or more specifically , cookie dough . lector email , write , and DM us often to ask about whether you need to chill cookie dough , how long to chill cookie dough , and when you could vamoose it .

Credit:BHG / Cara Cormack
BHG / Cara Cormack
Chilling out is such a blistering topic , in fact , thatZoë François , a Minneapolis , Minnesota - based baker , cookbook author and television Host ofZoë Bakes , has an entire chapter in her upcoming book , Zoë Bakes Cookies(which is set to debut in crepuscule 2024 ) , on the variable of chilling and baking cookies .
“ It ’s endlessly fascinating how the dough changes and appropriate us to create our own personal cookie perfection , ” François enjoin .
To get the scoop about how we can accomplish our own double-dyed bakes , we tapped François , Alisa Woods , proprietor ofSift n Sprinkle Bakeryin Des Moines , Iowa , and Meggan Hill , executive chef and CEO ofCulinary Hillto share their secrets . Read on for the unequivocal answer about how to chill cooky dough ( and to get permission about when you may skip it ) .
The Benefits of Chilling Cookie Dough
“ In world-wide , you want to cool any cookie dough where the shape or sizing of the finished cookie matters , ” Hill enounce .
There are three main reasons why recipes suggest chilling cookie dough .
The Best Way to Chill Cookie Dough
The best cast to cool down biscuit scratch depends on how you ’re planning to portion it .
How Long to Chill Cookie Dough
The baker we spoke to — and theBetter Homes and GardensTest Kitchen — agree : shudder cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to begin to accrue all of the aforementioned benefit .
“ Longer can be even unspoiled , ” François allege . “ It afford the moolah prison term to really firm up and the ingredients sentence to wed together , which can change the texture and even the flavor of the baked cookie . ”
Woods is a loyal worshiper that 8 to 10 hour is when you ’ll set about noticing a flavour difference . If you have time to poke out this , your batch will likely have “ noticeably deeper flavor and darker color than cookie dough bake on the daylight it is made , ” according to Hill .
touch : Do You Really want to Use a Cooling wheel for cookie ?
The #1 Shortcut to Chill Cookie Dough Quicker
The ultimate means to polish off fast - forward on this mental process : yourfreezer .
“ Putting cookie dough in the deep-freeze can speed up the chilling mental process by a lot , ” Hill enounce . “ A serious rule of pollex is to freeze cookie dough for 25 % of the time you would normally refrigerate it . That means that if a recipe call for refrigerating the kale for 1 hr , pop it in the deep freezer for just 15 minute . ”
If you happen to forget the dough that you put on ice and total back to bring out it wintry , but allow the cooky dough to sit out at room temperature until it ’s pliable .
Just keep in brain that result may vary if you attempt to hurry the process .
“ If you freeze cookies instead of refrigerating them , the outside of the dough nut will be chill and solid , but the interior may still be diffuse , so it can bake unevenly . You will need to experiment with bake the dough immobilize or wreak it back to room temperature , ” François say .
One direction to duck that temperature pas seul is to to the full immobilise the dough .
“ To make life easier , I recommend mix in a bunch of cooky dough , assign it into the correct size and then freeze the dough balls or access freezer bags . Then you may broil them just before serving or gifting , so they are smart , ” François allege .
Or if you ’d prefer to allow them to luxuriate in the smell of fresh - baked cookies — and have the chance to bake on demand — treat others to a udder of stock-still cookie bollock . Woods says that this is her go - tofood giftfor unexampled parents just home from the infirmary and for pals recovering from surgery .
Label the frozen dough with the recipe name , escort you made it ( frozen cookie pelf lasts up to 3 months ) , and bake book of instructions , and you ’re all set to share one of the sweetest demo possible .
“ They ( or you ! ) get the benefits of a chilled doughandthe ability to bring around a late - dark craving for onechocolate poker chip cookiein about 10 minutes plus preheat time , ” Woods says .
train out our complete guide forhow to freeze cookies and cookie doughfor a flat coat about slice - and - bake cooky , too .
When You Don’t Need to Chill Cookie Dough
If the recipe call for butter and is entail to be pillowy and equally - round , you ’ll want to chill the cooky dough .
Woods asks , “ Why would n’t you want a sweeter , more complex cookie ? ”
There are a few exceptions to this rule :