How to Freeze Cookies

Cookies are treats that are loved by young children and adults alike. This must be the reason why cookie making is taken as one of the favorite family activities where parents and children bake cookies together. Though it is fun to make cookies with the entire family, sometimes people end up making too many extra cookies or may be rolling up so much cookie dough than they need. In such situations, people are in a fix as to what to do with the extra cookies or cookie dough. The best thing would be to freeze them for later use. Freezing cookies as well as cookie dough is a good way of storing and preserving them. However, it is important to know the right way of freezing them because if it is not done in the correct manner, the dough as well as the cookies can get spoiled. So, if you are really interested in freezing your cookies, here are some of ways that you can try.

How to Freeze Cookie Dough

Most people say that freezing cookie dough is better than freezing the cookies. Some of the cookie doughs that can be frozen include chocolate chip, sugar, gingerbread, oatmeal, peanut butter, etc. However, one should never freeze cookie dough that is made of liquid like tuiles and madeleines. For freezing a cookie dough, you will need two plastic wraps. Cover the cookie dough with the first plastic wrap tightly and then again with the second wrap. Seal the seams of both the plastic wraps carefully after taking out the air completely. Once this is done, write the type of cookie dough and the date on which you made the dough on the plastic wrap with an permanent marker. The purpose of wrapping the cookie dough with a plastic wrap is that this will prevent it from freezer burns as well as from the absorption of flavors of other foods kept in the freezer. The frozen cookie dough should be used within a month after it is being frozen. When you want to use the cookie dough, just take it out of the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature for half an hour to one hour. When you are able to cut the dough with a sharp knife, you can begin the process of making cookies.

Freezing Cookies After Baking

Though freezing cookies is not considered to be the best way of storing cookies by some people, there is actually no harm in doing so. Rather, by freezing the cookies after baking them one can actually store them for 2 - 3 months, without causing any kind of damage. So, if you have left with excess cookies, here are the ways which you can use to freeze them.

Method #01
One of the ways of freezing the cookies is to pack them individually. First, you must allow the baked cookies to cool completely. Once this is done, take one cookie and place it in a plastic wrap. Take the excess air out of the bag and seal the seams of the wrap fully. Repeat this procedure with all the cookies and when each one of the cookies is wrapped in the plastic wrap, place them in a freezer container or a freezer storage bag. The purpose of wrapping the cookies individually is to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Method #02
If you do not want to wrap all the cookies individually before freezing them, there is another method that you can try. For this, you need wax paper or freezer paper. Take a plastic container and line a sheet of freezer paper at its bottom. On this, place the cookies so that it fills one layer. Keep another sheet of freezer paper on these cookies and then, place another layer of cookies on top of it. You should continue this procedure till all the cookies are kept in the container. Before closing the lid, place a sheet of freezer paper on the top most layer of cookies and close the lid tightly. You can use this method to freeze chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal cookies, etc.

Method #03
If you have made cookies that have icing in them or may be those that are coated with sugar, you must be thinking as to how to freeze sugar cookies as well as those that are decorated with frosting. For this, you will have to take a cookie sheet and arrange the cookies in a single layer. Place this cookie sheet in the freezer and allow it to remain there for one hour or more than that. This step is important because if the frosting or the sugar coating is not hardened, there are chances that they may fall off while they are packed for freezing. When the frosting is completely frozen, you can choose either of the above procedure to freeze cookies.

When you want to enjoy the frozen cookies, you just have to remove them from the freezer and allow it to thaw at room temperature at the kitchen counter. However, if you cannot wait to taste the delicious cookies, place them in a microwave friendly dish and microwave it for thirty seconds and enjoy them with a glass of milk.