Kitchen Tip: How to Freeze Cookie Dough
Cookie dough freezes extremely well and is the perfect sweet treat to keep stashed in your freezer to instantly satisfy those sweet tooth cravings. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough and bake it later.
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Why I Love Freezing Cookie Dough
Sometimes there are just so many recipes that I want to try. Especially desserts like cookies. But, I know that we’ll never get them all eaten in time before they go bad, we get fat, the kids stop eating any semblance of real food in favor of all the sugar, or someone forgets to close the pantry door and the Bailey dog helps herself to them (oh yes, that’s happened!).
What do I do then? I stash extra cookie dough in the freezer to use later. But it isn’t just about not wanting to eat everything all at once.
The other truth is that we go through food A LOT quicker now as a household of 6 than we did when I only had my 2 kiddos and no husband. We’re a lot busier, too, so gone are the leisurely afternoons of baking up cookies whenever I had the whim.
For me, it is so much easier to make an extra large batch of cookie dough and keep them in the freezer for when we need them. Or want them. Need. Want. It’s all pretty much the same thing when it involves cookies, am I right?
Not only is is great to have frozen cookie dough on hand for last minute cookie cravings, but it has also been the best thing ever when we have last-minute get togethers with friends or a bunch of kids come over to hang. There is always something quick to toss in the oven in these social situations.
We did just this a month or so back, and then a few weekends later the same friends came over and the first thing those kiddos said to me was — can you make cookies?
Unfortunately, we had just used up the last of the frozen cookie dough a few days before and I hadn’t gotten around to making another batch. The horrors! So, here is a quick tutorial for today’s kitchen tip on how to freeze cookie dough for later use.
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Cookie Dough Freezing Supplies
Can you freeze cookie dough? Absolutely! Here’s what you’ll need for freezing cookie dough:
- Cookie dough
- Cookie scoop (this makes the cookies uniform in size, and quicker to roll)
- Cookie sheet or baking tray
- Gallon Sized Ziploc bag
- Permanent marker
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
The process is super simple, only takes a few minutes, and is a great way to be prepared in advance for parties or holiday gifting. It’s worth making a double batch of your next cookie recipe, I promise you won’t regret it!
1. Roll the entire batch of cookie dough into balls just like you would if you were baking them. Placing them on the baking sheet as you scoop them.
2. Fill a baking pan or tray with all the rolled cookie dough balls.
3. Stick the filled pan in the freezer.
4. Freeze until the cookie dough balls are hard. Meanwhile, take a gallon sized zip top freezer bag and label it with the recipe name, date, cooking temperature and time details.
5. Remove the pan from the freezer. Take all of the cookie dough balls out of the pan and place them in the labeled bag.
6. After filling, lay the bag flat (flat takes up less space). Remove as much air as possible.
7. Stash the cookies in the freezer for later!
How Long Does Cookie Dough Last in the Freezer?
According to Bob’s Red Mill, frozen homemade cookie dough will last 6 to 12 months in the freezer. My family goes through frozen cookie dough much faster than that though, so I’ve never had to throw it out!
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How to Bake Frozen Cookie Dough
Baking frozen cookie dough is a breeze. There’s no need to fully thaw the cookie dough first, you can bake it straight from frozen.
When I go to bake the frozen cookie dough, I thaw the cookies on the countertop for about 15 minutes prior to setting the oven to preheat. Then, I bake the cookies as the recipe instructs.
Tips for Freezing Cookie Dough
When filling the baking tray with the cookie dough balls, you want to leave just enough space between the cookie dough balls that they don’t get stuck together.
And when placing the baking tray into the freeze, you don’t need to cover it, but make sure to keep it flat so the balls don’t move around and get stuck together.
When pressing the air out of the Ziploc bag, I like to zip the bag almost all the way and then stick a straw in the bag to suck out the excess air before I finish zipping it. Sounds strange, but I promise it works!
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Homemade Cookie Recipes That Freeze Well:
Now that you know what to do with all that cookie dough, it’s time to get to it! Here are some of our family favorite cookie recipes to keep stashed in the freezer for any time that a sweet tooth strikes.
