Cookie dough between batches - Refrigerate? Or no?
I'm making a bunch of cookies, but I only have one cookie sheet that I like and I'd just assume do it it one tray at a time anyway, so I'll be baking the cookies in several batches. They're just regular drop style cookies. recipe I know that I'll need to cool my cookie sheet between batches, but I'd like to know the best way to handle the dough as it will take probably about two hours to complete all of the baking. Should I refrigerate the dough between batches or leave it at room temperature?
EDIT: Since the issue of cooling the tray between batches has come up in answers, I'd like to point out one small thing. It ain't no thing. It's January. I live in Alaska.
Best Answer
Two hours is on the borderline, so you will have to assess your risk tolerance.
No harm will come to your cookies by refrigerating the dough; in fact, the later trays may actually be superior due to the additional time hydrating the starches. Baking cold dough will only trivially change the baking time.
I would probably err on the side of caution and put the dough in the refrigerator.
One thing that can speed up your tray recycle time is to cool the tray with running water on the back side, so that you can reuse it right away without waiting for it to cool.
You can also pre-scoop cookies onto a plate, which makes moving them on to the tray much faster. You can even refrigerate or freeze these pre-scooped cookies.
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Quick Answer about "Cookie dough between batches - Refrigerate? Or no?"
It comes down to personal preference—if you prefer crispier edges and soft interior, plus deep vanilla and caramel notes, we recommend using refrigerated cookie dough that's been chilled at least overnight. However, the first no-chill batch had a nice, soft texture and was rich with flavor.Should I refrigerate cookie dough between batches?
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, says Haught Brown.Is it better to refrigerate cookie dough before baking?
Chilling cookie dough controls spread.Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less cookies spread.Can you make cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate it?
How long can I keep cookie dough in the refrigerator before baking? Most cookie dough can be refrigerated, well-wrapped, for three to five days before baking. If you want to make it farther in advance, freeze the dough.Do you chill cookie dough before or after scooping?
Scoop and Drop Dough Any recipe for scoop and drop cookies like oatmeal raisin cookies or chocolate chip cookies are better if you chill them overnight. It makes a better-textured cookie and the cookies with bake up thicker and chewier.Do you really need to chill cookie dough?
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Answer 2
I'd personally refrigerate the dough, in part to limit spread so that I didn't have to wait as long for the sheet pan to cool down between batches.
If you have sufficient counter space, you may be able to speed up the cooking by laying out the next batch on parchment paper while another batch is baking.
This allows you to quickly de-pan the cookies onto the cooling rack (once they've rested on the pan for a couple of minutes, as it calls for some carry-over baking) by grabbing the edge of the paper, and pulling the whole thing onto the rack. You then cool down the pan (either SAJ14SAJ's trick with water, or keep something with high thermal mass in the freezer that you can use to cool it quickly), then slide the next sheet on and toss in the oven.
Parchment paper isn't as durable as silicone mats (which can significantly change the baking properties on items like cookies), but you can still generally get 3 or more uses out of them if your spatula isn't so sharp that it tears the paper. I reuse them 'til I see the corners start to brown. (varies depending on the oven temp)
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