Should You Age Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?
Aged chocolate chip cookies…?
What is this, cheese or something???
For months now, I’ve heard over and over again that aging chocolate chip cookie dough before baking makes a big difference in the resulting cookie.
My first judgement was that this was a gimmick.
I mean, how on earth was I even supposed to find out if it wasn’t?
I can’t leave chocolate chip cookie dough in the fridge for 3 days.
It’s too tempting. Me want cookie.
Me want cookie now.
Not in 3 days.
But the time came when I finally had to test this out for myself.
This all started when I came across an article David Leite published in the New York Times in 2008.
Read the article for the nitty gritty details, but in a nutshell, chilling the dough in the fridge for a few days allows the dry ingredients to fully soak up the wet ingredients, which results in a better texture when you bake the cookie, and not to mention, better flavor.
So what’s my conclusion?
I went into this as a complete skeptic.
Mainly because like I said, I don’t want there to be a reason to wait 36 hours for cookies.
But I have to say, I think they are a little bit better.
And in hindsight, I shouldn’t be surprised.
I put pasta salad in the fridge to let the flavors meld, and I let yeasted bread doughs age in the fridge to develop a good texture and good flavor.
Is it worth the wait overall? If I have a major cookie craving, maybe not, but if I can plan ahead, it seems like a good idea.
I really didn’t make many changes from the recipe on Leite’s Culinaria, but will say that baking time makes a big difference in the resulting cookie.
This is what the 15 minute cookie looked like (the one my husband prefers) :
And this is what the 20 minute cookie looked like (the one I prefer):
Big difference, you see?
The “underbaked” 15 minute cookie doesn’t allow enough time to set the full texture of the cookie, resulting in a flatter but chewier, denser, and softer cookie.
The 20 minute cookie baked for long enough to set the texture of the cookie and is about twice as thick as the 15 minute cookie. It’s more crumbly, with a crisp exterior but a soft interior, and is much thicker.
The choice is yours! Have fun baking your cookies and share your thoughts with us in the comments section. How do you like your chocolate chip cookies baked? Do you age the dough?
62 Comments on “Should You Age Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?”
I was reading an article on Wally Amos, and he believes in keeping his ingredients very cold and he chills the dough as well. I find that the texture of the cookies is better if it is chilled, and it prevents it from spreading too much while baking for a softer cookie. I will have to also try aging the dough! Your recipes look so good! I am going to try making the dark chocolate cake (https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/dark-chocolate-cake-with-roasted-chestnut-buttercream/) with sunflower seed butter buttercream frosting (https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/chocolate-cupcakes-with-peanut-butter-buttercream/). I’m basing it on the PB version, but I have allergies. This will be perfect because I don’t like to bake sunflower seed butter into recipes because it reacts to baking powder and turns green, making it look unappetizing, though the flavor is always great. This gives the chocolate/”SB” combination and no green! 😉 Great blog, keep up the great work!
Think this works with cookies other than choc chip? Thinking of trying with a batch of snickerdoodles.
Hi Matt, I think it works with all sorts of doughs, so absolutely. It’s the same deal with bread, aged doughs are more flavorful. It’s certainly worth an experiment.
So yikes, 3 days in the fridge was tough, but I baked the snickerdoodles this morning and they came out great. Thanks for the tip.
Haha, I know, it’s so hard to be patient! Usually I end up baking off half the dough right there, then “aging” the other half.
I have used this method since I found a gluten-free recipe that recommends this! It completely makes a hugh difference in the taste of the cookies! Thanks for spreading the news!
Hi Joanne!
So I’ve made the recipe the link gives, but every time I scoop my chilled dough onto the pan, the cookies don’t spread like yours. How did you get your cookies to be that way? Do you let your dough come to room temperature? Does it have to do with the temperature of my fridge?
Hi Tori, are you flattening the cookie dough balls with your hand or the bottom of a glass before putting the cookie dough in the oven?
Is that what I’m doing wrong? I wasn’t sure as various recipes differ and the one Leite provided didn’t specify. Thanks!
That’s my first guess. Temperature could have something to do with it too. Let me know what happens!
Haha I totally have the same problem with self-control and impatience. When I make my cookies, I want my cookies immediately. Still, I think you’re right that there is some wisdom in letting the cookie dough “age” or chill for a while. Maybe I’ll give it a try next time (:
lol glad to know I’m not the only one! The cravings come on quickly and need to be satisfied immediately. Sometimes now I make a big batch, bake half immediately, then “age” the rest for later. Then I get both experiences…and extra cookies! Which is good and bad 😉
I can’t believe it but I ended up agreeing. It’s my patience that dies though.
