Struggling with what to add if cookie dough is too dry? Don’t worry. We’ve all been there! Dry cookie dough is never fun, and there are many reasons this happens. The good news is that it can be relatively easy to fix, although you’ll need to do so carefully. Too much or too little of one ingredient or another can lead to disastrous results, yielding a cookie that isn’t quite what you’d hoped it’d be. So, what should you add to cookie dough that is too dry and crumbly? I’m glad you asked!
Table of Contents
- How Do You Moisten Dry Cookie Dough?
- What Can I Add to Cookie Dough to Make It Better?
- Why Do I Need Liquids in My Cookie Dough Recipe?
- What Happens if Cookie Dough Is Too Dry?
- Can You Fix Dry Cookie Dough?
- What to Add If Cookie Dough Is Too Dry? You’ve Got Options!
- FAQs
How Do You Moisten Dry Cookie Dough?
There are a few ways to fix dry cookie dough so that it is the desired consistency rather than dry and crumbly. To achieve the perfect cookie dough consistency, you’ll need a mixture of liquids and fats.
But there’s more to it than just this.
To get started, I’ve got a list of some of the best ingredients to add to your cookie dough to make it pliable dough. Just be sure to stick around to find out how to use these ingredients the right way so that you don’t risk ruining a perfect cookie dough recipe.
The following are some of the best ingredients to add to cookie dough when you may have made the cookie dough dry:
- Melted butter (or softened butter)
- Vegetable oil (or another neutral-flavored oil, such as canola oil)
- Eggs (egg whites, egg yolks, or both)
- Vanilla extract
- Milk (dairy-free milk, like almond milk, works well too)
What Can I Add to Cookie Dough to Make It Better?
You’ve seen our list of ingredients to help moisten your cookie dough, but you may still wonder how each works. Don’t worry, I can help!
Check out the following explanations for adding a bit more of either of these ingredients.
Melted Butter (Or Softened Butter)
Melted or softened butter can help add fat to your cookie recipe which is a needed component to make your cookies the desired consistency. You may not think of adding butter as one of your necessary wet ingredients, but indeed it is. In fact there is often quite a bit of butter in cookies and this is responsible for much of a cookie’s texture. Thus, it is imperative that the right amount of fat/liquid be to your cookies with butter for your cookies to turn out correctly.
Butter in cookies may be either melted or softened, but they aren’t usually interchangeable. When adding more butter to your recipe, only add it in the form that your cookie recipe suggests. For example, if the recipe recommends you use softened butter, be sure not to use melted butter instead. It may cause the cookies to spread too much, or may affect the texture.
Vegetable Oil (Or Another Neutral Flavored Oil, Such as Canola Oil)
Much like adding butter, adding oil adds fat and liquid to your cookie dough. As you might imagine, leaving out either fat or oil in a recipe would render your cookie dough very dry.
If you have added the correct amount of oil to the recipe per the instructions and the dough is still dry, be cautious about adding much more. Adding too much fat can render your cookies greasy.
Eggs (Egg Whites, Egg Yolks, or Both)
So, still wondering what to add if cookie dough is too dry? If you’ve forgotten your eggs, be sure to add them. Though they may not seem to you as a necessary “liquid” ingredient, they certainly are! They are also crucial for achieving that trademark chewy texture in a lot of cookie recipes.
Adding an extra egg to your cookie recipe can make your cookie dough chewier. If you like a chewier cookie over crispy and crumbly one, adding an extra egg may be your go-to!
Vanilla Extract
It may be tempting to skip vanilla extract if you don’t have any on hand, but if you do, be sure to replace that liquid with milk or water. To do this, simply add the same amount of water or milk that you would vanilla extract. Though vanilla extract usually only constitutes a small portion of a cookie dough recipe, it is still a liquid that helps with the consistency. Thus, it is important to replace this liquid if you choose to forgo adding vanilla extract this time around.
Milk (or Milk Substitutes)
Can you add milk to cookie dough to soften it? Yes, you can!
As previously mentioned, both dairy and non-dairy options work well. Just be sure to only add a splash or two if you need to soften your dough. Adding too much milk can cause the cookie dough to be harder and tougher to chew.
Why Do I Need Liquids in My Cookie Dough Recipe?
At this point, you may be wondering why it’s necessary to put the aforementioned liquids (or moist ingredients) in your cookie dough recipe. The reason this is important is that these ingredients are what produces the cookie texture you desire. By adding fat and liquid ingredients, the cookies turn chewy, soft, and delicious. Yet, without these much-needed ingredients, you’ll likely find your cookie recipes yield tough cookies or cookies that are too crumbly, even when baked.