Our kids (and plenty of family and friends) would straight up boycott if I ever stopped making these NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re so well loved that I made about 7 dozen of them to take to Kevin’s change of command ceremony luncheon and there was not a single one left. They are hands down, our favorite cookies to make and keep stashed in the freezer!
We found a way to get our peanut butter cookie cravings with Logan’s peanut allergy. Almond Butter Cookies have all that classic taste without the allergen. They freeze well, too!
White Chocolate Lemon Coconut Cookies are a fun twist on the usual chocolate chip cookies and perfect for bright, sunny spring and summer days.
These White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies feature cream cheese in the batter, bits of raspberry jammy goodness, and melty chunks of white chocolate.
White Chocolate Pistachio Cookies are great for anyone who loves pistachios (pick me please!).
You can’t go through fall without making these Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies.
Oatmeal Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies combine the best of oatmeal and chocolate cookies with a hint of nutty almond butter.
Do you ever freeze cookie dough? What is your favorite recipe?
Love these instructions for how to freeze cookie dough?
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How to Freeze Cookie Dough
Cookie dough freezes extremely well and is the perfect sweet treat to keep stashed in your freezer to instantly satisfy those sweet tooth cravings.
Ingredients
- Cookie Dough
SUPPLIES
- Cookie Scoop (this makes the cookies uniform in size, and quicker to roll)
- Cookie Sheet or Baking Tray
- Gallon Sized Ziploc bag
- Permanent Marker
Instructions
- Roll the entire batch of cookie dough into balls just like you would if you were baking them.
- Place them on the baking sheet as you scoop them.
- Fill a baking pan or tray with all the rolled cookie dough balls, leaving just enough space between the cookie dough balls that they don’t get stuck together.
- Stick the filled pan in the freezer.
- You don’t need to cover it, but make sure to keep it flat so the balls don’t move around and get stuck together.
- Freeze until the cookie dough balls are hard.
- Meanwhile, take a gallon sized zip top freezer bag and label it with the recipe name, date, cooking temperature and time details.
- Remove the pan from the freezer.
- Take all of the cookie dough balls out of the pan and place them in the labeled bag.
- After filling, lay the bag flat (flat takes up less space).
- Remove as much air as possible. I like to zip the bag almost all the way and then stick a straw in the bag to suck out the excess air before I finish zipping it.
- Stash the cookies in the freezer for later!
Notes
When I go to bake the frozen cookies I thaw the cookies for about 15 minutes prior to setting the oven to preheat. Then, bake like normal!
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Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of it by leaving a comment below.
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Thanks for this post! I’m just wondering about the NYT chocolate chip cookie recipe, which is all about the dough resting in the fridge before baking. Should I let the dough rest in the fridge before freezing, or can the dough go into the freezer right away?
I always put it straight in the freezer and they still taste awesome so for me the convenience of freezing them right away way outweighs the off chance it might be slightly better. I figure it is resting in the freezer, too…just colder than in the fridge. HAHA!
Have you tried freezing monster cookie dough. I love the idea.
I have not tried freezing monster cookie dough
i didnt see where to find your recipe for the cookies shown..did i over look it? I am doing this with my girls so they will have cookies all winter even if we get snowed in..lol
Here is the recipe for the cookie dough in the photograph https://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/09/oatmeal-almond-chocolate-chunk-cookies.html
how long can the raw cookie dough stay in the freezer for?
I would say about 6 weeks or so. Ours never last that long that because we eat them up.
I love this idea! I can’t believe I never thought of freezing cookie dough that way. I did it today, only it used mini muffin baking pans to freeze the balls in. That way I don’t have to worry if the tray doesn’t sit completely straight. Thank you for this great idea!
This recipe looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it!
Thanx for the info. My best friend are going to have a marathon holiday baking day and I wanted to do a bunch o’ batches ahead of time to reduce the mess and have more time to gab. Part bakery/ part hen house.
Julie Diehl
Instead of rolling the cookie dough,I bought a cookie scoop,they come in a couple of different sizes for small or medium size cookies,works great,I love mine
This is a great tip i never knew this !
I too have been doing this very same thing for many, many years. I’ve seen recipes where you mold the dough into a roll, and then slice & bake. But I prefer to freeze the individual cookies as you described.