I always try to refrigerate my dough for an hour or two but 3 days?? I so do not have the patience for that 🙂 I would love to try this out for myself – maybe bake half of the dough up right away and then try the other half in a few days. I’m definitely with your husband on this one – underdone is the way I like mine!
I tried aging cookie dough. Once.
It wasn’t that they weren’t totally delicious. It was just…yeah. Me want cookie now, too. No patience over here!
Also, you burnt your cookie. Your husband is totally right on this one. 😉
Wow, thanks for sharing. That’s a really interesting study. I never thought of the aging process effecting how hard or soft the cookies were. I always assumed it’d be related to the flavor, not the texture.
I always let my cookie dough sit on the counter covered with plastic wrap for several hours to let the dough rest and get soft and sweet…the cookies (oatmeal raisin, walnut, chocolate chip are fabulous. Then I freeze them before I give them away.
I’m curious to know if you’ve ever used stoneware for baking. I LOVE mine, and love that my cookies turn out better than they EVER did on regular baking pans. I’m excited to try aging my dough first, though, and then putting them on my stoneware to bake. I’ll let you know how they turn out.
I am REALLY excited that a friend led me to your blog tonight! Can’t wait to learn more from you. I’m a little curious about where Fifteen Spatulas came from. Is there a story behind the name?
Stacie, welcome! I’m so glad you’re enjoying Fifteen Spatulas so far. The name came from my large spatula collection…don’t tell anyone but I now have more than fifteen LOL. I’m one of those people who has to scrape every last bit of food from the bowl.
I’ve never tried stoneware but I am curious about it. What brands/pieces do you use?
I’m a Pampered Chef girl, when it comes to stoneware. It takes a little bit of adjusting, but I can bake my chocolate chip cookies to perfection in between 12-15 minutes at 350. It does take a few minutes longer than a regular sheet, but they bake so much more evenly, and I’ve NEVER had burnt bottoms on my cookies. That’s what I didn’t love about cookie sheets, because it seemed to happen more frequently than I cared for.
I know that there is other stoneware out there; you just have to look for it. But I won’t give up my two Pampered Chef stones. http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=164&catId=9&parentCatId=9&outletSubCat=
I even went through a Pampered Chef stoneware phase on eBay a few years back (2003 or 2004, maybe?) and bought up as much as I could when it was a good price, including shipping.
They’re easy to clean, you just rinse them off, no detergent recommended, because it can ruin the nonporous properties. But they’re amazing. After a few uses, they build up their own non-stick coating. I know this is long, but can you tell that I LOVE this product?? 😉
Cool! I have never come across anything from Pampered Chef, believe it or not! I have heard great things though.
This is a great post. I think I like my cookies on the browner side. I have made cookie dough and formed it into balls and frozen them for later baking. I never thought to make a comparison though. Does this technique hold true for any kind of cookie dough?
Hi Julie, thank you. I would say that this technique holds true for many foods in general. Just like when you make something like a bean salad or certain dishes where the instructions say “let it sit for several hours to allow the flavors to meld,” often times “time” will improve a dish quite a bit. What other cookies are you thinking?
I am posting these on Monday! 16.5 minutes is my magic # for baking time. My husband is at about 18 mins. If I had more dough, I’d try 15 mins. I’m with your hubs, I love underbaked cookies 🙂 But I dunno if I will remake them. So many cookie recipes to try but I can check this one off my list at least now!
The life of a food blogger…you never make the same thing twice! lol. I know what you mean. There are too many other cookie recipes to try, but it was fun to blind taste test it. Looking forward to your post!
How curious. The next time I don’t need cookies asap, I will have to try this! I do practice the putting cookie dough balls in the freezer for later technique.
If you don’t want your family to eat the cookie dough while it is ageing, wrap it in saran wrap, then butcher paper, write LIVER on it in a black felt tip pen. Just write it once, so people don’t start thinking. Then, when no one else is home (or around) take it out and bake them! Works everytime around here!
Good luck with it!
LMAO!!!! This might be my favorite comment ever. Absolutely hysterical!
The only way I could ever age cookie dough is if I bought a second fridge and installed some kind of lock and alarm on it. Yup, that’s not going to happen, so as long as I have teenage boys in the house, I won’t get to try aged cookie dough. Maybe I could disguise it….