How to Freeze Cookies and Cookie Dough for Easy Holiday Baking (2024)

FAQs

How to Freeze Cookies and Cookie Dough for Easy Holiday Baking? ›

Drop Cookies: Shape the cookie dough into balls as you would when preparing to bake them. Place them on a silicone- or parchment-lined sheet. Freeze for an hour (or until solid) and transfer to a freezer zip-top bag. Squeeze out the air and freeze.

Cookie dough freezes well for up to 3 months, so it's a great way to get ahead for the holidays or other busy times.

In most cases, I prefer to freeze cookie dough over freezing baked cookies. That way, you still get the nice homemade smell and softness of the cookies when they come out of the oven. But if you want to get the whole job done, you can certainly bake the cookies, then freeze them later.

Putting cookie dough into the freezer before baking can help solidify the fat from the butter in your cookies, which in turn keeps them from spreading too much in the oven. Colder dough will not expand as much as warm dough does. This will produce a higher, thicker cookie.

You can freeze already baked and unbaked cookies, as well as the dough itself, but there are a few things to consider before doing so—including the type of cookie you're trying to freeze and how to properly store them.

Place baked cookies in sealable plastic containers designed for the freezer. Freeze cookies for up to one year. Don't use themed tins (say, for Christmas cookies). Transfer cookies to such containers once you've removed them from the freezer.

After baking, allow cookies to cool completely. Place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet to freeze them, then store them in a freezer-safe zip-top storage bag labeled with the name and date. Squeeze out extra air and place flat in the freezer. To save space, you can flat-stack freezer bags.

Think of macarons, pizzelles, madeleine, Florentine, and fortune cookie dough. These don't hold up well in the freezer, and even if you thaw them, they won't bake as well. These cookies usually require a fresh cookie dough batter to be baked successfully.

Place the cookies into an airtight container lined with aluminum foil or plastic food wrap. For best results, wrap the cookies individually in plastic food wrap. If the cookies aren't wrapped individually, separate them with layers of aluminum foil or plastic food wrap.

How to freeze sugar coated cookies. You can freeze classic Christmas cookies that get coated in powdered sugar (like Russian Tea Cakes) but it is best to freeze them before baking and coating, here's how: Form the cookies and then place on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid.

How do you thaw cookie dough from the freezer? ›

The most important thing to remember when thawing your cookie dough, whether shortbread-style or drop cookies, is to place it in the fridge. Do not thaw at room temperature, as this will encourage bacteria growth from the eggs in the cookie dough.

For frozen chocolate chip cookies, the recommended oven temperature is typically around 350°F (175°C). Baking time can vary depending on the cookie size and thickness, but a good starting point is 10-12 minutes.

Remove however many balls of dough you need from the freezer and place on a parchment-lined baking pan. Bake the cookies for 2 to 5 minutes longer than the original recipe instructions, or until the cookies are golden at the edges but still slightly 'wet' looking at the very center.

Freeze cookie dough to bake later on; it's easier than you might think. Freezing works best for cutout cookies, drop cookies and slice-and-bake cookies because the dough has a firm texture and can withstand more time in the freezer. Store it correctly and it'll keep for up to three months.

Placed rolled cookie dough onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan, and freeze for an hour until solid. Transfer to a ziploc bag or airtight container and label. Store in the fridge until ready to bake.

Slice-and-bake, cut outs, drop, bar, and some shaped cookies (thumbprints) freeze well. Avoid delicate cookies like tuiles, Florentines, meringues, and any sort of wafer cookie. Pre-baked cookies can be frozen for up to six months.

As for the cookies—made for cookie swaps, church potlucks, household snacking, and Santa's plate—there is one little cheat: make now, freeze for later. You'll find that most of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes can be made anywhere from a month to six months before the 25th of December.

And if you want to freeze cookie dough for later, both our cookie dough rolls and our Pillsbury™ Ready to Bake! ™ cookie dough can be frozen up to 2 months in advance. You'll need to defrost the rolls of cookie dough before slicing and baking, but our Ready to Bake! ™ cookies can be made straight from the freezer.

Airtight containers: Place the cookie dough in an airtight container, such as a Tupperware or glass container, and store it in the fridge for 2-4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.

For best quality, freeze for two months. Homemade cookie dough should be stored in small containers in the refrigerator for two to four days or freeze for two months. Alternatively, small quantities of dough can be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator as needed.