How a Clever Baker Rolls Cookie Dough (2024)

Sugar cookies are a no-brainer during the holiday season, but it can be a pain if the dough gets too soft during the rolling process. Here’s a trick to easier rolling and neater cut cookie shapes!

Cambrea Gordon

A Better Way to Roll Out Cookie Dough

Most people who make sugar cookie dough from scratch were taught to roll the dough out after it’s been chilled. The goal is to keep the butter in the dough cold which makes it easier to roll out.

The only flaw in this technique is that the dough can be difficult to roll out once it’s been chilled and hardened. The natural response to working with this hard cold dough is to leave it out on your counter to soften before rolling it out, but sometimes you leave it out too long and your dough goes from hard and stiff to soft and sticky!

There’s a better way: Roll the sugar dough out before you chill the dough, but do it between two pieces of parchment paper! The parchment paper acts like a sandwich, with the sugar cookie dough as the filling.

Here’s how to do it:

Sandwich the unchilled dough between two pieces of parchment paper: Once you’ve made the cookie dough, instead of popping it in the fridge right away to chill, pile it on a piece of nonstick parchment paper or wax paper. Place another sheet of paper on top.
Roll out the dough: Put then use your rolling pin to roll it out to the desired thickness. (When the dough is sandwiched between the parchment, it has no chance of it sticking or melting onto your kitchen counter or rolling pin!)
Transfer to a baking sheet and chill in the fridge: After you’ve rolled it out, transfer the dough onto a baking sheet and stick it in the fridge. If the dough slab is too large for your fridge, cut it into smaller pieces and then stack them up on top of each other with parchment in between.
After 30 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge and cut your shapes! Let the dough harden for around 30 minutes, then take the dough out. There's no need to let it come to room temperature before working with it. You can go from the fridge to your counter and immediately start cutting out shapes.

This technique not only saves time and struggle; it also allows you to keep intricate cookie shapes clean when cutting.

How a Clever Baker Rolls Cookie Dough (5)

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FAQs

How a Clever Baker Rolls Cookie Dough? ›

There's a better way: Roll the sugar dough out before you chill the dough, but do it between two pieces of parchment paper! The parchment paper acts like a sandwich, with the sugar cookie dough as the filling.

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What is the best way to roll cookie dough? ›

Place two equal-sized sheets of parchment paper underneath and above the dough, making a kind of dough sandwich. Then roll out with your rolling pin, keeping the dough sandwiched between the two parchment sheets. Once it has been rolled to the thickness you're going for, chill the dough for the requisite time.

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How thick should cookie dough be rolled? ›

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.

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How long to refrigerate cookie dough before rolling out? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

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Should I press down cookie dough before baking? ›

If the dough is chilled before baking then the cookies will be slightly more rounded, so if you want slightly flatter cookies then bake them as soon as you have mixed up the dough. But we would not recommend flattening the cookies completely as this will affect the texture.

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Can I bake cookie dough straight from the fridge? ›

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.

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Is it better to chill cookie dough before baking? ›

Cool down your dough for a tastier, chewier cookie.

There's a few reasons why, but one important part is it gives the butter in your dough a chance to firm up before baking. The colder your dough is before it heads into the oven, the less it will spread during baking, which makes for loftier cookies.

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Why can't I roll my cookie dough? ›

Chill the dough: Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes to an hour or until it becomes firmer and easier to handle. Freezing the dough briefly helps, but it might need thawing to roll or scoop. This is especially helpful for doughs made with vegan butter or margarine, which softens easier than dairy butter.

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What is the best surface for rolling out cookie dough? ›

Rolling cookie dough between parchment eliminates the need to dust the dough with flour to prevent it from sticking to the work surface. The more flour introduced, the higher the chances of tough, dry cookies. Sheeted dough promises tender, buttery cookies, just the way they're meant to be.

What is the best surface to roll dough on? ›

Silicone pastry mats are excellent nonstick work surfaces. Dough that would normally require a lot of flour to prevent sticking, suddenly does not. The dough will slide and turn and roll easily. It works for literally everything—cookies, pie dough, babka dough, Danishes.