Learn the best ways to freeze cookie dough for different kinds of cookies, which cookie doughs you should avoid freezing, and all my favorite tricks and tips for freezing cookie dough and baked cookies for Future You to enjoy!
First things first, you need to ensure you have a baking sheet or similar freezer-safe baking dish that will fit in your freezer. Prepare it with a piece of parchment paper.
After you've prepared your cookie dough, grab a cookie scoop and portion your dough into uniformly-sized balls on your prepared baking sheet.
Roll each ball between the palms of your hands to ensure the dough is packed together and the shape is smooth. No need to worry about spacing them out like you normally would, because you're not baking them and they won't be spreading!
Cover the sheet and cookies with a layer of plastic wrap (optional, but encouraged) and pop it in the freezer for at least 1 hour or as long as it takes to allow the dough to get firm and frozen solid.
Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or other airtight container and 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. Store in the freezer.
Freezing slice and bake cookie logs
Prepare your dough as instructed, then turn the dough out onto a clean surface.
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.
Helpful tip for storage: Slice a cardboard paper towel tube lengthwise down one side and wrap it around your dough to help it hold it’s shape while it’s being stored. This works even better if you’ve divide your dough into two portions and use two paper towel rolls, because then they each fit inside the rolls completely.
Freezing cookie cutter cookies
Prepare your dough as instructed, then turn the dough out onto a clean surface.
You have a couple different options at this point – you can freeze the dough as a disc, or in a ball:
Disc: Roll the dough out into a disc to around ¼″ thick (or whatever thickness your recipe calls for) and wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and place into a freezer-safe bag or other freezer-safe container.Ball: Roll the ball into one big ball, then 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 and store in the freezer.
Thaw before using: Whether you chose to store the dough as a disc so that it’s ready to be cookie cutter-ed, or as a ball that still needs to be rolled out, you’ll want to place the dough in the fridge to thaw overnight before using it.
Baking frozen cookie dough
Personally, I like to let the dough come to room temperature before baking. If you're planning ahead, place the dough in the fridge to let it thaw out and then bake it straight from the fridge as the recipe instructs.
To bake cookies straight from the freezer, lower the temperature about 25 degrees lower than what the recipe instructions call for and add a few minutes to the bake time.
Freezing baked cookies
You’ll do the same thing you’d do with the cookie dough balls – place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid so they don’t stick together when stored.
Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container, and add parchment paper between each layer of cookies. I prefer using a tupperware container for storing baked cookies so ensure they don’t get misshapen and crushed.
Freeze up to 1 month, and thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter to room temperature before eating.
Notes
Storage: Generally speaking, cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Keep in mind, if the cookie dough is not tightly wrapped and stored properly it could absorb odors or become freezer-burned. No one wants a sugar cookie that tastes vaguely like a frost-bitten mozzarella stick.