Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (2024)

Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (1)

Make your next batch of cookies your best with a few of these simple cookie dough preparation tips.

Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (2)

Categories: baking / / thanksgiving / Christmas

Cookies make everything better, especially around the holidays when their delicious scent fills your entire house, making it smell like fresh-baked magic. But not all cookie attempts yield perfectly baked cookies that everyone will enjoy. This sweet dilemma usually starts with the dough. That’s why C&H® Sugar has prepared a few tips and tricks to help make sure your cookies both look and taste like perfection.

Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (3)

Check Your Cookie Dough’s Consistency

The texture of your cookie dough can dramatically affect how your cookies look and taste once they come out of the oven. After mixing your ingredients (sugar, flour, water, etc.), check that the consistency of your dough isn’t:

Tough– For rolled cookies, your dough can become “tough” by adding too much flour to your pin or counter before rolling it out. To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough.

Dry– “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

Soft– Dough that’s “soft” or “runny” can be thickened by adding one or two tablespoons of flour to your mix. This will help keep your batch from “Spreading” and coming out of the oven looking like flat, not-so-cookie-like puddles.

Turning Your Cookie Dough Into Delicious Cookies

After mixing your dough to the correct consistency, it’s time to bake them. Some steps you can take to ensure that your cookies come out of the oven looking like fresh-baked perfection are:

Chilling your dough beforehand– Chilling cookie dough keeps it sturdy as it bakes into delicious cookies. This practice also heightens the flavor profile of your cookies and gives your ingredients time to meld.

Using a silicone cookie sheet– This silicone cookie baking tool grips the bottom of your cookie dough patties and keeps them in the perfect shape while they bake. Using one also allows your cookies to brown more evenly.

Sticking to single batches- Bake one batch at a time if possible. Cooking your batches one at a time, on the center rack, is a great way to avoid hitting hot spots in the oven that could result in uneven cooking.

Cooling cookies with a cooling rack– When your cookies are finished baking, remove your pan from the oven and let them settle for about five minutes on a cooling rack. This will keep the cookies from overcooking on your hot pan.

Knowing your oven’s true temperature– If possible, purchase a digital thermometer to get an exact reading of how hot or cold your oven is before you start to bake. A too-hot oven is another factor that will cause your cookies to overcook, while one that is too cold can leave them too raw.

Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (4)

Additional Tips

Measurements– Make sure all ingredients are properly measured.

Ingredients– Use fresh ingredients.

Room temperature– Use ingredients at room temperature.

Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (5)

Butter and sugar– Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (6)

Scraping the sides– Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (7)

Dry ingredients– Add dry ingredients and mix until combined, do not over mix.

Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (8)

Ice cream scoop– When using a cookie recipe that calls for dropping the dough, use an ice cream scoop to drop your cookie dough evenly. Utilizing this simple tool will ensure that your cookies are even portions, uniform in shape andwill come out of the oven evenly baked.

Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (9)

Cooling– Allow cookies to rest in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooking rack.

Following these tips will ensure that your cookie dough has the best shot at turning into tasty and evenly baked cookies that your guests will love.

Our Favorite Cookies, Brownies & Bars

  • Easter Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Mimosa Cookies Prep Time: 25 minute
  • Banana Oat Snacking Bars Prep Time: 10 minute
  • Chocolate Marble Cookies Prep Time: 20 minute
  • Hibiscus Lemon Cookies Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Brown Sugar Cookies Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cookie Dough Bites Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Chocolate Cupcake Cookies inspired by Hostess® Cupcakes Prep Time: 20 minutes

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Cookie Dough Tips & Tricks (2024)

FAQs

What are the 15 common mistakes in making cookie dough? ›

14 Cookie Dough Mistakes That Everyone Makes
  • Assuming You Can Never Eat Raw Cookie Dough. ...
  • Using The Wrong Type Of Flour. ...
  • Throwing All Your Ingredients In At The Same Time. ...
  • Measuring Your Ingredients Poorly. ...
  • Overmixing Your Cookie Dough. ...
  • ‌Forgetting To Chill Your Dough. ...
  • Softening Your Butter Too Much.
Feb 28, 2024

What is the secret to a good cookie? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.
  • Always use butter.
  • Choose the right sugar.
  • Choose the right flour.
  • Check your flour is in date.
  • Choose the right kind of chocolate.
  • Cream the butter and sugar.
  • Beat in the eggs.
  • Fold in the flour.

