Maple Brown Sugar Cookies: Chilling Dough

While scrolling through Instagram, I caught this mouthwatering recipe by @sallysbakeblog that was perfect for fall and my very first Cookie Chemistry experiment! I tested how chill time and pecans affect maple brown sugar cookies. I was curious to see how chilling the dough shorter than the recipe time would change the flavor and texture, and if pecans added more than just crunch.

Hypothesis

I predicted that pecans would just add crunch, and that chilling less would make the cookies spread more.

Method

• Made one big batch of dough.. Here's the recipe!

• Split into 2 bowls

  • Batch A (under-chilled, pecans)

  • Batch B (no pecans, chilled overnight)

• Baked both at the same temp/time

Took notes + photos

Results

Batch A, which was only chilled for about an hour and 15 minutes (rather than the two hours recommended by the recipe) and contained pecans, ended up being taller than Batch B. They were "softer", but didn't have that strong maple flavor and chewiness that Batch B had! Batch B also had a crinklier top, which improved the texture and appearance of the cookie.

Batch A

Batch B

Conclusion

These differences weren't just random, it comes down to food chemistry. Pecans added fat and bulk, which made the dough spread less and created taller cookies. The oil from the pecans slows gluten development, so the dough doesn't spread as easily. Pecans act like pillars in the dough, giving cookies more structure and holding them up as they bake.

Meanwhile, chilling overnight gave the flour more time to hydrate (absorbing water from eggs and syrup) and allowed enzymes to break down starches into sugars, creating a chewier texture and a stronger maple flavor. Chilling firms up butter, so when it's baked, dough takes longer to melt, and the cookies spread less. The longer chill also let sugar migrate to the surface, which gave those cookies their crackly tops because the sugar crystallizes once it bakes.

As for me, I love the pecans because it adds a bit of crunch and variety to the cookie, but nothing can beat that overnight chill! For the perfect cookie, there's no holding back on the pecans AND overnight chilling.

Batch	Pecans	Chill time	Height	Texture	Flavor
A	Yes	~ 1 hr	Taller	Softer	Mild maple
B	No	Overnight	Thinner, crackly	Chewier	Strong maple

Beyond the Experiment

Batch B was freshly baked again and donated to Camillus House on 9/27/2025, as part of Cookie Chemistry’s mission to combine science with service.