Chilling cookie dough: shaping and spreading

Useful to know

In King Arthur’s comparison, chilling cookie dough changes its spread and texture. Firming the fat explains part of the effect, while longer resting can change other properties as well. [1]

This is not an instruction to chill every dough for as long as possible. Follow the recipe and compare equal portions on the same tray. To investigate the effect, change only the chilling step. Different flour quantities or baking surfaces would make the comparison less clear.