What to Do When Cookie Dough Is Too Sticky (2024)

FAQs

What to Do When Cookie Dough Is Too Sticky? ›

When cookie dough is too sticky, you may have an imbalance of wet and dry ingredients. You can fix this by adding a teaspoon of flour or cornstarch at a time until your dough is just how you want. The added flour or cornstarch will absorb the excess liquid and reduce the dough's overall stickiness.

If your dough is too sticky and it's impossible to work with you can add some extra flour, just a little at a time. Make sure you weigh the extra flour you add and then you'll be able to adjust the recipe correctly the next time you bake.

Sticky dough usually means your dough is too soft. Try chilling it for a few minutes or add 1 teaspoon of sifted flour to your dough until the proper consistency is achieved.

When cookie dough is too wet, your cookies may come out too thin and crispy, too dense, or just plain bad. However, this problem is easily fixed if you know how. To fix a cookie dough that's too wet, add in some more flour one tablespoon at a time. This should help absorb any extra moisture lingering in your dough.

Once you've added enough flour or cornstarch, the dough should start to feel a bit tacky between your fingers but it should hold together and be smooth and firm. What should sugar cookie dough feel like? Sugar cookie dough should feel smooth and firm, similar to Play-Doh and have a bit of heft to it.

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.

If dough is too sticky to knead, add more flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, until no longer sticky; let sit five minutes.

Unless you want extra-crispy cookies, avoid overmixing your dough. "Overmixing your dough will result in flatter, crispier cookies," Cowan said. If you overmix, you will end up aerating (adding air to) the dough, which causes the cookies to rise and then fall, leaving you with flat cookies.

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.

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

What happens if dough is too wet? ›

“Wet" dough will still bake. The final bread will be more dense but the trade-off is that bread from a wetter dough actually lasts longer before going stale. The test is when you touch the dough it should feel only just slightly sticky but not enough for the dough to come away with the finger tip.

It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch. That's right, the flavorless thickening agent used for soups, stews, and curries is also the secret weapon for baked goods that boast a silky-smooth mouthfeel.

Strong, wet doughs spring well in the oven, forming nice “ears” and, if given time in cold fermentation, a blistered crust. But for many, the most coveted feature of high-hydration loaves is their dramatically open crumb or alveolar structure.

The simplest and most advisable way to thicken cookie dough is to add a couple tablespoons of cake flour to a runny cookie dough. Mix it gently to prevent overmixing, which will result in a tough cookie dough. For roll-out cookie dough, knead the extra flour in by hand.

Add oats or nuts: Adding oats or nuts to the dough can add texture and help it hold its shape better. Use a different type of liquid: Substituting a different type of liquid, such as milk or cream, for some or all of the water or other liquid called for in the recipe can help the dough thicken and hold together better.

Adding too many eggs can result in gummy, cake-like cookies. Adding too few eggs can result in dry, crumbly cookies. Beat each one in separately and thoroughly.