The reason? It is the fat and liquid in cookies that make them the right consistency and gives them the ability to spread. It also helps with the general appearance of the cookies once baked.
To know if there’s enough liquid in your cookies, the dough should hold together and should have somewhat of a soft feel, similar to that of cold butter. Your cookie dough won’t typically be soft enough to gently knead the way you would pizza dough, although some kneading may be possible, depending on the recipe.
Can You Add Too Much Liquid To Your Cookie Dough?
Yes! While it is important to keep your cookie dough moisturized, adding too much liquid can at times be worse than not adding enough! The reason for this is that cookies that have too much liquid can turn out cakey, thick, and oddly textured. They can even taste less sweet because of the excess liquid ingredients.
Ultimately, your best bet is to simply go with the recipe as written. But what if you make a mistake along the way? Never fear, there are always solutions!
What Happens if Cookie Dough Is Too Dry?
If your cookie dough ends up too dry, it could have a variety of outcomes.
- The first is that the cookies could end up very crunchy.
- The second is that they could end up tough.
- Thirdly, the cookies could end up not spreading.
- And lastly, they may not have great flavor.
What’s interesting, however, is that there are times when dry cookie dough may not have any effect on your cookies at all! It just depends on the recipe and the ingredients used.
Can You Fix Dry Cookie Dough?
Yes! There are plenty of ways to fix dry cookie dough. However, you’ll want to figure out where you went wrong before doing anything else!
Before explaining how to fix dry cookie dough, it might help to understand how cookie dough gets dry in the first place.
Sometimes, it has to do with adding too many dry ingredients. If you’ve accidentally added too much flour, you’ll end up with a very dry dough. Conversely, if you’ve forgotten to add your eggs, milk, butter (or have added too little of these ingredients) you’ll notice a drastic difference in the way your cookie dough turns out. Therefore it’s important to use the right amount of wet ingredients to ensure that your cookie dough mixture turns out to be the desired consistency.
Another reason for dry cookies besides there not being enough moisture or not enough fat include over mixing. Over mixing batter for homemade cookies will cause too much gluten to form. When too much gluten forms, it will cause your cookies to go dry, crisp, and flat. They won’t turn out as soft and chewy as you may have hoped.
Thus, when making baked cookies, it’s important that you avoid over-mixing and allow the dough to rest a bit in the fridge as well to achieve the right consistency for delicious cookies.
How to Fix Dry Cookie Dough
So, what are the ways to fix dry cookies? Depending on what went wrong, you’ll want to add more liquid or fat.
The first thing to do is to pick up the slack in whatever you lack. In other words, if you’ve forgotten butter, be sure to add it. If you’ve forgotten eggs, add them. But the only way you’ll know this is to go back through your list to ensure you’ve added everything. This is why crossing off your list of ingredients as you go can help.
If you’ve added all of the wet ingredients, but have overdone it on the dry ingredients, try not to worry. Add liquid fats or a tablespoon or two of milk to help soften things up a bit. Just be careful. You don’t want to add too much liquid or else it will make your cookies too cakey and unlike what you’re used to.
What to Add If Cookie Dough Is Too Dry? You’ve Got Options!
Besides your chocolate chips, brown sugar, and flour, your liquid ingredients are incredibly important for when you are making your cookie dough recipes. By either adding more fat or liquid in another form, you’ll notice that your cookie dough texture softens and that the mixing process becomes a bit easier.
Have you noticed a difference when you bake cookies with dry cookie dough? How did they turn out? Let us know in the comments below!
We hope this helps answer the question! See you next time!
FAQs
How do you moisten dry cookie dough?
Moisten dry cookie dough by adding a splash or two of milk, or by adding a bit of extra butter, oil, or an egg.
What happens if cookie dough is too dry?
Cookie dough that is too dry may yield crunchy or hard cookies that don’t spread well. Sometimes, however, the cookie dough turns out just fine!
How do you add moisture to cookies?
Add a bit of milk, oil, butter, or an egg to the mix.
Can you fix dough that is too dry?
Yes, you can fix cookie dough that is too dry. Just be careful when adding more liquid as adding too much can have a terrible effect on the texture of the cookies when baked.
Can I add water instead of milk to moisten cookies?
Yes, you can! Milk may be a better selection in terms of flavor, but a teaspoon or two of water should work without any noticeable changes in taste.
