How to store cookie dough

Homemade cookie dough should be stored in small containers in the refrigerator for two to four days or freeze for two months.
Chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Place the solid and cold cookie dough balls into a labeled zipped-top bag– large or small depending on how much dough you have. Label the bag with the month and the baking temperature and place the bag in the freezer. Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months.
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. If you need ideas for your holiday baking, see our collection of Cookie Recipes.
Most recipes recommend chilling cookie dough for several hours in the refrigerator, but the good news is that you can use your freezer in a pinch. Better Homes and Gardens says that you can freeze cookie dough for one-fourth of the recommended refrigeration time with good results.
Leftover cookie dough is the perfect addition to that pint of ice cream sitting in your freezer.

#2: Add Extra Cookie Dough to Ice Cream Desserts!

  1. Cookie Dough Ice Cream.
  2. Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars.
  3. Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches.
  4. Cookie Layer Cake.
  5. Cookie Ice Cream Cake.
Many cookie recipes call for long refrigeration times, but a finicky dough or a little extra chilling time can result in dough that’s as hard as a rock, and nearly impossible to work with. Trena cuts the dough into smaller pieces using a pastry cutter, figuring that they will come to room temperature faster.
Prevent cookie dough from drying out by covering it with plastic wrap while it is chilling in the refrigerator. Freeze the cookie dough in an airtight plastic storage container. If air exposure has made your dough dry and hard to handle, you can restore it to an ideal texture with the help of a few ingredients.
As a general rule, any cookie dough left on the counter at room temperature will be good for 2-4 hours but then may risk going bad, especially if it is already past its “best by” date. The cool, dark, air-free container in your fridge or freezer will be the best place to maximize the lifespan of your cookie dough.
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.

It is best to chill dough in the refrigerator for the entire recommended amount of time. However, if you are in a hurry, placing the dough in the freezer for one-fourth of the recommended refrigerator time will work, too.
Cookie dough can be thawed in the refrigerator or baked from the freezer to prevent flattening. Most importantly, it’s not a good idea to thaw at room temperature any doughs that contain raw eggs as it can encourage bacteria growth.
When baking frozen cookie dough, you do not have to thaw the cookie dough. Simply place the frozen, pre-scooped cookie dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes longer than the original recipe recommends.
To use: Defrost the unrolled cookie dough in the refrigerator overnight. You can then roll out the dough, cut out the cookies, and bake them according to the recipe’s specifications. If you’ve already cut out and frozen the cookies, simply pop them in the oven.
Anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. The longer you chill the dough, the more flavor will develop. The flour will also absorb more of the moisture so the thicker and chewier the final texture will be. After 72 hours the dough will begin to dry out and you risk it going bad.
When to Not Refrigerate Cookie Dough

The goal of this particular recipe is to create super thin, super crispy cookies that spread significantly when baking. Refrigerating the dough would prevent these cookies from spreading the way they‘re intended to here.

How can I quickly bring dough to room temperature?

Doughs should be proofed at a warm room temperature, ideally between 75°F and 80°F. If your room is too cold, you can place the dough in a standard oven (that is off) with no pilot light and the oven light turned on, or in a microwave (also off) next to a bowl of very hot water.
But if you use your microwave, you could easily warm it up too much – making the dough hard to handle and you might have to cool it again. The safest method is to take the too-firm dough out of the refrigerator and simply wait until it’s soft enough. If you want to speed the process up a bit, choose a warm spot.
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