Learn How to Freeze Cookie Dough with this easy step by step guide. Whether you’re looking to freeze dough balls, disks, or cut out shapes, this tutorial covers them all.
This helpful tip comes in handy all-year long, but is especially nice around the holidays. Be sure to check out my list o f 15 must-make holiday brunch ideas!
CAN I FREEZE HOMEMADE COOKIE DOUGH?
Frozen cookie dough is a game changer. It makes it SO easy to have fresh baked cookies at your fingertips in a matter of minutes. Here are a couple reasons why I am a big believer in freezing your cookie dough and why YOU should do it too:
- You will always have a stash of cookies ready to bake and devour. So handy when you have unexpected guests drop by.
- Making batches of cookies in advance can free up your time during the holidays! Pull out a few different flavors and bake together for a quick neighbor cookie tray!
So let’s get started! I want to answer a few questions before we dive in…
DOES FREEZING COOKIE DOUGH RUIN IT?
Not even a little. Freezing the dough actually helps solidify the butter, which in turn gives you super fluffy cookies after baking. The best cookies to freeze are drop cookies, like chocolate chip, log cookies (Cherry Shortbread), and roll out cookies (sugar cookies or gingerbread).
I have only found a handful of cookie recipes that should not be frozen. Basically, anything delicate like French macaron, pizzelle, or madeleine cookies.
Get this, homemade cookie dough can last 3 to 6 months in the freezer. Make sure you store it properly in either an air tight container or freezer safe bag.
CAN YOU BAKE FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH WITHOUT THAWING?
This is a personal preference. Technically,you do not have to thaw your cookie dough. Simply add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
However, I prefer my cookie dough to be partially thawed before baking. I remove mine from the freezer and place on a parchment lined tray about 20 minutes before baking. Follow the baking instructions from there.
HOW TO FREEZE COOKIES
There are three different types of cookies, which means three different freezing techniques. I’ll cover how to freeze drop cookies, slice or log cookies, as well as roll-out cookies. Each is as easy as pie and will make your baking super simple to prep in advance!
FREEZING DROP COOKIES
Drop cookies are by far the easiest to freeze and bake. Examples will be chocolate chip, M&M cookies, and snickerdoodle.
- Scoop and shape your cookie dough into rounds.
- Place close together on a parchment lined baking tray, making sure the dough balls do not touch.
- Freeze for 1 hour. This is called “flash freezing.” It allows the dough to become solid before placing in a container, which makes sure they do not stick together and are easy to pull out for baking.
- Remove and store in a freezer safe bag or air tight container. Be sure to label and date.
FREEZING SLICE AND BAKE COOKIES OR COOKIE LOGS
Slice and bake cookies are a popular variety. We also use this method for sugar cookies (before shaping) or roll cookie dough!
- Form your dough into one or two logs by gently rolling between parchment paper.
- Wrap tightly in parchment or plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn.
- Place in a freezer safe bag and freeze solid. Don’t forget to label and date.
FREEZING CUT-OUT COOKIES
All of the fun of cookie decorating without the stress! Have your rolled cookies ready to go for your decorating day.
- Make and roll out your cookie dough. Cut your desired shape.
- Place each cut out onto parchment paper and place on a cookie tray. Line an additional layer of parchment on top of you cutouts.
- Freeze solid.
- Store in an airtight container or freezer safe bag until ready to use. I stack mine, using parchment in between to keep them from sticking.
IS IT BETTER TO FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH OR BAKED COOKIES?
Here’s the secret, it doesn’t really make a difference if you freeze dough vs baked cookies. If you want a warm, fresh baked cookie I would stick with dough. However, baked cookies can last up to 12 months in the freezer if stored properly.
So, heck to the yes. You can definitely freeze baked cookies. Baked cookies can stay fresh, if stored properly, for up to 4 weeks in the freezer. That means you can make all of your holiday cookie tray treats a month in advance and pull them out when you are ready to serve!
HOW TO FREEZE BAKED COOKIES
- Let the cookies cool completely.
- Place in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Freeze 1 hour.
- Store in freezer safe zip top bags that are labeled and dated.
To give your frozen cookies a fresh taste, bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Your house will smell amazing and the cookie will be perfectly warmed.
