How long does pillsbury cookie dough last in the fridge

In this brief guide, we will answer the question “How long can cookie dough last in the fridge?”, discuss answers to other related questions like how to store the cookie dough to increase its shelf life and can cookie dough go bad.

Cookie dough can last for 2-4 days in the fridge, but this time frame is not specified. The time frame for keeping cookie dough in the fridge is not constant and varies with certain factors including; the type of the cookie dough, the ingredients added to the dough, and cookie filling.

The shelf life of cookie dough

In most cases, we assume that the date marked on the package of cookie dough is the expiry date, however, it is the best-by date. The best-by date is labeled to make you know that the quality of the cookie dough will be best up to that date. It does not mean that the cookie dough will be expired by that date, and you can not consume that package of cookie dough. 

As described earlier, the shelf life of cookie dough is not constant and varies with several factors. So, you can not specify the shelf life. For the sake of simplicity and understanding, we can broadly divide the cookie dough into 3 classes:

Regular old frozen cookie dough

Regular old frozen cookie dough is commercially produced and found in the freezer section, but it is not like your break-and-bake style cookie doughs. You can expect this cookie dough to last about 1-2 weeks past the best-by date. If you keep it in your freezer, it can last for 9-12 months, giving you plenty of time to use it before it goes bad.

Pillsbury cookie dough

Pillsbury cookie dough is supposed to last a little longer in the fridge than the regular old frozen cookie doughs. This type of cookie dough can stay safe to use even after 2 weeks of the best-by date. It is better not to keep this dough in the freezer section as it lasts only for 6-9 months.

Homemade cookie dough

If you are a true baker to the core and know how to bake cookies from scratch, nothing is more delicious than a warm homemade cookie. But you can not keep this kind of cookie dough for a longer period because of the fresh ingredients being used and no addition of preservatives in the dough. Homemade cookie dough can last for 3-5 days in the fridge, but it can last for 6-12 months in the freezer.

Other FAQs about Dough which you may be interested in.

How long does homemade cookie dough last in the fridge?

Can you get sick from eating expired dough?

How to store cookie dough to increase its shelf life?

The shelf life of the cookie dough is also affected by the storage conditions. If you want to use the cookie dough within a week or so, you can keep it in the refrigerator. But if you have prepared a large batch of cookie dough, then you need to divide the dough into smaller batches and store it in the freezer to maintain its quality and taste.

While storing the cooking dough in the fridge, it is recommended to keep the dough in an air-tight box so that you can prevent the moisture to seep in and deteriorate the quality of dough by encouraging the growth of microorganisms including bacteria and fungi.

For long-term storage, you can keep the cookie dough in the freezer-suitable bag or container. Try to keep the dough in the smallest container possible, so there is less room for the air in the container.

Can cookie dough go bad?

Cookie dough can go bad due to the ingredients being used in their making. Raw eggs are considered to be the main culprit in this regard. Raw eggs can be the source of Salmonella and E.coli based infections, which both can be quite detrimental to your health. When the cookie dough is cooked, the risk of getting an infection due to these bacteria is reduced to a minimum. However, the eggs in conjunction with sugar, butter, and other ingredients can go bad over time, and the resulting cooking can be unhealthy for you.

Signs that cookie dough has gone bad

The most obvious sign that helps you know that the cookie dough is not good to be used is the microbial growth. If you suspect any kind of mold growing over the dough, this means that this growth is also being accompanied by certain bacteria. So, it is better to discard such dough instead of taking risk of your precious health. If you notice any discoloration at the edges of the cookie, this means that it is no more good to be used. Also, the rancid smell from the bad cookie dough helps you decide to throw away the dough.

Conclusion:

In this brief guide, we answered the question “How long can cookie dough last in the fridge?”, discussed answers to other related questions like how to store the cookie dough to increase its shelf life and can cookie dough go bad.

References:

• What is the shelf life of cookie dough? (usda.gov) 
• How Long Is Cookie Dough Good For? – Bob’s Red Mill Blog