Froze my butter for 20 minutes before baking cookies last Tuesday and the difference was honestly kind of crazy | Baking Fails And Wins - Babble Community
Froze my butter for 20 minutes before baking cookies last Tuesday and the difference was honestly kind of crazy
So last Tuesday I was baking chocolate chip cookies for my neighbor's birthday, nothing fancy, just the recipe on the back of the chip bag I've used maybe 30 times. I was rushing because I got home late from a cleaning at the office in Aurora and the dough was way too soft and warm, the first tray spread out into one giant cookie puddle about the size of my hand. I threw the bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes and the next tray came out perfect, thick and chewy with actual edges instead of a flat splat. The weird part is I always thought chilling dough overnight was a snob thing but even 20 minutes made a huge difference, the butter firms back up so it doesn't melt before the flour sets. I did the same thing Sunday with sugar cookies and same result, no more pancake cookies. Now I'm wondering if there's a sweet spot between 20 minutes and overnight, or if longer actually changes the taste. Anyone else mess around with chilling times and notice a real difference, or is it all in my head?
I read somewhere that the cold butter takes longer to melt so the cookie holds its shape while the flour sets up. Some bakers say a full 24 hours deepens the flavor too, but I never have that kind of patience.