Describe the perfect cookie. What are the first few words that come to mind?
For me, it’d be moist, soft, chewy, crispy on the outside, and gooey in the center. Dry, is never a word anybody would associate with a cookie. Do you know what makes cookies dry? Dry cookie dough.
Not only does dried-out cookie dough make dry cookies, but it’s also hard to work with and will crumble before you can even roll it flat or shape it into a ball. Dry cookie dough should be avoided at all costs!
I’m Angie, I’m a self-taught baker currently still baking as a side hustle. I’m humble about most things but not when it comes to the cookies I make. I specialize in baking those outrageously big New York Style chocolate chip cookies and let me tell you, my cookie-baking game is A1.
In this article, let’s dive into the topic of dry cookie dough. I will explain what causes dry cookie dough, show you five different scenarios that might have resulted in your dough being dry and give you a solution for each so you never need to worry about dry cookies ever again.
Let’s get rolling!
Contents
- Why is My Cookie Dough Dry?
- Scenario 1: Not Enough Liquid
- Solution: Spritz (or sprinkle) with water
- Scenario 2: Not Enough Fat
- Solution: Add butter or shortening/brush with oil
- Scenario 3: Too Much Flour
- Solution: Balance out with more wet ingredients
- Scenario 4: Cookie Dough Dried Out in The Fridge
- Solution: Thaw and knead
- Scenario 5: Overmixing
- Solution: Let it rest
- Final Thoughts
Why is My Cookie Dough Dry?
Whether it is a sugar cookie recipe you’re following or a chunky chocolate chip cookie recipe, you must always add enough wet ingredients to your mix so that your dry ingredients can bind together and not crumble all over the place.
The right cookie dough consistency should be sticky, not too wet or too dry, and firm enough to be shaped. If your cookie dough is too dry, it’s most likely because the amount of dry ingredients added is not proportionate to the wet ingredients, you’ve left it in the fridge and moisture has been sucked out from the dough, or you’ve overmixed the dough.
Now let’s look at these scenarios in more detail and I will show you exactly how to fix them.
Scenario 1: Not Enough Liquid
In most cookie recipes, you’ll find that the ratio of water in comparison to fat, sugar, and flour is very low, but not nonexistent! The liquid ingredients in cookies come from eggs, sometimes milk, and even the extracts used in your cookie.
The liquid component of your cookie helps hydrate and thereby bind together the dry ingredients. As the water evaporates in the oven, steam is created which helps your cookie puff and spread a little more. If you are baking sugar cookies, the liquid prevents your cookies from cracking.
Solution: Spritz (or sprinkle) with water
If you find that your cookies are dry and hard to work with because of insufficient moisture, you can add some water to your dough by spritzing a bit of water on your rolled-out cookie dough or giving your dough a splash of cold water before kneading it to incorporate the water.
Scenario 2: Not Enough Fat
It never ceases to surprise me a little every time I see the amount of butter used in a cookie recipe.
There have definitely been times when I thought to myself what if I improvise a little, reducing the amount to make them less fattening? Then I remember that the fat is there for a reason.
I would even go as far as to say that fat is the magic ingredient that makes cookies the delicious treats they are.
Butter and shortening are the main sources of fat in cookie recipes. There is also fat in egg yolks. Adding butter and oils to your cookies adds awesome flavor to your cookies and makes them softer and moister.
Not enough butter in your cookies can result in them being too tough and dry. Too much fat, however, can make your cookies overly greasy and spread too much.
Solution: Add butter or shortening/brush with oil
To combat dryness due to insufficient fat, you simply need to incorporate more fat. Whatever fat you choose to add, I recommend using it at room temperature.
Cold butter and shortening would be too firm and will take time before they start melting into your dough. You might end up with pockets of plain fat that would not be fun to bite into.
If you’re out of butter and shortening, you can also brush a bit of oil over the surface of your dough, then knead to incorporate the oil into the dough. Remember, add gradually, bit by bit.
Scenario 3: Too Much Flour
Have you accidentally added too much flour to your dough? It happened to me a few times when I was making sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies.
Flour is the base of a cookie. It’s what provides the structure and weight of a cookie and what you feel in your mouth when you bite into one.
With cookies that have to be rolled out, you have to keep sprinkling more flour on the surface you’re rolling it out on so that the dough doesn’t stick to the surface.
The more and longer you have to roll the dough the drier your dough becomes. You’ll find that your dough gradually becomes harder and harder to work with and will not stop breaking.
Solution: Balance out with more wet ingredients
If you’re experiencing this case, you’re going to have to balance out your dry ingredients with more wet ingredients, this can be either the liquid component or the fat component, preferably both.
To add more moisture to your dough, you can crack and whisk one egg, and slowly drizzle your egg into your dough, incorporating as you go. I’ve found this to be the easiest way to solve this issue as eggs contain both water and fat. Keep going until your cookie is soft enough to work with again.
Scenario 4: Cookie Dough Dried Out in The Fridge
You did everything correctly, your wet-to-dry ratio was spot on, and you’d even baked a perfect batch of cookies already. Why is it that on your second attempt and your cookie dough is no longer good?
It’s probably because you’ve left your dough in the fridge. Refrigerators work by removing moisture and creating a cool, dry environment so that your food won’t spoil as quickly. This, however, does tend to dry out the food you put in it.
Because there is a significant amount of butter in your dough, it’s also likely that your dough has just become too hard to work with which also makes it crack easily.
Solution: Thaw and knead
The good news, although the outer layer of your dough might appear dry, it’s likely that the inside of your dough has still retained the moisture. Let your dough sit at room temperature for a bit so that the butter softens.
Knead your dough, and make sure to knead in all directions. The drier parts of your dough should mix with the moist parts and you will end up with a perfect dough again.
Scenario 5: Overmixing
Overmixing is a big no-no when it comes to cookies. When you overmix your cookie dough, the air is also incorporated into it which can make your cookies rise and then deflate, resulting in a flat and crispy cookie.
When you mix your cookie dough for too long and at a high speed, gluten in the flour will develop which can make your cookie drier, tougher, and rubbery.
Solution: Let it rest
If you find that your dough is becoming too tough and dry to work with because you’ve been mixing it for too long, the solution is simple. Just let it rest! Let the gluten relax and soon you’ll be left with a soft malleable dough again.
Final Thoughts
Cookie dough can get dry. It’s just one of those things a baker must learn to deal with. I hope that this article has shown you just how easy it is to fix dry cookie dough.
Next time it happens to you, you can pick the solution that suits you best, or better yet, try a few different methods if you are not sure of the reason behind the dryness.
Did I miss anything? How do you fix your dry cookie dough? Let me know in the comments below!
About Angie
