Easy No Chill Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you don't chill sugar cookies? ›

Chilling the dough is a key step in making sugar cookies, especially when you're making cut-outs. Even if you're tight on time, make sure to get the dough in the fridge, or even the freezer, even if it's only for a little while. Skip this step, and the dough will be sticky, and much harder to work with.

Anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. The longer you chill the dough, the more flavor will develop. The flour will also absorb more of the moisture so the thicker and chewier the final texture will be.

The cookie baked from room temperature, being thinner, has a more uniform texture, while the one baked straight from the fridge. is thick enough to accommodate a softer interior. and crispier exterior. No contest. Generally speaking, you should chill your cookie dough before baking it.

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.

That's right, you can freeze it for a bit to shave quite a bit of time off the chilling suggestion in the recipe. Here's what our Test Kitchen recommends when quickly chilling cookie dough in the freezer: Place the cookie dough in the freezer for one-quarter of the recommended refrigerator time.

So, roll out the dough while it's still soft (right after mixing it together), and then chill the rolled-out dough.

Overmixed doughs and batters may have an unappealing look or feel, which remain just as unappealing when they're baked. Generally speaking, the critical moment is when you combine dry ingredients with wet ones, especially if you're bringing together components of differing temperatures and textures.

Mixing Butter & Sugar

If your butter is under mixed, it won't have the air pockets to hold it's shape. If it's over-mixed, the air pockets decrease in size and are unable to hold their shape in the oven—causing your cookies to spread. It's best to cream butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

Set the pan of dough into a sink that has some warm, not hot, water in it. Cover the sink with towels stretched across the top of it to keep the heat in. 10–15 minutes is usually enough to make bread/pizza dough relaxed enough to shape. If it isn't, just let it rest another 5–10 minutes.

Can you chill cookie dough for 15 minutes? ›

Put the dough in a bowl full of ice water. Wait 15 minutes, reminding yourself of delayed gratification. Cut open the bag and slice the cookie dough into a grid (a la store-bought break-and-bake dough) or break off portions of the chilled dough and roll it into balls.

Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.

Sugar sweetens the cookies and makes them an enticing golden brown. Adding too little sugar can affect the taste and texture of cookies. Adding too much can cause them to be brittle. Take your time creaming the sugar and butter together at the beginning.

Choose to store them at room temperature or in the freezer instead of the fridge. If you can store your cookies at room temperature or in the freezer - do it. The fridge should be your last resort because of the moisture that can make your cookies soggy. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

You don't let them cool

Make sure to leave an hour or two between the end of your bake time and packing up your cookies. Excess heat equals excess moisture, which results in soggy, sticky (or even moldy) cookies.

Room Temperature:

Decorate the cookies within 48 hours of being baked, as they will start to become stale if left at room temperature for too long. If you need to store them for longer, store the undecorated cookies in an airtight container.

Cookies (cool completely)...1 hour

It's just as quick to make a double batch as it is to make a single. I usually double my recipe just to ensure I have enough. To make the icing and tint it, assuming you're making more than 2 colors, takes about 45 minutes.