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

FAQs

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

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.

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. For drop cookies, you don't need to wait for the dough to thaw—bake from frozen.

Baking cookies that freeze well is one of our favorite ways to get a head start on the holiday season. Freezing baked cookies now gives you a leg up on holiday prep and ensures Santa has something to snack on. Each of these lasts in the freezer up to three months.

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.

Frozen cookie dough balls do not need to be thawed out before baking unless you've been given specific instructions that say to do so. For many cookie doughs, for example, shortbread-style or slice-and-bake cookies, baking immediately from frozen will give you the best results.

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.

For example, if you want to make some sugar cookie cutouts that call for at least an hour of chill time in the fridge, you could freeze the dough for 15 minutes instead.

The key to freezing cookies properly and making sure they last is to avoid air. Air in the freezer will cause the flavor and texture of the cookies to break down faster. Properly stored in an airtight container or bag, cookies can last in the freezer for up to six months.

If you want to make Christmas cookies in advance, make sure that you are timing them so they won't go stale. Aim to make them about two weeks in advance if you keep them at room temperature. Making them one week or a few days in advance is even better if you are going for the freshest possible cookies.

What kind of cookies freeze well? ›

As a general rule of thumb, 'drop cookies,' which include oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, and 'cut-out cookies,' such as gingerbread and sugar cookies, are freezer-friendly.

The USDA website says that generally, cookies can be stored at room temperature for two to three weeks or refrigerated for two months. If you find yourself with more cookies than you can eat in that time frame, consider putting the baked cookies in a sealed container in the freezer.

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.

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.

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.

Shape the dough into two disks roughly 1-inch thick. Package and freeze: Wrap the disks in plastic or wax paper and transfer to a plastic freezer bag or other freezer container. Press out as much air as possible, label the bag, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Most cookie dough freezes well, particularly these kinds: Chocolate Chip Cookie dough is the cookie dough that I most often have in my freezer - I always have some of my perfect chocolate chip cookie dough, along with my small batch cookie dough or my brown butter chocolate chip cookie dough. They all freeze well.

If you've ever been puzzled by a chocolate chip cookie recipe that calls for chilling your dough for an hour, don't skip it. As little as 30 minutes in your fridge or freezer can help your cookie brown better, spread less, and develop a richer chewy texture.

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.