Get a start on holiday celebrations when you bake Christmas Cookies to freeze. This allows you time to have a variety of goodies without baking them all at once. You can freeze them three different ways depending on the space in your freezer.
Whether you lean toward Chocolate Chip Cookies, Snowball Cookies, or Molasses Crinkles, having a stash of frozen cookie dough and frozen cookies baked and ready to gift will save you both time and money.
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C is for cookie. It’s good enough for me.
Truer words were never said. While November was made for pie, December was most definitely made for cookies.
What other sweet treat is so conveniently portable, delicious with Crockpot Hot Chocolate, and easy to share? Cupcakes, pies, and cakes are too messy; it’s too cold for ice cream…
Cookies are where it’s at this month, for sure! Especially if those are cookies you can make ahead and freeze.
Why Do This
Can you freeze homemade Christmas cookies? Yep! You can freeze Christmas cookies. This means that you can do the bulk of your holiday baking in advance, saving you time and hassle later in the season.
One of the added benefits of freezing baked cookies is that you can bake many different Christmas cookies without wearing yourself out. You can slowly build up a stash in the freezer, creating a wide selection of options to serve and gift at the holiday and into the new year.
Once you’ve established your frozen hoard, you can pull out a few off each kind to arrange on platters or in boxes to give away. Everyone will be amazed at how you had the time to do all that baking! File that away under best kitchen tips ever!
Ingredients and Supplies
The ingredients you need to freeze Christmas cookies will depend on your cookie recipes, but be sure to check out our list of Essential Baking Ingredients for the Holidays to get you started and help you stock your baking cupboard.
After that, you’ll need a few key things to store cookies in. The freezer containers to use for storing cookies will depend on how you’re freezing the cookies or cookie dough and how much freezer space you have at your disposal.
We recommend the following:
- ziptop freezer bags – good for dough and dough balls as well as some baked cookies.
- airtight containers, such as plastic or glass – good for dough, shaped but unbaked cookies, baked cookies
- parchment paper or deli wrap paper – to cushion and separate cookies that might stick together or easily break.
Step-by-Step Instructions
You can freeze cookie dough.
Prepare the dough for your cookies, wrap it in plastic wrap in a ziptop freezer bag or simply place the dough in an airtight container in the freezer. Later when you’re ready to bake, simply pull the dough from the freezer, thaw it in the refrigerator, and proceed with the baking steps of the recipe.
Be sure to label the package of dough with the date, the recipe name, and baking instructions.
Freezing cookie dough gives you the option to bake when you want to, having eliminated some of the dirty dishes ahead of time. Additionally, freezing several different kinds of dough at one time allows you to do all the actual baking at one time but without the mess of making all the different cookie doughs.
Batching your tasks saves time at the office as well as in the kitchen!
You can freeze cookie dough balls or cookie cut-outs.
Freezing cookie dough balls takes the process one step further. Prepare the dough, shape as you would for baking, then freeze the dough balls or cut-outs on a tray until very firm. Once the dough is firm, you can package them in a ziptop freezer bag and store it in the freezer.
Likewise, with cookie cut-outs, prepare the dough, roll and cut out your shapes, then place them on a lined baking sheet in the freezer. Once the dough is firm, transfer the cut outs to an airtight freezer container and store in the freezer.
Be sure to label the package of dough with the date, the recipe name, and baking instructions.
Cookie dough balls or cut-outs take a little bit more space in the freezer than the lump of dough, but since they are each frozen individually first, you can store them in one container and pull out just as many as you like. You won’t have to thaw the entire package to bake.
You can just bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time if needed.
Check out this “Flash” or “Open Freezing” Tutorial for more tips on freezing individual items for best results.
Having the dough already shaped and ready to bake allows you the freedom to bake just a few. You can have fresh baked cookies whenever you want!
You can freeze baked cookies.
Freezing cookies already baked offers the most convenience at the cost of the most freezer space. Due to the packaging needed, you’ll need more space to store the baked cookies than you will for storing cookie dough or shaped dough balls.
Bake cookies and cool them completely before layering them between sheets of parchment paper or deli wrap to keep them from sticking together. Place them in an airtight container in the freezer.
To thaw, simply pull out as many cookies as you like and allow them to thaw at room temperature.
FAQs
You can freeze cookies up to 3 months for best taste and texture. Be sure to consult this chart from the Old Farmer’s Almanac to learn how long you can store certain foods.
There are several different ways to freeze cookies to enjoy later. Which you choose will depend on your needs and storage space. You can freeze the dough, the dough balls or cookie cut-outs, and the baked cookies.
You may want to consolidate storage space in your freezer by packaging different kinds of cookies together. You can do this, provided the cookies are of the same texture and contain the same types of ingredient.
Crispy cookies will go mushy around softer textured cookies. Heavily scented baked goods, like those with mint or banana, will share their flavors with their neighbors, so be sure to package those cookies on their own.
Any kind of cookie is freezer-friendly, though how you top and store the cookie may effect the end result. If you plan to add elaborate decor to the cookie, you may want to freeze just the cookie dough, the cut-outs, or the plain baked cookies and leave the decorating step for right before serving.
However, you can freeze decorated sugar cookies. Once the royal icing has complete dried, place each cookie in an individual bag, then place the bags in an airtight container in the freezer.
Recommended Recipes
Here are some of our favorite Christmas Cookies to freeze:
Tell us what you think!
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This post was originally published on December 5, 2020. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Heidi
Wow! So many yummy recipes to try! Who needs a fancy cook book when you’ve got everything right here!
Jessica Fisher
Haha! Thanks!