Whether you’re hoping to premake some of your cookie dough for a later date or you just want an easy way to have some cookies on the go, you might be wondering if you can freeze cookie dough.
Freezing cookie dough is one of those fun baking hacks that make it way easier to manage those baking days, as well as offering you the chance for a little bit of “cookies on demand” that you can pull out of the freezer at any time.
In this comprehensive guide on how to freeze cookie dough, we’re going to talk about all of the options, from the lazy baker’s must-dos to a fun tip for freezing individual cookie dough balls so that you can literally just pop in a cookie to your oven and have a fresh-baked dessert any time you want.
Freezers are a great place for cookie dough, but equally they can be a treacherous place if you don’t follow some basic rules on the best ways to freeze the dough, so read on to make sure you know all of the expert tips on how to freeze cookie dough and not ruin the cookies!
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Can You Freeze Cookie Dough?
Yes, you can totally freeze cookie dough!
Plenty of people do it.
Usually, cookie dough will keep in the freezer for up to about 6 months.
For more information on the method, check out our guide on how long cookie dough lasts in the freezer, as well as how to bake cookies from frozen once the freezing process is complete.
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!
How to Freeze Cookie Dough (the methods)
There are three main methods for freezing cookie dough, each one having its pros and cons depending on the type of dough you’re using and how you plan on baking them.
1. Cover the Entire Ball of Dough in Saran Wrap
If you want the true no-stress method of freezing cookie dough, all you need to do is combine your dough into one big ball and cover it in saran wrap.
From there, people do a double coating of either foil or they put it in a freezer-proof Ziploc bag or airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
Stick it in the freezer and you’re good to go.
For this method, though, you should plan on having time to thaw out your cookie dough before baking as it will be harder to deconstruct the frozen dough into the individual balls you need.
2. Freeze Balls of Dough on a Cookie Sheet, then Combine in Freezer Bag
One of the best ways to freezer “drop cookies” (ie cookies like chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, etc) is to actually create the balls of dough and put them on a baking sheet.
Put that baking sheet into the freezer, and let freeze for 1 hour.
After that hour, simply toss all of the cookie dough balls into a freezer proof Ziploc bag.
This way, they won’t stick together in the bag because they’re already pre-frozen, and it means you can simply take out a couple at a time when you want them.
If you don’t have enough room in your freezer for a whole baking sheet, you can do the same concept by putting individual balls of dough a few inches apart on a plate covered with wax paper or in a Tupperware separated by wax paper in order to freeze them initially.
3. Roll the Dough into a Log and Cover with Plastic Wrap
If you have cookies that you’re either going to be slicing or you have time to thaw to bake, rolling the dough into a log and freezing is a great idea.
Simply get the raw cookie dough into a low shape, then cover all the way around with plastic wrap.
From there, store in a freezer proof Ziploc bag or airtight container.
When it comes to baking them, you can literally just cut the frozen dough in the log with a knife and you’ll have cookie slices ready to go!
This works well for things like spiral cookies or butter cookies that are often cut from a log anyway.
Should I Add Frosting or Sugar before Freezing?
If your recipe calls for you to frost the cookies or to coat them in sugar, like in snickerdoodles or crinkle cookies, you might wonder if you should do this before or after freezing.
The answer is to not add any frosting or sugar before freezing.
You always want to freeze the actual cookie dough itself, with nothing added, and then finish it off when it’s time to bake.
Where Should I Put My Dough in the Freezer?
If you have a larger freezer, you should put your cookie dough towards the back or the bottom, wherever it won’t get exposed to the outside world every time the freezer is opened.
This is one of those small little tips that isn’t going to necessarily make the biggest difference, but we just generally abide by a rule that cookie dough should be protected at all costs and those veggies can take the brunt of being exposed to changing air temperatures!
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