There is no other dessert in the world that can satisfy the cravings, the same as a cookie does. These cookies can be made easily with different iterations of our choice and also serve the crowd very well.
Why is It Important to Refrigerate a Cookie Dough?
It does not only involve high-quality ingredients and reliable recipes to make a mouthwatering cookie, but you should also take care of the dough by storing it in the fridge to take this cookie taste to the next level.
Why is It Necessary to Store the Cookie Dough in the Refrigerator?
Firmer Dough
The flour in the dough has natural enzymes that break down when the dough gets to chill, which leads to increased browning. Further, the sugar absorbs all the moisture from the flour, which makes the cookie brown and caramelized.
It is very crucial to keep the dough chilled for making cut-out and rolled cookies. If the dough is not firm, it is not possible to keep the cookie away from spreading. If the cookie is colder and solid, it does not spread at all. Hence, it is very important to keep the dough firmer.
Adds Flavor
Not only does chilling the dough make a perfect cookie, but it also enhances the taste. You can sense there are in-depth flavors from the vanilla, and the sugar gets even sweeter. If you talk about the appearance, the cookie looks golden brown and is crispy along the edges.
How Long Should We Keep Dough in the Refrigerator?
To get a perfect cookie, it is mandatory to keep the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to 24 hours. Beyond that, you may not observe any noticeable differences in the final product.
After the chilling process, keep the dough at room temperature for up to 5 to 10 minutes. If you let it get completely warm, the purpose of chilling it goes in vain.
No matter how tasty the cookies are, the dough is a raw product of eggs and butter. If not stored properly, there are chances to become rancid. Mostly when stored in an airtight container, the cookie dough can last up to 3–5 days.
It can sometimes be good for a week as well. To avoid foodborne diseases like Salmonella and E. coli, it is always better to refrigerate the cookie dough
Ways to Keep Cookie Dough Refrigerated
Firstly, to make your chilled dough more manageable, all you have to do is pre-portion scooping balls of dough. Now make them into individual cookies. Now chill these cookies by placing them in an unsealed bag, and then bake them directly.
Homemade Vs Store-bought Cookie Dough
When we are about to debate the shelf-life of dough, let’s check whether it is home-made or store-bought dough. Usually, store-bought cookie dough will last longer when compared to homemade dough because of the added preservatives in it.
Do check the expiry date on the package, but if there’s no expiry date, you can use it up to a week from the “best-by” date. Home-made dough can be good for up to 3–5 days or up to a week.
Freezing the Dough
When we talk about freezing the store-bought or homemade cookie dough, there is not much difference in it. Any of them can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months. Make sure to keep the store-bought cookie by the “use-by” date in the freezer.
While freezing the homemade cookie dough, you can freeze the whole dough, portioned scoops, and slices. Storing it in smaller quantities can help in well-frozen and can be thawed in the fridge whenever needed.
When You Should Not Refrigerate Your Cookie Dough?
There are some types of cookies where you are not intended to keep the dough chilled. For instance, there are a few cookies where you should let them spread. So instead of making the dough firm, you should let it be at room temperature to make some type of cookies, such as super soft peanut butter cookies or a cakey Snickers doodle.
How to Tell if Cookie Dough is ‘bad’
Like all the other food products, checking whether the cookie dough turned bad is a matter of using your senses. If there is any visible mold, smells bad, or any light-colored edges can be a sign that the cookie dough turned out to be spoiled.
Even Salmonella does not have any particular odor, so if the taste is bad then spit it out, because it is a clear indication of spoilage.
Finally, it is important to note that if you are longing to have cookies, you can directly take the dough from the freezer and bake the cookies in the frozen state to hold a certain shape as you need. If you are freezing the whole dough, not just a slice, then you need to thaw it first in the fridge for some time before baking it.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are planning to make cookies in a few days, then you can refrigerate the dough for up to 3–5 days. But if you want to store the dough for months then you need to freeze it by wrapping it well.
Yes, you can use it only if it is frozen. Because cookie dough that is stored in the fridge can only be good for a week. But if stored in the freezer, it can last up to 6 to 12 months.
The refrigerator usually spreads cool air to keep all the things cool. When cookie dough is stored, it becomes dry or harder because of this coolness. But some cookie recipes need chilled dough as well.