What does too much egg in cookie dough do? ›

If there isn't enough egg, your batter or dough may not be able to hold its structure or could end up overly dry or dense. On the other hand, if there is too much egg, your baked goods could lose their shape due to excess liquid, or have a rubbery (or even overly cakey) texture depending on the recipe.

What are 3 tips for rolling out cookie dough? ›

  1. Step 1: Tape Parchment Paper to Countertop. ...
  2. Step 2: Cover Surface With Flour. ...
  3. Step 3: Sprinkle Dough With More Flour. ...
  4. Step 4: Form Dough Into Ball. ...
  5. Step 4: Gently Press Ball into Disc. ...
  6. Step 5: Set Rolling Pin to Correct Thickness. ...
  7. Step 5: Use Rolling Pin. ...
  8. Step 6: Dip Cutter in Flour.
Apr 14, 2018

How do you know if you overmixed cookie dough? ›

You may notice visible pockets of flour, streaks of butter, or uneven coloration. When overmixed, though, cookie dough will feel dense, greasy, heavy, and warm. It may be tough to roll out or work with, just like overmixed pie dough.

How long to chill cookie dough before baking? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

How do you make cookies soft and chewy? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

The science is simple: According to the flour authorities over at Bob's Red Mill, cornstarch can help “soften the rigid proteins of the flour, resulting in a light and chewy dessert.” “The cornstarch complements the flour in absorbing the liquids, but won't develop gluten structure like the flour will,” stresses ...

What does vanilla extract do to cookies? ›

Vanilla extract and how important is it for the baking process. The primary purpose of vanilla extract is to add flavour to baked goods. Lacking it, baked goods tend to have a bland and boring taste. Vanilla extract can also contribute moisture to create a soft and fluffy texture.

What makes cookies fluffy and not flat? ›

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

What does extra butter do to cookies? ›

Classic signs of a cookie with too much butter include crispy-bordering-on-burnt edges, a greasy surface, an excessively brittle texture, and a predominantly buttery flavor that overpowers the other caramel and chocolate notes.

How thick should cookie dough be rolled? ›

With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.

Do you cut cookies before or after baking? ›

Quick Preparation: Using cookie cutters after baking reduces the need to spend time rolling and shaping the dough. Creative Cookie Bites: You can create interesting shapes from baked cookies for decorating or using in other desserts like milkshakes.

What are 5 common baking mistakes that people often make and how can you fix them or avoid them? ›

Common Baking Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
  1. Baking at the wrong temperature. ...
  2. Not measuring ingredients. ...
  3. Checking on your items too frequently. ...
  4. Your ingredients are at the wrong temperature. ...
  5. Your dough isn't rising. ...
  6. Nothing is baking evenly. ...
  7. Your dough or batter is too tough. ...
  8. Wrap Up.

What can go wrong making dough? ›

Bad dough is usually the result of a dough recipe not followed, the introduction of too much cold, heat or water during preparation or problematic mixing. To avoid such issues, get the ratio of dry ingredients to wet ingredients correct.

What are some of the common faults in the preparation of cookies? ›

1. The cookies spread too much on the sheet pan.
  • The oven temperature was too low. Cookies are supposed to be baked at high temperatures for relatively short periods of time. ...
  • Too much of the leavening agent was used. ...
  • Too much sugar will encourage spreading. ...
  • The sheet pan was too heavily greased.
Jan 2, 2021

What is unsafe in cookie dough? ›

Eggs in Raw Cookie Dough

Eggshells can also become contaminated with salmonella bacteria when they're laid. Eggs that contain salmonella look just like normal eggs.

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