Make your next batch of cookies your best with a few of these simple cookie dough preparation tips.
Cookies make everything better, especially around the holidays when their delicious scent fills your entire house, making it smell like fresh-baked magic. But not all cookie attempts yield perfectly baked cookies that everyone will enjoy. This sweet dilemma usually starts with the dough. That’s why C&H® Sugar has prepared a few tips and tricks to help make sure your cookies both look and taste like perfection.
Check Your Cookie Dough’s Consistency
The texture of your cookie dough can dramatically affect how your cookies look and taste once they come out of the oven. After mixing your ingredients (sugar, flour, water, etc.), check that the consistency of your dough isn’t:
Tough – For rolled cookies, your dough can become “tough” by adding too much flour to your pin or counter before rolling it out. To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough.
Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.
Soft – Dough that’s “soft” or “runny” can be thickened by adding one or two tablespoons of flour to your mix. This will help keep your batch from “Spreading” and coming out of the oven looking like flat, not-so-cookie-like puddles.
How to Get Perfect Cookie Dough Consistency
FAQ
What texture should raw cookie dough be?
Is cookie dough supposed to be gooey?
What is the ideal cookie texture?
How thick should cookie dough be?
Do all cookies have the same consistency?
Cookie recipes vary. There is no single consistency that all doughs should have. The proof is in the finished cookie. Some of my favorite recipes produce doughs that are sticky enough that I can’t “drop” the cookies onto the sheet without using my finger to scrape the dough out of the spoon.
Why is consistency important in cookie dough?
consistency is key when making homemade cookie dough. Too much or too little consistency can result in a very different cookies every time. It’s important to have a consistent recipe and make sure that the ingredients are all at the same consistency. How gooey should cookie dough be?
Should cookie dough be refrigerated before baking?
You should visibly see the cookie “deflate” a bit. This will also help with creating a chewier cookie. Lastly, if your dough looks too soft even though you followed the recipe to the t, you should refrigerate it before you bake it. This will make the dough much easier to work with and prevent your dough from spreading too thin while it’s baking.