A fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies is hard to beat, especially when they’re homemade. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or not, mishaps can happen to the best of us. One of the most common problems that plagues chocolate chip cookies is spreading in the oven. A flat cookie might be salvageable, but it’s way easier to prevent it altogether with an extra step. Tasting Table recently consulted Jessie Sheehan, baker, recipe developer, and cookbook author of “Snackable Bakes,” to understand why chocolate chip cookies come out flat and how to prevent it.
While there may be various reasons, Sheehan states that the principal reason “is likely that the dough is too soft or loose when first mixed.” This leads to spreading in the oven. “Spreading is to be avoided at all costs, as it results in an unattractive cookie with a uniform crispy texture (flat “spread out” cookies tend to be thin and thus not very chewy),” Sheehan explains.
Consequently, chilling is the preventative step that’ll harden the dough and help the cookies maintain a mound-like form for ideal texture. Not only does chilling prevent spreading, it’ll also improve dough that’s thick enough to stick in the oven at room temperature. Sheehan says, “A recipe may instruct you to chill the dough before baking … because flavor and texture IS improved with chilling.” So even if the dough doesn’t need hardening, chilling will be an overall upgrade.
What is the purpose of chilling the dough?
Jessie Sheehan says that chilling chocolate chip cookie dough that’s already thick enough “results in a cookie with more flavor and better texture than one that is baked directly after assembling.” She says chilled chocolate chip cookies, ” Have more depth of flavor and better texture (think thicker cookies with chewier middles and crispier edges — and this textural contrast is key).”
What chilling does on a more scientific level is solidify the fat that you’ve creamed into the dough. When you place the cookies into the oven, the hardened fat will control the spread of the dough as it bakes. The stint in fridge will also give the flour time to hydrate, which prevents cookies from drying out as they bake. Just as soup or stew tastes better the next day or a cut of steak left to marinade overnight is infinitely more flavorful, the same logic applies to the flavor development of cookie dough. So if you have the time to let the dough sit for 24 hours in the fridge, you’ll get the richest caramelized flavors and the perfect chewy and crispy textural contrast. Try chilling these brown butter chocolate chip cookies or these double miso chocolate chip cookies for a gooey chew and enhanced undertones of brown butter and miso. Even a vegan chocolate chip cookie will benefit from chilling.
