About 550 people work at the factory, but only about half of them work on cookie dough, she said.

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"You just keep turning the dough as you work it, " Kimball said.

NPR: A Thanksgiving Meal From The Test Kitchen

After a night in the refrigerator, sure enough, the dough was easy to work with.

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Roll out the larger dough ball on a lightly floured work surface to a 17-inch round.

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Cover the dough and refrigerate it while you work on the apples.

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Beat and work in enough of the flour to form a soft dough.

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And in rolling out the dough, the tapered shape makes it easier to work on it in quarter-turns so as not to overwork the center.

NPR: A Thanksgiving Meal From The Test Kitchen