Just realized the old baker at my shop in Tulsa was right about not chilling my cookie dough overnight
Every blog and video out there swears 24 hours in the fridge makes cookies better, so I did it for like 2 years without questioning it. Last month this older guy named Ray who worked at the shop before me watched me load a sheet pan and just shook his head, said cold dough never spreads right and the edges dry out before the middle sets. I baked two batches side by side that afternoon, one straight from the fridge and one rested 40 minutes on the counter, and the counter batch came out chewier with way better browning. I get that some cookies need the chill, but for a basic chocolate chip I'm never going back and I feel kind of dumb for wasting all those nights waiting.
Man, yes. Same thing happened to me with oatmeal cookies. I used to chill the dough all night because some food blog said so, and they always came out puffy and pale. One day I was in a rush and just scooped them room temp after maybe 30 minutes, and the difference was night and day. Flatter, chewier, edges got that nice golden color instead of just dry. Now I let almost everything sit out while the oven heats up and I swear it takes less time overall. Ray knew what he was talking about.