Learn to Properly Freeze Cookie Dough and Your Future Self Will Thank You (2024)

FAQs

Learn to Properly Freeze Cookie Dough and Your Future Self Will Thank You? ›

Roll the dough into a log about 2″ in diameter. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and place into a freezer-safe bag or other freezer-safe container. Label it with the date that you prepared it, along with the baking temperature and bake time so that Future You knows what to do with them.

You can freeze that dough, too. Prepare the cookie dough according to the recipe's instructions. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, and then wrap the cold dough tightly in plastic wrap and add a label with the name of the recipe and the date. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To Defrost or Not To Defrost

The best way to thaw frozen dough is by letting it sit in the refrigerator for one or two hours. This gradual defrosting will work better than trying to thaw dough in a warmer room temperature environment such as the kitchen countertop.

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.

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.

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.

Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Bake frozen dough at the temperature specified in baking instructions, and add a few minutes onto the bake time. This may give you slightly crispier edges as the cookie is in the oven a little longer.

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.

After 72 hours, the dough will begin to dry out and you risk it going bad, especially if chilling pre-portioned balls of dough instead of the entire mass of dough. If you want to store longer than 72 hours, see the freezing tips below.

How to tell if frozen cookie dough is bad? ›

The most obvious way to tell if your cookie dough has gone bad is to look at it. If it has grown any mold, then you can safely trash that dough and work on another batch. You will also notice that the edges start to discolor and turn darker as they go bad—they will likely be hard instead of doughy as well.

A cookie that has been frozen before baking often has a more complex flavor. It usually reaches a much more inviting color and texture too. Science says that this is mostly due to the temperature of the butter at the beginning of the baking process.

The chewy, fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies sold at Subway are baked daily at the sandwich shop with frozen dough pucks provided by Otis Spunkmeyer. So, I guess you could say that this copycat recipe for several of Subway's most popular cookies is also a clone of several of Otis Spunkmeyer's most popular cookies.

Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.

Keep in mind that frozen dough may not spread like fresh dough does.

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.

* The freezer temperature should be 0 degrees Fahrenheit or less. * Use moisture-proof, vapor-proof wraps or containers such as plastic containers with tight-fitting lids, heavy duty foil and freezer-weight plastic bags and wraps. * Cool baked goods completely before preparing for the freezer.

The dough for just about every type of cookie can be frozen successfully, with a few exceptions. Delicate, thin cookies, such as florentine, lace, and tuile cookies are made with a liquid-y batter that doesn't freeze well unbaked or baked. Aside from these, pretty much any cookie goes.