So you’ve frozen your cookie dough based on our comprehensive guide to freezing your cookie dough, and now it’s time to actually get your baking on!
How do you bake frozen cookie dough, though?
Does it require extra temperature, extra time, or something else?
Can you even bake cookies from frozen dough?
In this guide, we’re guiding you through some basic cookie baking tips on how to bake frozen cookie dough, including what to look out for and how to do it successfully.
Baking cookie dough from frozen can be a huge help in saving time in the kitchen, and is a great way to learn some portion control and only eat a couple of cookies at a time rather than a whole batch (speaking for ourselves, this is a gamechanger for the waistline and our love of desserts).
Luckily, there’s not too much extra effort involved to make them come out amazing every time!
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Can You Bake Frozen Cookie Dough?
The first question to answer is, can you even bake frozen cookie dough? Does it have to thaw first?
The answer is yes, you can bake cookie dough from frozen (literally, right out of the freezer).
Hoorah!
Must-Have Baking Tools (seriously)
- Silicone baking mats – I use this brand and my cookies slide right off without burning!
- a cookie scoop – get this one. It makes the perfect rounded cookies every time!
- silicone spatula – try this set. It’s the best way to get the most out of your dough and batters
- rolling pin guides – I use this one. Genius way to roll your dough out evenly!
Does Frozen Cookie Dough Bake Differently to Room Temperature Cookie Dough?
The next thing on people’s minds is usually about the texture and taste of their cookies.
Obviously when you freeze cookie dough, you’re changing its state and the properties of the dough, at least temporarily.
Some people worry that if they bake their cookies from frozen, the texture or taste will be off.
In our experience, frozen cookie dough does bake up a little bit differently than room temperature cookie dough, but it’s usually nothing that the tips below can’t take care of and your taste should not suffer.
In general, cookies baked from frozen may be a bit puffier and taller than cookie dough at room temperature, because the butter is extremely chilled, meaning that it takes longer to melt in the oven.
For some people, this is a positive thing!
Other people find that cookies baked from frozen have this delicious “soft on the inside, crispy on the outside” texture, as opposed to a more consistent texture that you might get from a cookie baked from room temperature or fridge-chilled.
Some people prefer this, while others use our method for thawing cookie dough below to bake frozen cookies.
How to Bake Cookie Dough from Frozen
There are four main ways to bake cookie dough from frozen.
This usually works best if you have pre-frozen the dough into balls or a log that can be sliced, as frozen drop cookie dough can be a little difficult to work with if frozen all in one chunk.
1. Start the Oven 20 Degrees F Higher, and then Lower It
Many bakers prefer to preheat their oven to about 20 degrees higher than what the recipe states and then lower it back to the normal temperature after 3-4 minutes.
This is the most involved of all of the baking methods, because you have to remember to lower the oven temperature, but bakers claim it makes their cookies come out perfect and much more similar to how it would have baked up from room temperature.
2. Bake at 20 Degrees Higher than Recipe
If you don’t mind having that crispy outside with a softer inside, simply bake your cookies for the recommended amount of baking time, but put the temperature in the oven about 20 degrees higher.
Because you haven’t extended the baking time, just increased the heat, you’re going to find that the outside is going to crisp up, but the inside won’t have time to bake through at the same rate.
This leads to gooey cookies on the inside, which many people love!
3. Lower the Temperature 20 Degrees and Bake for 3-5 Minutes Longer
Another option for great cookies from frozen is to lower the temperature about 20 degrees, and then bake for 3 to 5 minutes longer in the oven than the original recipe calls for.
If you notice, each baking method involves something to do with the temperature or time.
When we were raising the temperature, we were not increasing the baking time (because a hotter oven and leaving the cookies in longer could learn to them overbaking).
In this method, we’re lowering the oven temperature so that we can leave them in longer, giving the cookies a more gentle baking method and a longer time to bake evenly.
4. Don’t Change the Temperature and Bake for 1-2 Minutes Longer
Another option is to leave the temperature on your oven what the original recipe recommended, and to plan to bake them for just about 1-2 minutes longer.
This is usually going to result in a little bit of the “crispier on the outside” baking texture, but many bakers find it very closely replicates what the cookies would have baked up like from room temperature.
Plus, there’s not much extra time involved or work to do, which makes this a winning option for many home bakers who aren’t too concerned and just want to eat delicious cookies in as little time and with as little thought as possible.
How to Thaw Cookie Dough
If you have the extra time or have a cookie dough that isn’t going to be easy to bake frozen, you can always thaw the cookie dough and then bake!
For this, you’ve got two options.
How to Thaw Cookie Dough at Room Temperature
At room temperature, cookie dough will thaw in about 1-2 hours, though many people find it takes even less time in a hot kitchen with the oven preheating.
Some bakers will simply take their cookie dough out of the freezer, then preheat the oven, and they find that by the time the oven is preheated, the cookie dough is thawed enough to bake up as normal.
How to Thaw Cookie Dough in the Fridge
Another option for a slower thawing of your cookie dough is to stick it in the fridge, letting it thaw out overnight.
This is the best option when you want the cookie dough to thaw all of the way, and don’t want to babysit it as it does so!
Simply bake the next time per the original recipe, and enjoy!
