Freezing Cookie Dough
Learning how to prepare, store, and freeze different cookie dough recipes makes a great way to keep a stash of cookie dough on hand. Whether you are planning for the holidays, prepping for a future bake, or just keeping an emergency stash of cookies, this simple guide for freezing cookie dough has you covered.
As holiday baking ramps up to a full on sugar rush, I can’t help but feel a wash of gratitude towards past me, who decided to make a batch of cookie dough a week for a few weeks in preparation for all of my holiday needs.
While this took a bit of planning in advance, my time commitment came out to about 20 minutes a week where I would make a batch of dough and prepare it for baking later down the road.
Learning how to properly freeze, thaw, and bake cookie dough from the freezer is one of the best baking skills you can have, especially during the holiday season!
Why Freeze Cookie Dough?
There are a number of different reasons you might consider freezing cookie dough. Some of the top reasons I stash cookie dough in the freezer include:
- You don’t want to bake the whole batch in one go. When I make a large batch of dough and only need to bake a dozen, I love to freeze and store the left-overs for later.
- Planning to make cookies for an event. Preparing the dough ahead of time allows you to save time later when you bake them for a party or event.
- Making a cookie box with many different cookies. Prepping the dough in advance decreases the amount you need to do on one day and spreads it out over a few days.
- Your emergency stash. Having a stash of cookie dough on hand in the freezer is a great way to make sure you can quickly and easily bake up some cookies at a moment’s notice.
Freezing Different Cookie Dough Recipes
How to Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Prepare the dough as directed.
- Scoop: Using a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Freeze: Scoop all of the dough and place the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Store: Transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer safe container or a freezer safe-ziplock and store for up to 3 months.
How to Bake Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
When you are ready to bake your delicious chocolate chip cookies, here are some tips for baking the dough from frozen.
- Thaw overnight. Move the dough balls to the refrigerator and thaw overnight before baking in the morning. Follow baking directions listed in the recipe.
- Bake from frozen. Set the oven to the recommended temperature and bake for about 2-3 minutes longer than the original bake time.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Recipes
- Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lactation Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
How to Freeze Sugar Coated Cookie Dough
- Prepare the dough as directed.
- Scoop into the dough into 1 to 1.5 Tablespoon sized balls.
- Roll and place on an parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Don’t coat with sugar. Coating with sugar before freezing gives you a sticky unpolished finish when you thaw and bake the cookies. Instead, wait to roll the dough balls in sugar before you bake them.
- Freeze. Place the baking sheet into the freezer and allow the dough to freeze at least 30 minutes before you transfer the dough to a freezer safe container or freezer zip top bag.
How to Bake Sugar Coated Cookie Dough
- Thaw: Pull the dough balls out of the freezer and allow to thaw about 10 minutes.
- Coat: Roll the dough ball in sugar (powdered, granulated, Turbinado, etc)
- Bake following directions on the recipe.
Sugar Coated Cookie Recipes
How to Freeze Roll and Cut Cookies
There are two ways to approach roll and cut cookies.
Freeze unbaked cookie dough
If you are making a log of dough (think slice-and-bake style cookies) you can prepare the dough and roll into a log. Place the log into a freezer safe bag or container and store up to 3 months until you are ready to roll and slice the cookies.
For dough, like sugar cookies, where you might roll and cut into shapes you can either:
- Freeze the dough in a tub.
- Thaw overnight.
- Scoop, roll, cut, and bake according to the recipe directions.
Freeze baked cookies
Alternatively, you can simply roll, cut, and bake the cookies and pop them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Shortbread Cookie Bars
Just like with roll and cut cookies there are two approaches to take with shortbread cookie bars.
Freezing Unbaked Shortbread Cookie Bars:
- Make the dough according to the recipe directions.
- Press into a parchment paper lined 8×8-inch pan.
- Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Transfer the dough, including the parchment paper, into a freezer safe zip top bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Freezing Baked Shortbread Cookie Bars:
- Follow the directions for baking shortbread cookie bars.
- Allow the cookie bars to cool completely.
- Slice and place in an air-tight freezer safe container or zip top bag to store up to 3 months.
Shortbread Cookie Bar Recipes
How long can you keep frozen cookie dough?
Most cookie doughs will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months in an air-tight container. Now does that mean you have to throw the dough out after 3 months? Eh. I’m pretty sure I have had cookie dough in the freezer for almost a year and still baked it up and devoured it whole.
That said, I would recommend trying to bake the dough within about 8 weeks for maximum freshness and the best cookie flavors.
The Best Tools for Freezing Cookie Dough
When you are ready to start freezing cookie dough, here are some of the tools I find most helpful along the way.
- 1.5 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop– For measuring out the exact amount of cookie dough time and again.
- Parchment Paper– To help line the baking sheet so the dough doesn’t stick to the pan when it’s in the freezer.
- Air-Tight Freezer Safe Containers– Used for the storing of cookie dough. I appreciate that these can stack making it easier to store more in the freezer as needed.
Have any additional tips for freezing and baking cookie dough? Share your best tips in the comments below!
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