If you know how strict I am about my carrot cake, brownie, rocky road, and meringue bakes, it won’t surprise you that I’m pretty fussy about my cookie recipes too.
I don’t want a “lacy” thin cookie ― I want something thick and doughy, with a golden crispy edge surrounding its domed middle and molten chips.
So why, despite my best efforts, did my homemade attempts always spread into too-crunchy puddles?
I chilled the dough for half an hour; I avoided using too much butter; I was careful not to over-beat the mix.
As it turned out, though, I was missing a crucial step that Redditors and Mary Berry alike all swear by.
What’s the secret?
I’d read about the importance of chilling your cookie dough in the fridge before cooking the biscuits.
Liks shortcrust pastry, it helps the butter-filled mixture to hold its shape when it’s cooked (vital for that tall-and-gooey texture I want).
But according to Mary Berry and members of r/Baking, I wasn’t taking the chill seriously enough.
All of them recommend freezing, rather than refrigerating, the dough.
Per Mary Berry, you should wrap the dough in clingfilm and stick ’em in the freezer “for about 30 minutes, or until firm and nearly frozen.”
“By freezing the roll of lemon cookie dough first, you can create perfect round biscuits,” she explained.
A Redditor found that the best results came from dough that was frozen for even longer ― between 24-48 hours.
“It helps with the baking of the crisp on the edge/gooey in the middle type of cookies,” a commenter agreed (those are the kind I’m after).
Of course that provides its own challenges, as the dough will be nigh on impossible to roll out and shape in that state.
Personally, I’ve found Mary Berry’s advice the best ― chilling the dough until it’s just under solid means I can stack the cookies high without running the risk of them spreading.
Why does chilling cookie dough make a difference?
Recipe developer Caitlin Haught Brown told Martha Stewart’s site that “The colder and more solid the fat is, the less the cookie will spread.”
That means you’ll be able to keep that delicious chewy middle without running the risk of an all-crisp biscuit.
That’s not all ― “In terms of flavour, you’ll notice more depth of flavour from the vanilla and the sugar will taste sweeter” after a big chill, Caitlin adds.
Personally, I noticed both changes in my altered dough (I’m never going back).