How long can cookie dough stay in the fridge?

In this article, we will find out about the shelf life of different types of cookie dough, how to store your cookie dough properly, and what benefit does aging/ your dough provides.

How long can cookie dough stay in the fridge?

How long the cookie dough will last in the fridge depends on what kind of cookie dough we are talking about. Following is discussed the shelf life of different types of dough.

The shelf life of cookie dough

Frozen cookie dough

Frozen store-bought cookie dough when kept in the fridge will last 1 to 2 weeks beyond its ‘Use by’ date. But If you are not going to use it any time soon after the purchase, toss it in the freezer because It can stay fresh for about 9-12 months in there. 

Pillsbury cookie dough

This cookie dough is very convenient, readily available, and comes cheap. You can always buy a new pack to bake a fresh batch of cookies rather than storing it in the freezer. However, these will last 1 week more than its ‘Best before’ or ‘Use by’ date. While the freezer will extend its shelf life from 6 to 9 months.

Homemade

Homemade cookie dough is the most vulnerable to getting spoiled early because It does not contain any fancy preservatives but nothing like a freshly baked homemade cookie that melts in your mouth.

Homemade cookie dough will only stay fresh for 3-5 days in the fridge and can stay for 6-12 months only in the freezer.

Why does a cookie dough go bad?

Cookie dough has the tendency to go bad because of the eggs. Eggs glue the ingredients of dough together and serve as an excellent binding agent but these are highly perishable. That is why a cookie dough left on the counter in the open for more than 2 hours has chances of going bad

Now, what is it about eggs that makes them perishable? The answer to this is Salmonella and Escherichia coli. These bacteria are infamous for spoiling meat and poultry products. If ingested, they can cause food poisoning.

How to store cookie dough?

The best way to store cookie dough is to keep them in an airtight container and toss them in the fridge or freezer. The size of the container used should be just about to fit the cookie dough so as to create a vacuum-like condition at home.

If you scoop out your dough into portion size pieces, then store them in a heavy-duty plastic bag with a ziplock, and do not forget to squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag to create a vacuum. 

How to tell If my cookie dough has gone bad?

If it was left out in the open for more than 4 hours, it has surely gone bad. But there may be other signs to consider like a sour taste, unpleasant smell, or a moldy look.

If cookie dough is too old and is past the prime quality time, then it becomes too hard for a cookie. Someone who bakes cookies frequently can immediately tell the difference between a hard low quality and a soft fresh cookie dough.

If your cookie dough has patchy areas over the surface, throw it immediately because the mold is growing. Old cookie dough will start to turn darker from the edges because it starts to lose moisture. A cookie made from such a dough might not be of the best quality.

Why chill your cookie dough before baking?

Chilling your cookie dough before baking is a great hack to prevent flat cookies. If you used melted butter instead of solid, then chill your cookie dough for at least 30 min to let the butter solidify.

This helps the cookie retain its shape while baking. Also If your cookie dough feels sticky, chilling it is a good option instead of adding more flour to your cookie dough and ending up with a crumbly texture instead of a chewy one. 

What is “Aging the dough”?

Aging rough is the same as resting your dough to help develop complex flavors. Aging also changes the color and consistency of your dough. The dough becomes less sticky and darker in color.

Cookies made from the aged dough will have more intense flavors and a better shape. You can let your dough rest for just 24 hours or you can also keep it for 2-3 days. There is a noticeable difference between the texture, flavor, and color of cookies made from fresh dough and those from the aged dough.

Conclusion

In this article, we found out about the shelf life of different types of cookie dough, how to store your cookie dough properly, and what benefit does aging/ your dough provides.

References

https://www.thekitchn.com/refrigerated-cookie-dough-268281