This inspires me to bake cookies in the summer. Make a big batch and freeze most of it. Then you only need to turn on the toaster oven in the heat.
Thanks
I’ve been doing this for years. I make up about 6 different kinds and give them to my parents for their Christmas present. They love them, the box I put them in has come back to me every Oct. so I can refill it for Christmas. They always have cookies if its just 2 baked for supper or a dozen for whatever.
how long will the cookies last in the freezer? I want to give my single uncle cookie dough for xmas because he has a sweet tooth but wont make home baked goods for himself and If a pre bake them he will eat them all in one sitting! This would be a good way for him to have treats without over doing it.
Probably 3 months….but cookie dough never lasts that long in our house!
How long does frozen cookie dough last in the freezer? I have some that are 10 months old. Is it still good?
Wow, that’s amazing! We never have cookie dough last that long because we always eat it up before then. Haha! It should still be good, but I would use it as soon as possible.
I’m continually searching on line for tips that can assist me. Thanks a lot!
I do this with cookies, but vacuum seal them. It’s great when the inlaws come over to give them fresh baked cookies.
Great! I always freeze my cookie dough since it keeps me from eating an entire batch of cookies in one sitting. 🙂
Love this idea – freshly baked cookies at any time; I’m all over that!
I do this occasionally, but I never thought about using a straw to get out some of the extra air!
I feel the exact same way- we read all these recipe and want to try everything (Like your almond butter cookies and almond oatmeal chunk)! What a great idea on the cookie dough. That way you can have new treats, and save some for later. Plus when you need a quick something to bring over to someone or want to give a thank you plate of cookies. You cna just have some ready! This comes to mind for Christmas cookie trays too. Start preparing then all you have to do is bake them up. Allrighty- 2 minutes longer, got it!
I do the same thing with my cookie dough! Especially since I’m really only baking for myself most of them time. 🙂
Chocolate Chip Cookies For One
This is awesome! Thank you so much for this great tip.
Hi! I do this too – I love baking cookies but my husband was not blessed with a sweet tooth and we have no children to wolf them down…I skip the placing the cookie balls on a cookie sheet and just ball them and put them directly in the ziploc (my freezer is tiny) and works well. Some of the dough ends up sticking together, but it will break apart after thawing for a minute. I’ve also found that adding two minutes to the bake time works like a charm.
What if the cookie dough is not ‘ballable’? Can you just drop on the sheet from a spoon and freeze and put this (though not balls, they are individual cookies) in the bag etc? I can’t see why not, but figured I’d ask…Thx. Awesome idea, btw!!
Yes – you can definitely do that. Or if they’re slice and bake cookies you can just roll the dough into a long and wrap that in wax paper, then put in the labeled freezer bag. Does that make sense?
Brilliant!
I can’t wait to try this!
I have frozen Chocolate Chip cookie dough using the Freezer Press N Seal. You just put the Press N Seal on a cookie sheet and scoop the cookie dough out on it, like you were going to bake them, except you put another sheet of the Press N Seal on top and seal all around the dough balls. I usually refrigerate them so they get firmer before putting them in a freezer bag, so they don’t lose their ball shape.
Then when you want to make them, you just cut off a piece of the Press N Seal with the amount that you want to bake.
I usually just take them out of the freezer while the oven is pre-heating, ( which is a huge tip to make sure your oven is pre-heated before putting the dough in.)
I also always use Egg Beaters in place of real raw eggs so if you want to eat the Raw Dough you can……
Thanks fro sharing a great idea. I will do this since I need to stock some cookie dough when my kids get’s hungry. No need to mix the ingredients it is already ready in the freezer. Thanks!
Why has it never occured to me to freeze them in balls? I’ve always frozen them in logs, but this would make things much easier and get a warm cookie in my mouth faster!
Just found your blog – I’m having fun looking through it. 🙂
Unbaked cookie dough will be much easier to store and take up less space in my freezer than baked cookies . How long do you think frozen dough will stay fresh and not freezer tasting for?
I like the idea that I”ll be able to bake one or two sheets of mixed cookie types during the holidays.
The fresh baked smell is part of the season too!
