Is advance dough preparation possible with overnight storage in refrigerator?

Question

I would like to prepare the dough tonight and bake fresh cookies for a lunch gathering tomorrow. I was wondering if holding the dough overnight in the fridge has any negative impact on this dough.  I’ve made snickerdoodles years ago, but have not prepared cookie doughs with cream of tartar in advance before.

Jessie S. · Answer

yes - resting is great - I just try to avoid it to so that my cookies can be assembled and eaten with in about an hour!

Pamela T. · Answer

Thank you, Jessie!  I have experienced improved outcomes with chilled and hydrated doughs previously, but started doubting myself.  The 72 hour guideline is very helpful.  (BTW, I decided to pre-measure everything the night before and prepare the dough in the morning and then baked the cookies. The only error I made was putting the baking soda, salt and cream of tartar together in one prep bowl and simultaneously added them to the dough rather than individually.  Regardless, cookies were lovely and well received!

Jessie S. · Answer

i would recommend chilling for 30 minutes, scooping and then re-chilling. you can chill for as long as 72 hours - it will only improve the texture of the cookie. and if you want to hold them for even longer, freeze the dough balls for up to a month. no need to defrost or bring to room temp before baking, you just might need a few extra mins of baking time.

Jessie S. · Answer

great response!

Pamela T. · Answer

Thank you for the sanity check and counsel on timeliness of removing from fridge.  Appreciate it!

Lori T. · Answer

I don't see any reason why you couldn't refrigerate the dough overnight.  Most cookie doughs can be, and this one actually needs at least 30 minutes of chill time to firm up.  You already know cream of tartar as an ingredient, if you  use baking powder.  Baking powder is made of cream of tartar and baking soda, with some cornstarch as a padding to absorb moisture.  You might want to take the dough out a little before you plan to bake it, otherwise it might be a bit too stiff to scoop into balls- but the longer chill time should not hamper anything.

Is advance dough preparation possible with overnight storage in refrigerator?

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