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How to freeze cookie dough — either in individual dough balls, larger dough disks, or in cut-out dough shapes. Plus tips for which types of dough do/don’t freeze well and how to bake frozen cookie dough.
For all of you fellow cookie bakers out there, I thought I would pop in with a quick tutorial today on how to freeze cookie dough. Because in my opinion, frozen cookie dough is pretty much the best. ♡ Why?
- It’s easy to make. It hardly takes any extra time to double the ingredients in your favorite cookie recipe and make a double batch! Then you can freeze the extras for later and keep the cookie goodness going and going.
- It’s great for small-batch baking. With individually frozen cookie dough balls, it’s easy to bake just a few cookies (versus a dozen) at a time. It’s super helpful for portion control, and also works especially well when you are just serving one or a few people at a time.
- It’s super-convenient. Especially when you are in the midst of a busy season (hello, holidays!), or have unexpected visitors stop by, or are hosting a dinner party and don’t want to leave the table long to fuss with dessert, it’s always so helpful to have pre-made cookie dough ready and waiting in your freezer.
- It makes for a great gift. Oh my word, people love receiving homemade frozen cookie dough as a gift. I regularly bring a small bag over to friends’ houses as a hostess gift or as my contribution to a girls night, which is always very happily and eagerly received. Or frozen cookie dough can also be a really lovely gift to bring to friends who have just had a baby, or who are home sick, or who just may be going through any kind of hard stretch. It’s a simple gift that always seems to bring a smile to people’s faces, especially when they get to bake up a batch of warm cookies from the comfort of their own home whenever they would like.
There are so many good reasons to freeze cookie dough. So whether you are freezing individual dough balls (like for chocolate chip cookies or molasses cookies), large dough discs (like for roll-out sugar cookies), or cut-out dough shapes (like for gingerbread cookies), here are a few of my best tips for how to freeze cookie dough properly. Plus everything you need to know about what types of cookie dough do/don’t freeze well, the one scooping tool I highly recommend, and how to bake frozen cookie dough.
How To Freeze Cookie Dough Balls:
This is the frozen cookie dough method that I use most often. It works well with just about any kind of cookie dough that you typically bake up in ball form, such as chocolate chip cookies, molasses cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, snickerdoodles, etc. It also works well with slightly-flattened dough balls, such as you would use for peanut butter cookies.
To freeze cookie dough balls, simply…
- Form the dough balls. I almost always do so with a cookie scoop to measure out the dough (a tool I highly recommend for all cookie lovers, whichever size works with your recipe), but a simple spoon will also work well too. Form the dough into whatever size/shape of dough ball the recipe calls for.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Line a baking sheet (whichever size will fit in your freezer) with parchment paper. Place the dough balls in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Freeze. Transfer the entire baking sheet to the freezer, and freeze for 3-4 hours, or until the dough is frozen.
- Transfer to storage bag/container. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and transfer the dough balls to a storage bag (either a ziplock or a reusable storage bag) or a food storage container (such as these). Freeze for up to 3 months.
How To Freeze Cookie Dough Discs (or Logs):
This method works well especially when you are freezing larger cookie dough discs that you are planning to roll out (or dough logs that you are planning to slice) at a later date, such as sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, shortbread cookies, etc.
To freeze cookie dough discs, simply…
- Form the dough discs. Shape the dough with your hands into an even 1-inch-thick disc. Or if you your recipe calls for the dough to be shaped into a log, form whatever size/shape of log is required.
- Wrap tightly. Tightly wrap the dough with plastic wrap or reusable beeswrap, making sure that every part of the surface is covered to prevent freezer burn.
- Freeze. Freeze for up to 3 months. Once you are ready to use the dough, transfer the wrapped dough to the refrigerator and let it thaw for 24-48 hours until it is soft enough to roll/slice.
