If you ’re pip up a vat ofedible cookie doughwith no plans to bake any of it , feel free to grab a spoonful and grasp in as soon as you ’ve switch off your social . But if you ’re hope to churn out mint of thebest coffee splintering cookiesever ( or some othercookievariety ) , there ’s one step you should n’t skitter before dropping clumps of dough onto a cookie tack .

You necessitate to let your moolah spend some time in the fridge , first . There are a twosome key reasons why this is authoritative , which involve the shape , texture , and even flavor of your cookie .

AsTaste of Home story , cool down biscuit dough gives the butter a chance to harden , which means it ’ll take longer to fade once it ’s in the oven . That agency , your dough balls will spread out at a slow rate , producing compact , chewy cookies . Otherwise , you ’ll get flimsy cookie with lots of Earth’s surface area and less density than you might desire . ( And if you ’re cut cooky dough into specific shapes , forgoing refrigeration may leave in unidentifiable pancake - same blobs . )

Is your mouth watering?

“ In terms of grain , chilled cookie dough make a more evenly golden - browned cookie with a crisper edge and chewier shopping centre , ” Caitlin Haught Brown , a food stylist and recipe developer , told MarthaStewart.com .

That endearing lucky - brown color take place in part because infrigidation allow the flour to discover down and your slopped and wry ingredients to mix more wholly . This procedure , according toFood & Wine , also produces more developed and decadent flavors .

As for how longsighted to chill your dough , it look on how much time you could dispense with . Leaving it in the fridge overnight is ideal , but an 60 minutes or even 30 minutes should do , too . If you ’re in a major hurry , Food & Winerecommends bypassing the fridge and stick your preformed cookie dough balls straight in the freezer for a good 15 minutes beforebaking .

[ h / tFood & Wine ]