This Is The Best Way to Freeze Cookie Dough So It Lasts for Months

There are any number of reasons why you might want to stash some cookie dough in the freezer. Maybe you like having treats on hand in case company stops by. Maybe the first day of fall kickstarted your holiday baking gene. But we’re friends here, so let’s be honest: Frozen cookie dough in our freezer means warm, gooey, fresh-baked cookies any time we want one. Here are the best ways to freeze your favorite cookies for later.

For the purpose of freezing, let’s divide cookies into three main categories: chunky cookies, tender slice-and-bake cookies, and cut-out cookies.

Chunky cookies, like chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin, freeze best if you portion out the dough beforehand. Scoop out the dough just as if you were about to bake it, but then freeze it instead. Once frozen, the little balls of dough get sealed up inside a plastic freezer bag — when you need a cookie fix, just grab as many as you want to bake.

By slice-and-bake cookies, I am referring to any fairly smooth, fairly tender cookie, like shortbread or sandies. These get pressed into logs, wrapped in wax paper, and frozen solid. They can be crumbly right out of the freezer, so when you’re ready to bake, let them warm for a few minutes before slicing. If you can plan ahead, letting the logs thaw in the fridge for a few hours is even better.

Last but not least, we have cut-out cookies, like sugar cookies and many holiday cookies. The dough for these cookies can be frozen in disks just like a flaky pie crust. When ready to bake, thaw until pliable and continue with the recipe. Freezing the dough for cut-out cookies is a little less of a time- and labor-saver than the other cookies, but it’s handy to break up the work of a big cookie-baking project or if you start a batch of cookies and get interrupted in the middle.

Most frozen cookies will need an extra minute or two in the oven. Otherwise, prepping and baking the cookies is exactly the same as in the recipe — you’re just giving them a freezer vacation in the middle.