MORE MUST-TRY COOKIE RECIPES:
- Sugar Cookie Fruit Pizzas
- Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies
- The Best Sugar Cookie Bars
- Almond Biscotti
- Valentine Sugar Cookies
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The BEST Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie pan with parchment paper or a baking mat and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl or measuring cup. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Stir until incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat on low/medium speed until everything just comes together, about 2 minutes. You will see the dough start to form into a ball.
- Roll the dough 1/2-1/4 inch thickness. The thicker the cookie the softer the end result will be. Do not go thicker than 1/2 an inch.
- Cut using your favorite cookie cutter and carefully transfer to the prepared baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.
- Enjoy as is or decorated with your favorite icing.
Notes
Do I need to chill the dough?
Technically, no. This cut out sugar cookie recipe is no chill. However, if you are looking for a more precise shape, I do recommend cutting out the shapes and chilling for one hour in the refrigerator. Why is my dough so sticky? This sugar cookie recipe can be stickier. You have two options, add a touch more flour or chill for 1 hour before rolling. I find it helpful to roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper. This keeps it from sticking to the rolling pin.Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Adele Colombo-Toppan says
Fabulous cookies! Easy to freeze too. But, can I add choco chips to the dough and still freeze?
Jesseca says
I freeze chocolate chip cookies regularly.
Adele Colombo-Toppan says
Thanks. I recently doubled a batch. I ran out of flour and my dough was sticky but I froze it anyway. Can I add more flour when I thaw this sticky dough?
Jesseca says
Hi Adele, is it the sugar cookie dough that you froze? You can try adding a little after it thaws. Or you could use some flour to roll the dough out and it will help with the stickiness.
amber says
So if you use method 3 and cut out the cookies to freeze, do you thaw them first or throw them in the oven frozen?
Jesseca says
We have done it both ways. When I cooked them from frozen I added a minute or two to the baking time and they were perfect.
kat says
Hi Jessica,
I just finished making the dough but it is rather wet I measured exactly by the recipe! Common sense tells me to add more flour but I’m wondering why this happened ???
Jesseca says
By rather wet do you mean sticky? If so to rolling a little bit on a generously floured surface. I also sprinkle a heafty amount on top of the dough before applying the rolling pin. If you have any more questions or need a quicker response shoot me an email at jesseca@onesweetappetite.com. I’m thinking I might need to make a video for this one to walk everyone through.
Katie says
We just made these last weekend and LOVED them. I didn’t read through the comments until after I had put the first sheet in the oven so I was a little nervous to see that someone hated the recipe. I’m baffled because we thought they were delicious! These will be replacing our regular sugar cookie recipe for Christmas this year. Thanks for sharing!
Baker says
Horrible!! Shortening did not help!!!!!!!!! Made my holiday party a disaster
Jesseca says
I’m sorry that you had problems with the recipe. Did you make any changes? I’d love to walk you through the process.
aimee @ like mother like daughter says
I definitely need to be better at planning ahead for christmas cookies to take to the neighbors! I dont have a set treat that I always make, cause I love making such a variety, but this is such a great idea! Maybe I’ll make a batch soon to be ready for christmas time!
Alicia Gonzalez says
Now I just want to to go bake and freeze, bake and freeze, bake and freeze! Thanks so much for those three methods. I love these gorgeous pictures! #client
Yvonne [Tried and Tasty] says
Love the photos on here! Great post!
Jesseca says
You are so nice! This one was fun to shoot and make. We love christmas cookies.
Cindie Guillermo says
I read the recipe and reviews and figured maybe the cookies were too sticky for others because they didn’t follow the recipe exactly. So I was careful to. However, this dough is a sticky mess. I chilled it which marginally improved it. It’s so sticky that it sticks to the parchment paper too! At a time of year when there’s so much to do, this took hours of my time to try to get the sticky dough cut into shapes. I think the recipe could use a tweak? I saw another that added some cornstarch. Just thought this feedback might be valuable.
Jesseca says
I add quite a bit of flour to my surface while rolling out, that could be why I didn’t have this issue. I remade them this weekend with no issues, but will add a note to hopefully provide helpful tips.