Frozen cookie dough is the perfect hack for busy bakers. Freezing your cookie dough means you can have warm, freshly baked homemade cookies at a moment's notice! Learn the best methods, tips and tricks for freezing cookie dough of all kinds with this simple guide.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Basics
Cuisine: American
Keyword: freezing cookie dough, how to freeze cookies
Using a cookie scoop size recommended by the original recipe, scoop cookie dough onto the baking sheet, close together but not touching.
Transfer the baking sheet to your freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours or until the dough has hardened.
Place the hardened scoops into a freezer safe storage bag. Label the bag with the contents, oven temp, baking time and date.
To bake, transfer frozen cookie dough to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Place cookie dough 2-3 inches apart and bake at time and temperature according to recipe directions. You may need to add several minutes to the bake time to accomodate the frozen cookie dough.
Notes
Be sure to pick a baking sheet size (or possibly 2 smaller size sheets) that will fit in your freezer.
Because you are freezing the dough and not baking, the cookies can be placed very close together.
If the dough requires a chilling time for flavors to combine, do this step before the dough is scooped onto the baking sheet.
If anything is going to be pressed into the tops of the cookies (additional candies, raisins, etc.) this should be done before the dough is transferred to the freezer. Same goes with rolling in sugar, etc.
If the dough is one that requires flattening or shaping, for example a peanut butter cookie, this should be done before the dough is frozen.
Cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Baking time may need to be adjusted slightly to compensate for the frozen dough. Or thaw cookie dough in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed.
To freeze sugar cookies, cut out cookie shapes then place on parchment paper lined baking sheet (you can top each layer of cookies with a sheet of parchment paper and freeze them as a stack. After two hours, transfer frozen cookie dough cut outs to an airtight container (or freezer safe ziploc). When ready to bake, add a few minutes to the bake time.