How to fix cookie dough that's too dry

These crunchy, doughy, round cookies are so delicious it’s impossible to eat just one. And as for cookie dough, don’t get us started on it – cookie dough ice cream is one of the best things on this planet!

But if the cookie dough is too dry, how do you fix it?  You may need to add more liquid, either milk or water, or fat, such as butter, to fix cookie dough that is too dry. However, the best method for fixing dry cookie dough depends largely on a number of different factors.

If your cookie dough hasn’t turned out the way you expected, don’t give up! We’ve got everything you need to know about cookie dough and the best ways to fix cookie dough if it’s too dry or crumbly.

What is cookie dough?

As any chef will tell you, cooking is an art, while baking is a science. You can play around with flavors and ingredients in casseroles and sauces, but baked goods like cookies aren’t as forgiving.

To understand why cookie dough can so easily go wrong, we need to understand what cookie dough is and how this delicate process works.

After all, cookies are something extraordinary: how can a few very simple ingredients turn into something as delicious as a freshly baked cookie?

Making the perfect cookie dough is vital if you want to make amazing cookies. Cookie dough is a mixture of the raw ingredients used to make cookies.

These ingredients typically include flour, butter, white sugar, and eggs. If the cookie dough is to be used for baking, a leavening agent such as baking soda will also be added.

But what is all this raw cookie dough? For centuries, children around the world have been allowed to lick the bowl when baking cakes and cookies, as the raw ingredients tasted delicious.

And then someone realized that there was a market for raw cookie dough – great!

Why is the cookie dough too dry?

When making cookie dough, it’s important to get the exact texture and moisture levels right. If you’re familiar with making cakes and brownies, cookie dough will seem very strange to begin with.

Cookie dough is much denser and thicker than cake mix and can be rolled into a ball without sticking or falling apart.

If your cookie dough doesn’t form into a ball or fall apart as soon as you try to roll it, it’s probably too dry.

Don’t panic, this isn’t a disaster, but we need to figure out what went wrong so we can fix it.

There are a number of reasons why cookie dough may be too dry, and we have to look at the different ingredients and methods used to find out which one is to blame.

Grease

All cookie dough recipes include some type of fat, such as butter or oil. The fats from the cookie dough are mixed with the dry ingredients to create a soft, pliable dough.

This fat is what gives cookies that rich, gooey flavor, without it they would be like sugary pieces of cardboard!

There are a number of reasons why fat can be to blame for your cookie dough being dry. It may be because you have substituted one type of fat for another , for example, perhaps you have used margarine instead of butter.

Or it could be because you didn’t put enough fat in the dough mixture . This can easily happen when measuring liquid fats, such as oil or melted butter.

Liquid

The liquid in the recipe, usually water or milk, is responsible for adding moisture to the cookie dough. If the cookie dough is dry or crumbly, you may not have added enough liquid, or the wrong type of liquid.

This can happen if you’ve substituted one type of liquid for another : maybe you’ve switched from whole milk to almond milk?

It may also happen if there is some measurement error, so please check the measurements well.

Dry ingredients

Even adding a little more dry ingredients can be enough to make the cookie dough dry and crumbly.

This is a common problem if you don’t have an accurate method of measuring your dry ingredients, and a set of scales is a worthwhile investment if you want to perfect your baking technique.

Mingle

Now comes the scientific part.  When flour is mixed, the proteins in it combine to form gluten strands . This is what gives cookie dough its elastic structure.

However, if you mix the dough for too long, more and more gluten will develop.  This will make the cookie dough hard and dry.

When it comes to mixing cookie dough, less is better! You want the ingredients to be well combined, but stop mixing as soon as you get it.

Cool

Many cookie recipes recommend chilling the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. This is essential for the cookies to have the perfect texture when baked, so don’t skip this step.

However, if the cookie dough is not well wrapped before storing it in the fridge, it will dry out and crumble . This is the same thing that happens with any food stored in the fridge, so you have to use airtight bags and containers.

What happens if the cookie dough is too dry?

If the cookie dough is too dry, whatever you do, don’t bake it as is ! Dry cookie dough will almost always lead to the inevitable disappointment of dry, hard cookies.

This is because the cookie dough does not contain enough moisture or fat to fully bind to the dry ingredients. When baked, these dry ingredients will become hard and tough, certainly not the result you’re looking for!

But don’t panic: all is not lost! We can fix your dry and brittle cookie dough and turn it into delicious baked cookies in no time.

How to fix dry and brittle cookie dough

The hardest part of fixing dry, brittle cookie dough is identifying the problem in the first place, and unfortunately, this can take a bit of trial and error.

You may be able to figure out the problem by looking at your dough or your recipe, but most of the time it’s just going to take a bit of guesswork.

If you have no idea what went wrong, we suggest you follow this list in order, until you get the perfect cookie dough consistency.

add more liquid

Adding more liquid won’t greatly affect the flavor of your cookies, and might just do the trick to fixing your dry, brittle cookie dough.