How To Freeze Cookie Dough Cut-Outs:
This method works well for any cut-out cookies that you would like to freeze pre-cut and unbaked (so that you can easily bake them at a later date, without needing to roll out and cut the dough), such as sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, shortbread cookies, etc.
To freeze cookie dough cut-outs, simply…
- Cut out the cookie dough. Cut out the cookie dough shapes (using cookie cutters, biscuit cutters, etc.) according to your recipe instructions.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Line a baking sheet (whichever size will fit in your freezer) with parchment paper. Place the dough cut-outs in a single layer (not overlapping) on the baking sheet.
- Freeze. Transfer the entire baking sheet to the freezer, and freeze for 3-4 hours, or until the dough is frozen.
- Transfer to storage bag/container. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and transfer the dough cut-outs to a flat storage container (or any container that will protect the cookies from accidentally getting broken in the freezer), stacking the cookies in layers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Types Of Cookie Dough That Do/Don’t Freeze Well:
A general rule of thumb is that most cookies with butter do tend to freeze well. Essentially, types of cookie dough that are more sturdy, higher in fat, and holds its shape well.
By contrast, cookie doughs that are delicate or less sturdy do not typically freeze well. This includes meringue, macarons, no bake cookies, etc.
How To Bake Frozen Cookie Dough:
If you have the time, you can always let frozen cookie dough defrost for 24 hours in the fridge, and then bake exactly as the recipe directs.
But if you would like to bake frozen cookie dough immediately (while it is still frozen), just set the cookie dough out on the counter while your oven heats. Then place the dough on a baking sheet and bake for 1-2 minutes longer than the recipe directs, keeping an eye on the cookies during those last few minutes so that you can see when they are ready to go.
Favorite Cookie Dough To Freeze:
If you are looking for suggestions, here are the types of cookie dough that I freeze most often:
How To Freeze Cookie Dough
★★★★★5 from 3 reviews
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 serving
Description
My best tips for how to freeze cookie dough — either in individual dough balls, larger dough disks, or in cut-out dough shapes. See notes above about what types of cookie dough do/don’t freeze best, as well as how to bake frozen cookie dough.
Ingredients
- cookie dough
Instructions
To Freeze Unbaked Cookie Dough Balls:
- Form the dough balls.Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to form the correct size/shape of dough balls for your recipe.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.Line a baking sheet (whichever size will fit in your freezer) with parchment paper. Place the dough balls in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Freeze.Transfer the entire baking sheet to the freezer and freeze for 3-4 hours, or until the dough balls are frozen.
- Transfer to storage bag/container. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and transfer the dough balls to a storage bag (either a ziplock or a reusable storage bag) or a food storage container (such as these). Freeze for up to 3 months.
To Freeze Unbaked Cookie Dough Cut-Outs:
- Form the dough discs. Shape the dough with your hands into a flat 1-inch-thick disc. Or if you your recipe calls for the dough to be shaped into a log, shape the doug into whatever size/shape of log is required.
- Wrap tightly.Tightly wrap the dough with plastic wrap or reusable beeswrap, making sure that every part of the surface is covered to prevent freezer burn.
- Freeze.Freeze for up to 3 months. Once you are ready to use the dough, transfer the wrapped dough to the refrigerator and let it thaw for 24-48 hours until it is soft enough to roll/slice.
To Freeze Unbaked Cookie Dough Discs:
- Cut out the cookie dough. Cut out the cookie dough shapes (using cookie cutters, biscuit cutters, etc.) according to your recipe instructions.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Line a baking sheet (whichever size will fit in your freezer) with parchment paper. Place the dough cut-outs in a single layer (not overlapping) on the baking sheet.
- Freeze.Transfer the entire baking sheet to the freezer, and freeze for 3-4 hours, or until the dough is frozen.
- Transfer to storage bag/container. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and transfer the dough cut-outs to a flat storage container (or any container that will protect the cookies from accidentally getting broken in the freezer), stacking the cookies in layers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
