How Long Can You Refrigerate Cookie Dough Before Baking? (2024)

FAQs

How Long Can You Refrigerate Cookie Dough Before Baking? ›

Homemade cookie dough should be stored in small containers in the refrigerator for two to four days or freeze for two months. Alternatively, small quantities of dough can be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator as needed.

Most cookie dough can be refrigerated, well-wrapped, for 3-5 days before baking. If you want to make it farther in advance, freeze the dough. You can either freeze the entire brick of dough or divide it into portions for quick baking.

Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.

Place your parchment papered dough into your labeled container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Shaping bread loaves after first-rise refrigeration

After a cold bulk fermentation, allow your dough to regain some warmth on the counter for 40 to 60 minutes and become slightly puffy before shaping it. You can help the process along by stretching and folding the dough.

How to Tell if Cookie Dough Is 'Bad' Like many food products, deciphering if your cookie dough has kicked the bucket is a matter of using your senses. If it has any visible mold, smells off (pungent/sour), or has developed hard or discolored edges, you've missed your fresh-baked opportunity.

While the refrigerator is great for extending the life of so many different types of food products, it may not always be the best choice when it comes to cookie dough or cookies. The fridge constantly circulates cool air to keep things cold, but this will also result in drying out your dough.

Usually, it stays good for about only 3 to 5 days when stored in airtight containers – except for the meringue or cookie bar batters, which have an even shorter shelf life. Here's a tip: for easier baking later on, consider shaping the cookie dough into logs or scooping the batter before putting it in your fridge.

You can freeze that dough, too. Prepare the cookie dough according to the recipe's instructions. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, and then wrap the cold dough tightly in plastic wrap and add a label with the name of the recipe and the date. Freeze for up to 3 months.

A dough will last approximately three days in the refrigerator; however, it is best to use it within 48 hours. This is the best way to refrigerate your dough. After the dough is kneaded, place in a lightly oiled, large mixing bowl.

Can I bake cookies straight from the fridge? ›

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. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

As far as room temperature, it's important to let it warm up a bit before you get it in the oven. Yeast likes to activate in warmer temperatures, so if you bake it straight out of the fridge you could end up with a dense, flat loaf. So, just give it a few minutes to take the chill off, and you should be good to go!

Can I proof my bread dough for more than overnight in the fridge? Yes, absolutely. Know that the longer you proof your dough in the refrigerator, the less rise and more (potential) sourness you'll get in the resulting loaf of sourdough bread.

Once opened, refrigerated cookie dough should be used within one week.

Refrigerating the dough for even 30 minutes can improve the texture and flavor of even a tried-and-true Toll House recipe. The resting time also gives the butter time to saturate the dry ingredients for softer cookies, said pastry chef and author David Lebovitz.