TIL letting cookie dough rest in the fridge overnight fixes my spread problem

I kept ending up with flat, greasy cookies every time I baked chocolate chip. Someone on a forum said to chill the dough for at least 8 hours before baking, so I tried it with my last batch. They came out thick and chewy, does the extra time really help that much or was it just luck?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_perry381mo ago

Chilling mine overnight made all the difference, now my cookies turn out thick every time.

dylan_bell1mo ago

The thing with chilling dough overnight is that the butter actually does solidify more, not soften. If your cookies spread more after a long chill, something else might be going on. Maybe your fridge temp is too low or your butter had too much moisture content. I've found 30 minutes to 2 hours is the sweet spot for most recipes, anything longer and you risk the butter getting too hard which can actually cause more spreading if the dough doesn't warm up enough before baking. Also, using cold butter straight from the fridge without creaming it properly will give you different texture issues because the sugar can't dissolve right. If you want thick cookies, try freezing the dough balls for 15 minutes before baking instead.

kim9631mo ago

Hear me out, I tried the long chill thing and it didn't do much for me. Actually found my cookies spread more after sitting overnight, maybe the butter softened up too much. I get why people do it for thicker cookies, but I've had better luck just using cold butter straight from the fridge and not chilling the dough at all. Have you tried that method?