Cookies are like snowflakes and cats: each special in their own way, even the gross ones. But there’s this idea going around that letting your cookie dough age can make something that’s already great even better. So I set out to find out whether letting your cookie dough age can actually make a better cookie. (And if not, what does?)

Jacques Torres, the chocolatier and beloved head judge on Netflix’s Nailed It!, has a popular recipe for cracked, chocolate-covered, and sea salt-kissed chocolate chip cookies. But what’s amazing isn’t how perfect they look, but how long they take to make: The instructions call for the dough to sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, and ideally up to three days.

If this resting time actually makes a difference in Torres’s treats, could it be a potential hack for all cookie recipes? I decided to investigate. Because while I trust Chef’s experience, his recipe begs the question: Why on earth are we refrigerating this dough for one to three days? I know of exactly zero other cookie recipes that work on this kind of timeline.

While you won't find Chef Jacques' reasoning on mrchocolate.com, his recipe is public and many people have reposted it and seem to have formed their own opinions. The New York Times blurb preceding the recipe states, "This gives the dry ingredients time to absorb the wet, resulting in a firmer dough." This short paragraph isn't saying that firmer is better (and the refrigeration may well be a contributing factor), but it did remind me of the autolyse method, a mixing technique used in some sourdough recipes.