Can I make this dough the night before and refrigerate it?

Hi Brette! Somehow I didn't get notified that you asked this question. So, I'm late with an answer, and hopefully you already made them and they turned out alright, but if you're still wondering, I would definitely agree with Sarah R's advice. If you'd like to assemble pieces ahead, mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and all the wet in the other, and then blend them together the morning of. You can also make them the day before and they reheat pretty nicely in the oven.

If it were baking soda - definitely not, as it's activated on contact with liquid/acid. Given it's baking powder and thus double acting, the second leavening effect happens when the good is baked. Thus - you hypothetically could but your product isn't going to be nearly as good. For the couple of minutes you save I'd say it's not worth it.

For best results but still enable you to make a bit ahead: brown the butter, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, and measure out the rest. The next day, cream butter+sugar +egg and fold in the dry ingredients and then proceed.

I will tell you no. Although, i am not a baker by trade ;) baking soda needs moisture, an acid to become active, and I believe baking powder is actually just baking soda with added acidity to it. If you mix up the batter and let it sit over night, the baking powder will not do its job and it will not puff up your batter when you cook it.

the same principal with pancakes, muffins, etc... someone correct me if I'm wrong.