50 Absolutely Irresistible Cookie Dough Recipes - Chef in Training (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for eggs in raw cookie dough? ›

(When making cookie dough that is not being baked, leave out the eggs and substitute them with a little water if needed to avoid the chance of getting Salmonella.)"

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.

While there may be countless variations, each cookie at the core has four ingredients – butter, sugar, flour & eggs. The proportions of ingredients and the methods of mixing are what define our cookies. Dough spreads – Inside the hot oven, the butter starts to melt and the dough gradually starts to spread out.

When properly mixed, cookie dough should have a soft and pliable consistency. It should hold together well when scooped or rolled into balls, but not be overly sticky or wet. The dough should be easy to handle and shape without falling apart.

Eggs in cookies are like the glue in a craft project – they hold everything together. Without them, your cookies might be crumbly, dry, or lack that rich flavor. But fear not, there are substitutes like applesauce, mashed bananas, or even yogurt that can step in and save the day.

Based on our experience and research on egg substitutions the most popular substitutes we found were: Applesauce, Banana, Chia Seeds and Baking Powder.

Sure, you can skip the chilling step and bake the dough right away, but doing so runs the risk of flat disks with dry edges and a brittle texture; a far cry for the plush, chewy cookies with fudge-like centers we all crave.

How Long Can Cookie Dough Be Stored in The Refrigerator? The fact is, no matter how divine and delicious cookie dough is, it is a raw product that contains eggs and butter. Over time, it'll become rancid, on top of the lurking danger of salmonella and E. coli.

Cool down your dough for a tastier, chewier cookie.

As little as 30 minutes in your fridge or freezer can help your cookie brown better, spread less, and develop a richer chewy texture. 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 higher the proportion of butter to other ingredients, the more tender your cookie will be (and consequently, the more it will spread as it bakes). I found that a ratio of 1 part flour to 1 part sugar to 0.8 parts butter was about right for a cookie that has moderate spread and doesn't end up cakey.

What is the most important cookie ingredient? ›

Fat is a very important ingredient in cookies – it tenderizes, crisps and browns, adds color and a wonderful flavor that is impossible to duplicate. Butter, our fat of choice, ensures good baking results and adds the most desirable taste, texture and appearance.

There are many varieties of classifications for cookies. This refers to the way in which the cookie is prepared after the dough has been made. For example, there are drop, icebox, bar, sheet, cut out, pressed, rolled, molded or wafer.

"When it goes into the oven, the butter doesn't completely melt right away," she says. Youngman says chilling the dough for at least one hour before baking is crucial. An overnight sleepover in the fridge is even better.

We've found that the optimal temperature for cookie baking is 350F. It gives the butter in the dough time to melt and lightly spread before the remaining ingredients cook through. When your oven is too hot, it rushes this process, resulting in a puffy, dry and potentially burnt batch.

Applesauce. "Generally, the rule of thumb is to [use] 1/4 cup of applesauce per egg," says Weintraub. For the most straightforward swap, use unsweetened applesauce. If you only have sweetened applesauce on hand, she recommends reducing the sugar in the recipe to avoid overly sweet treats.

If you're thinking that choosing an eggless cookie dough recipe makes it safer, think again. It's not just raw eggs that come with a food poisoning risk. Uncooked flour can contain illness-causing bacteria, too. Indeed, eating raw flour was linked to two recent outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E.

It turns out that a perfect substitute for eggs is milk. Yep, milk! Since you don't plan to bake the cookies, you just need the milk to add moisture and you won't miss the binding element of the eggs. A lesser known culprit in raw cookie dough is the flour.

Using a 1/4 cup of milk or yogurt in place of eggs is perfect for baked goods where moisture is key, such as cakes or muffins. (Vegans can use plant-based milks or yogurt in its place.