Hi Tina – I would guess at least a month. We’ve never experimented longer than that.
those frozen globs of cookie dough look incredibly adorable! hahaha
Such a great idea, I don’t know why I don’t do this more often. I’m thinking freezing is going to be a must this holiday season to keep my sanity!
This is great – thanks! I’ll use these tips! What about freezing already cooked muffins or baked goods? My babies love healthy muffins as snacks, but I don’t like to have them around all the time – too tempting for all of us! Thanks!
Thank you for this post! I’ll have to remember this. So very nice to meet you.
Great tip, just dont tell your husband and teenage son how to bake them or you wont have any left for when company stops by…lol
Okay, you’ve inspired me. Must. bake. cookies. Now!
That’s a good idea. I freeze dinners and dinner-fixins, but never thought about doing cookie dough. Sure would be nice to make some now and then have it ready during the hectic holiday season.
Stop by and visit sometime over at Free 2 Be Frugal.
Awesome idea! I love that you freeze them perfectly ready to be stuck in the oven. This could be quite dangerous for me, though… Cookies in a flash!
Thanks for the step-by-step explanation for us freezer newbies! I feel more confident to give this a go now. Thanks for sharing!
The other great way to freeze dough is in logs if they’re slice-able. I freeze sugar, spice/ginger and “melt-away” cookie dough this way especially at Christmas time and it’s a real life saver. In fact, we even did a fundraiser selling the frozen dough logs one year and it was a big hit! Just wrap the dough in wax paper, then place in a zip top bag. No thawing needed, just slice the frozen paper-wrapped log into rounds, peel off the paper strip and bake from frozen. It sometimes needs a couple more minutes cook time, but works extremely well!
Great reminder, Christi! That’s what I do with my Cannoli Sandwich Cookies. I love having treats stashed in the freezer!
Thank you so much – I was just going to ask about cooking frozen or thawed & there’s the answer!!
You’re welcome – I just added it to the original post as well so no one will miss the answer.
This would be a great idea for my kitchen and preparing things in a short time! How long on average do you have to thaw the cookie dough before baking?
I usually only thaw the cookies while the oven is preheating. I just let them bake about 2 minutes longer than the original recipe states. I’ll add this info to the post.
What a great idea. I love to bake, but often shy away from it because I don’t want an overload of sweets in the house for me (or anyone else for that matter).
Great idea. Especially before the hectic holidays begin. 🙂
I do this all the time, I vacuum seal the cookies after they are frozen. When I sell my houses I pop out enough to bake a batch. When the potential buyer walk in with the real estate folks they smell fresh homebaked cookies. I leave a note to help themselves. It has made our home see fast every time.
You are one smart lady, Cindy! I am definitely going to do this when we show our house next year!
We always freeze cookie dough balls for later! Love doing this so I can have a fresh baked cookie at anytime:)
Great tip! This is exactly what I do with lots of baby and toddler finger foods and looks like it works wonderful with cookie dough. I also like to make larger batches of things at one time. It just saves on the cleanup…the worst part of the whole experience!
I should do this more often. Thanks for the reminder. Mmm, now I’m craving cookies!
That’s so smart to pre-roll all of the cookies! I used to just freeze mine by the log and then have to wait the agonizing time it took to defrost so that I could roll the dough. This is so much better!
Great tip! You could have a fresh baked cookie every day for a month if you wanted. Thanks for sharing!
I would love to have these cookies in the freezer! Although I’d be tempted to eat the cookie dough frozen.
Great tip Katie! Seeing yours scooped cookie dough balls brought back memories of working in my Mother’s kitchens for hours on end scooping cookie dough one summer. I scooped thousands! Now my husband prefers to eat them straight out of the freezer, no baking required!
Very nice post! I usually freeze the entire chunk of cookie dough but this makes it way easier!
Good post! My son’s school is selling tubs of cookie dough for a fundraiser. I just couldn’t bring myself to buy any… I bake too much myself!
Oh I know! Once I bought some out of guilt. They weren’t good at all. I’m perfectly capable of making my own frozen cookie dough and for 1/3 the price. I’d rather just donate $ to the school.
Great post, Katie! I love knowing that there is a bagful of little cookie balls in the freezer, just waiting to be baked. There’s nothing better than freshly baked cookies at a moment’s notice.