Add a type of liquid similar to what the recipe calls for: it can be water, milk, egg white, or a whole egg.

Add a teaspoon of the liquid of your choice each time to the dough. Don’t be tempted to add more, and whatever you do, don’t throw in a whole egg!

Mix the dough quickly and check the consistency; if it’s not right, repeat the operation until you’re satisfied with the dough.

Remember that over mixing will make the dough tough, so keep additional mixing to a minimum.

add more fat

Adding a small amount of fat can be a quick and easy fix for dry, brittle cookie dough, but be careful not to overdo it ; otherwise your dough may become greasy.

This will make the cookies oily after baking, and no one wants that!

Add the same type of fat that your recipe calls for: butter, margarine, or oil. As with liquid ingredients, add a teaspoon at a time. It can be difficult to mix with a spoon or knife, so you may find it easier to mix with your hands.

Mixing methodology

If your cookie dough is too dry or crumbly due to gluten formation, over-mixing is usually the problem.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to “fix” this problem, but adding some liquid or fat can make it more flexible and easier to shape.

Using different mixing methods can help avoid this problem in the future. If you use an electric cake mixer, try switching to manual methods.

Mixing the cookie dough by hand can be the best way to create the perfect cookie dough texture.

Temperature

Another great tip if you’ve overmixed your dough is to let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

This resting period can help the glutes to soften, making your dough soft and pliable. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container, and avoid re-mixing it before shaping it into a ball for baking.

change the recipe

If the cookie dough turns out to be consistently dry and crumbly, the recipe may not be good.

You shouldn’t have to add extra ingredients to a recipe to make it perfect, so if this happens over and over again, abandon the recipe and look elsewhere.

Life is too short to spend it chewing on dry, hard cookies, plus it’s a waste of time and ingredients. Look for recipes with good reviews and user comments to make sure your cookies turn out perfect every time.

Related questions

Now that we’ve gone over some potential causes of dry cookie dough, let’s take a look at some related questions!

How do you fix dry biscuits after baking?

One of life’s greatest pleasures is biting into a delicious homemade cookie: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, absolute perfection!

But what if your cookies come out of the oven as little chunks of rock? Or have they gone hard and stale very quickly in the cookie jar? Don’t panic, all is not lost: you can fix these cookies!

To soften hard cookies, all you need is a slice of bread, something you should find in most kitchens!

Simply put a slice of fresh bread in the bottom of an airtight container. Place the cookies on top of the bread, close the lid tightly and leave them overnight.

And that’s it! Your cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread and become soft and delicious, just the way we like them!

If you don’t have bread, a slice of apple can do the same. Just keep in mind that the cookies can take on some of the flavors of the apple, which isn’t necessarily such a bad thing!

How can you use old cookies?

In most households, stale cookies would be a rare occurrence - these delicious treats are often gobbled down as soon as the family smells an open package!

And as for the homemade ones, you do well if they go from the cookie sheet to the cookie jar without eating them!

But in case you have some cookies that have gone bad, what can you use them for? Luckily, they don’t have to go to waste, as there are some great recipe ideas for old cookies.

Here are some of the best recipes for using old cookies:

pie crust

Stale cookies, like biscuits, make the perfect pie crust for desserts like no-bake cheesecakes and key lime pie. And a cookie pie crust is so much easier than baking, we don’t know why we don’t do it more often!

Just crumble the old cookies into the melted butter until you get a thick mixture.

Place this mixture in a tart pan; You can cover only the base or also the sides.

Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes at 400°f, then cook uncovered for another 10 minutes.

You can then add whatever toppings you like to the pie crust: lemon meringue, banana cream, chocolate cheesecake, and the list goes on! It’s almost worth letting a few cookies get stale just so you can try this!

truffles

This recipe is a work of absolute genius, and turns your leftover old cookies into rich, sumptuous truffles. In a mixer, crush the cookies until they are fine crumbs.

Add the cream cheese and mix well until you have a mixture with the consistency of cookie dough.

Make balls with the dough and put it in the fridge for 10 minutes. They taste delicious just like that, but for added decadence, you can top them with melted chocolate!

ice cream dessert

It’s no coincidence that some of the best known ice cream makers have come out with “cookies and cream” ice creams - these two ingredients work so well together it’s like magic!

If you have some old cookies, it’s quick and easy to make your own cookies and cream dessert.

There are two ways to do it. One option is to make ice cream, combining layers of ice cream with pieces of stale cookie dough. Add a drizzle of fresh cream on top and it’s ready to serve!

Or for a fun snack ready to serve from the freezer, try making ice cream sandwiches. Layer ice cream between two old cookies, place on a cookie sheet, and refreeze.

Eat them straight up or put them in an airtight container or plastic wrap to enjoy later.

Smoothie

If your cookies are really out of place, whip them in a blender with milk, cream or ice cream to create a rich and delicious cold shake.