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Get a jump on the holidays, bake sales, and cookie exchanges with this sweet little how-to. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough correctly, to get amazing, freshly baked homemade cookies in an instant.
No two ways about it; there’s nothing like a still-warm, gooey, fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie. And when you freeze your cookie dough, that means you can bite into that kind of perfection any time you want.
Best of all, you don’t have to wait for anything to thaw out. As long as they’re portioned, cookies can go straight from freezer to oven, with just a minute or two of extra baking time.
Traditional drop-style cookie dough instructions:
This technique works best for cookies like oatmeal raisin cookies, peanut butter cookies, or chocolate chip cookies: Any cookie that gets rolled or scooped before baking. Try my double ginger cookies, M&M cookies, or white chocolate cranberry cookies too.
- Roll or scoop the cookies into balls. If your recipe calls for chilling the dough beforehand, do that. It will make the dough easier to handle.
- Next, arrange the cookies on a sheet tray that will fit horizontally in your freezer. They can be close, but not touching. You don’t want them to stick together as they freeze.
- Freeze the cookies until solid, (6-8 hours) then transfer them from the tray to a zipper-top plastic bag. Press the extra air out of the bag as you seal it. Label and date the bag, adding the baking temperature and time, if you want to be extra efficient (and you do).
- Bake the frozen cookies straight from the freezer into a preheated oven, increasing the baking time a few minutes, depending on the recipe.
Slice-and-bake cookie dough instructions:
Use this technique for icebox or refrigerator cookie dough that you form into a log and chill before slicing up and baking. My Fruitcake Cookies are a perfect example.
- First, shape the dough into a log, or several logs, as directed by your recipe. Make sure they will fit into the freezer bag.
- Next, wrap the logs in waxed paper. Wax paper works better than parchment because the wax protects the dough from drying out.
- Then just slide the wrapped logs of dough into a freezer bag and press out any extra air as you seal it shut. Don’t forget to label the bag! What it is, how to bake, what temperature, and when.
- To bake frozen slice and bake cookies, remove the log from the freezer and let it warm up for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Then cut the cookies into slices using a sharp chef’s knife, or a serrated knife, if that works better.
- Space out the discs of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake as directed. Because they’re semi-frozen, they’ll likely need a minute or two extra in the oven to bake.
Cut-out cookie dough instructions:
This technique is perfect for cut-out cookies like my Christmas sugar cookies, gingerbread man cookies, or frosted Valentine cookies. Also, it works for just about cookie-cutter dough, skillet cookies, or the buttery bottom crust of many bar cookie recipes. It’s a little different, but just as easy.
- First, form the dough into a 1′ thick disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. You can place the dough in a freezer bag for extra protection if you like. That will make it easier to date and label, too.
- Before you bake the cookies, you need to let the dough completely thaw out. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then roll out, cut, and bake following the recipe’s instructions.
- If you’ve made the dough for a skillet cookie or bar cookie, just press the thawed dough into the pan and continue with the recipe. That’s it!
Tips and variations:
- The best cookie dough for freezing: Basically, any recipe with a higher fat or butter content, the richer the better. However, delicate cookie dough, or cookie dough batters, such as pizzelle, madeleines, and the fluffy dough of French macarons do not freeze well at all.
- Label: The most important tip I can give you is to label the freezer package. This will make your life infinitely easier, and the future you will thank you for it. Be sure to include what kind of cookie, baking temperature and cooking time from the recipe, and the date you made the dough
- Preheat the oven before you bake: Make sure the oven is hot enough before you bake, so the cookies bake consistently.
- Baking: No need to thaw the cookies, just bake frozen and increase the cooking time by a minute or two.
- Cookies rolled in sugar or other toppings: Any cookie that gets rolled in sugar or cinnamon before baking (hello, Snickerdoodles and Molasses cookies) should be frozen without the outer coating. Let the frozen cookies sit out at room temperature just long enough to get sticky on the outside (about 30 minutes) and roll them in the sugar just before they go into the oven.
- Storage: Always refer to your recipe, but properly stored, most unbaked cookie dough recipes freeze well for up to 2 months. Ha, like they’ll last that long!
More fun cookies to make and freeze:
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How to Freeze Cookie Dough
Get a jump on the holidays, bake sales, and parties with this sweet little how-to. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough correctly, to get amazing, freshly baked homemade cookies in an instant.
Ingredients
- Cookie dough balls, logs, or discs
Instructions
To freeze balls of cookie dough:
- Portion the dough into balls and freeze by arranging the balls in a single layer on a tray or plate that can fit into the freezer.
- Once frozen solid, transfer into a freezer-safe bag or container. Label with the kind of cookie dough, baking temperature and cooking time in the recipe, and the date you made the dough. Freeze up to 2 months
- Bake the frozen cookies straight from the freezer in a preheated oven according to the recipe instructions.
To freeze logs of cookie dough:
- Shape the dough into a log, or several logs, as directed by your recipe. Make sure they will fit into the freezer bag.
- Wrap the logs in waxed paper, then slide the wrapped logs of dough into a freezer bag and press out any extra air as you seal it shut. Label with the kind of cookie dough, baking temperature and cooking time in the recipe, and the date you made the dough. Freeze up to 2 months.
- To bake frozen slice and bake cookies, remove the log from the freezer and let it warm up for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Then cut the cookies into slices. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven according to the recipe instructions.
To freeze blocks of cookie dough:
- Form the dough into a 1” thick disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. You can place the dough in a freezer bag for extra protection, if you like. Label with the kind of cookie dough, baking temperature and cooking time in the recipe, and the date you made the dough. Freeze up to 2 months.
- Before baking, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then roll out, cut, and bake following the recipe’s instructions.
Notes
- The best cookie dough for freezing: Basically, any recipe with a higher fat or butter content, the richer the better. However, delicate cookie dough, or cookie dough batters, such as pizzelle, madeleines, and the fluffy dough of French macarons do not freeze well at all.
- Label: The most important tip I can give you is to label the freezer package. This will make your life infinitely easier, and the future you will thank you for it. Be sure to include what kind of cookie, baking temperature and cooking time from the recipe, and the date you made the dough
- Preheat the oven before you bake: Make sure the oven is hot enough before you bake, so the cookies bake consistently.
- Baking: No need to thaw the cookies, just bake frozen and increase the cooking time by a minute or two.
- Cookies rolled in sugar or other toppings: Any cookie that gets rolled in sugar or cinnamon before baking (hello, Snickerdoodles and Molasses cookies) should be frozen without the outer coating. Let the frozen cookies sit out at room temperature just long enough to get sticky on the outside (about 30 minutes) and roll them in the sugar just before they go into the oven.
- Storage: Always refer to your recipe, but properly stored, most unbaked cookie dough recipes freeze well for up to 2 months. Ha, like they’ll last that long!
Nutrition
Calories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 55mgPotassium: 28mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 7IUCalcium: 2mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This is better than I would have done. I would have just thrown the bowl in the freezer. Thanks for making my cookies better and correct.
Hi James, glad I could help! It’s nice to have frozen cookies on standby, ready to bake. – Meggan