Lesson 3 of 5 · Cookies & Dessert Basics

Chilling and portioning dough

  • Free video
  • Beginner
  • Cookies & Bars
  • 7 min
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Video by My Better Batch on YouTube: “To Drop, To Shape, or To Scoop.... That is the Question | My Better Batch” Watch on YouTube ↗

What you'll learn

Lesson 3 of 5

How chilling and the way you portion dough (dropped, rolled or scooped) change how cookies spread and bake.

  • Chilled dough spreads less and tastes better
  • Even portions bake evenly
  • Taller dough balls bake into thicker cookies

Ingredients for this lesson

Madagascar Vanilla Extract, 2 oz BottleVanillaGoods$13.00
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Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Grade B, 5 BeansVanillaGoods$12.00
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Lesson notes from VanillaGoods

Why chill

Chilling firms the butter so it melts more slowly in the oven, which means less spread. It also gives flour time to absorb liquid, which improves texture and browning. 30 minutes helps; overnight is better.

Portioning

  • A cookie scoop gives identical portions that finish baking together
  • Rolled balls spread evenly into round cookies
  • Shaping dough taller than it is wide gives a thicker cookie
  • Leave about 2 inches between cookies on the sheet

Watch for

Always put dough on a cool baking sheet; a hot sheet starts melting the butter before the cookies reach the oven. Rotate the sheet halfway through baking.

← Lesson 2Next: Cut-out sugar cookies →

Tools for this lesson

The equipment that makes this easier. VanillaGoods vanilla is always our own; these tools are from Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that fit what you're learning.

Put it into practice

Bake along with a VanillaGoods recipe that uses this technique.

Find vanilla cookies recipes

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