How Many Times Can You Re-roll Cookie Dough?

Cookie Crack anyone? I know! I know! We aren’t supposed to re-roll cookie dough over and over again but I can’t help it. I don’t like to waist the dough so I re-roll it until I get very misshaped cookies or Cookie Crack!What Happens When You Re-roll Cookie Dough | The Bearfoot Baker

Actually, I don’t re-roll more than three times. My Sugar Cookie Recipe will allow me to re-roll the dough three times before the cookie texture and softness of the cookie become affected. If the dough is re-rolled too much it will become cracked and tough. No one wants to eat a tough cookie. Now cookie crack? Thats a different story! Just kidding! Well, maybe not!

How Many Times Can You Re-roll Cookie Dough?

So here is the big question, how many times can you re-roll your cookie dough? It depends. Different sugar cookie doughs behave differently and how you roll and chill the dough can also make a difference.

When you work with dough you can activate the gluten which will make your cookies tougher. Chilling the dough can help it relax a little but your cookies could still could mess with the texture of your cookies.

How Many Times Can You Re-Roll Cookie Dough | The Bearfoot Baker

Even though I have a rule about re-rolling the dough three times I still don’t get the exact same results with the cookies. The measurements are weighed, the dough is chilled and somehow the results can be different. This dough was re-rolled three times.

Can You Re-roll Cookie Dough | The Bearfoot Baker

See how the surface of the cookies looks a bit cracked? When you add flour to the dough each time you re-roll it the dough will dry out a little. Placing it on a mat and covering it with a piece of plastic wrap will reduce the need for the extra flour which won’t dry out the cookies. Once the dough is rolled out don’t cut the cookie shapes yet. Instead, place the dough in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes to help the gluten relax before you cut the shapes and bake the dough. I have heard people say the dough needs to relax a day before you re-roll it but who has that kind of time? Not me.

Also, remember to place the cookies on a cookie sheet that is cool or room temperature. If you place it on a warm baking sheet the dough will immediately begin to bake so it will cause the cookie to spread even if you place it in the freezer. The heat isn’t your friend until the cookies go into the oven. Cool is good! Look What Happens When you Re-roll Cookie Dough | The Bearfoot BakerLook what happens when the dough is re-rolled 5 times. It’s Cookie Crack! My dough doesn’t always look like this after rolling it out 5 times but it did this time. Handling the dough a lot and adding extra flour every time we re-roll it can cause this to happen. If you watch the video, you will see some of the cookies spread a lot after re-rolling several times.

For my sugar cookie recipe three times seems to be the magic number for a good shape and soft cookie. After that, the scraps are added to the next batch of fresh dough, a little tip I learned from Gail over at One Tough Cookie. If the baking is done for the day then the scrapes are baked and crushed to sprinkle on top of ice cream or used in one of Anita’s amazing Cookie Butter Recipes. YUM! No waste around here!

What Happens When You Re-roll Cookie Dough | The Bearfoot BakerI am not an expert on how to re-roll cookie dough but I do know what works for me. I suggest you practice rolling and re-rolling your dough to see what kind of results you get from your recipe. Once you get to the cookie crack, think of me!

Bear hugs,

Lisa