Cookie dough freezes beautifully, and this is a great way to plan ahead for the holiday baking season, or so you can have warm, fresh cookies whenever that craving hits. Learn how to freeze cookie dough from this comprehensive post, which includes a video tutorial. I’ll show you the best ways to freeze different types of cookie dough, from drop cookies to cut-out cookies to slice-and-bake style.
I also include instructions for freezing baked cookies, as well as cookie bars.
Have you ever made cookie dough just to freeze it for later? Or freeze some cookie dough instead of baking the whole batch? I do both all the time, especially with these chocolate chip cookies.
It’s so convenient to have a stash of ready-to-bake homemade cookie dough on hand, in case you find yourself in need of a quick dessert at the last minute. Maybe new neighbors just moved in, a friend had a baby, or you forgot about the school bake sale until the morning of… frozen cookie dough comes to the rescue.
Make the dough when you have the time, and simply bake the cookies when you don’t!
This post is part of my Baking Tips category. Over the years, I’ve published dozens of articles and videos that aren’t only recipes, but baking success tips to help you gain confidence in the kitchen.
4 Reasons Why You Should Freeze Cookie Dough
- Cookie dough freezes well for up to 3 months, so it’s a great way to get ahead for the holidays or other busy times.
- For drop cookies, you don’t need to wait for the dough to thaw—bake from frozen.
- You don’t have to bake the whole batch at once—you can bake just 1 or 2 when you’re craving a freshly baked, warm cookie.
- Having a stash of cookie dough in the freezer means you are always prepared for a dessert emergency. 😉
Today I’m sharing with you my best tips for how to freeze, thaw, and bake cookie dough. Doesn’t sound revolutionary, but you won’t believe the confusion and mistakes one can make when it comes to freezing and baking cookie dough. I originally published this post back in 2015, and have learned a few more tricks since. Happy to share them today, along with a new video tutorial.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough: Video Tutorial
Supplies You Need:
- Freezer-friendly containers or zip-top bags (I use and love these containers)
- Permanent marker
- Plastic wrap if making cut-out or slice-and-bake dough
- Labels or masking tape
How to Freeze & Bake Drop Cookie Dough
“Drop cookies” refers to cookie doughs that you scoop and drop onto the baking sheet, like oatmeal raisin cookies. I include dough that you roll into balls in this category, because it, too, requires very little shaping—like double chocolate chip cookies and cake batter chocolate chip cookies.
Drop-style cookies take a few extra steps before freezing, but it’s worth it because the cookie dough can go straight from the freezer to the preheated oven for a treat that’s ready in about 10–15 minutes. Here’s how to do it:
- Chill the dough: If the cookie recipe you’re using says to chill the dough before scooping and rolling, you still need to take that step.
- Shape the cookies: After the cookie dough has chilled in the refrigerator, scoop and roll the cookie dough into balls (or shape into tall columns, like I recommend for these chewy chocolate chip cookies). Place them on a lined baking sheet or plate, making sure to keep them from touching each other.
- Chill the cookie dough balls: Cover the tray or plate and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This will set the cookie dough balls’ shape, and prevent them from sticking together in the freezer container.
- Transfer the cookie dough balls to a container or bag: Place the cold cookie dough balls into a freezer-friendly container. It’s OK if they’re touching each other now (since the shape has set).
- Label the bag or container with the recipe name, the date, baking temperature, and bake time (add an extra minute or two if baking from frozen), and place in the freezer.
- Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months: Labeling with the date will help you determine by when the cookie dough should be baked.
- Bake the cookies: When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven. Place the frozen cookie dough balls on a lined baking sheet, per your recipe’s instructions. Add an extra minute or two to the bake time, because the dough is frozen.
In photos: Make and refrigerate the dough, if the recipe calls for chilling the cookie dough. Then shape into balls per your recipe’s instructions. Refrigerate the shaped dough balls to set their shape:
Then place into a labeled bag, and freeze for up to 3 months:
Freezing Cookie Dough Coated in Sugar or Cinnamon-Sugar
For drop cookies rolled in a coating like sugar—such as snickerdoodles, peanut butter blossoms, or chocolate crinkles—it’s best to freeze the cookie dough balls without the coating.
Why? I find the coating tends to melt and disappear during the freezing and thawing process, so it’s best to roll the cookies in the coating just before baking.
Follow the same steps as above, except when you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the cookie dough balls from the freezer and let sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Let them thaw just a little bit so that the coating will stick. After 30 minutes, roll the dough balls into the sugar or whatever coating your recipe calls for. No need to bake for an extra minute or two here, because the cookies will have defrosted slightly.
How to Freeze Cut-Out Cookie Dough (Like Sugar Cookies)
For cut-out cookie dough that needs to be rolled out before cutting into shapes with cookie cutters, like sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies, the process is a little different. Here’s how to do it:
- Divide the dough in half: After you’ve made your dough, divide it in half. Smaller pieces are simply easier to work with.
- Flatten each half into a disc about 1 inch thick. I do the same thing when I make and freeze pie dough.
- Wrap and label: Tightly wrap each disc of dough in plastic wrap, and label with the recipe name and date. I just use a piece of tape as a label, nothing fancy.
- Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the dough: Transfer the wrapped disc or discs of cookie dough to the refrigerator the day before you intend to bake the cookies, and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Roll out the cold thawed dough, cut into shapes, and bake according to your recipe’s instructions.
Freezing this dough is helpful if you’re planning to host a cookie decorating day.
How to Freeze Icebox or Slice-and-Bake Cookie Dough
Icebox cookies, also known as slice-and-bake cookies—like these sprinkle slice’n’bake cookies, brown sugar shortbread cookies, and cranberry orange icebox cookies—are similar to cut-out cookie dough in that they are quick to prep to freeze, but then need a little thaw time before you can slice and bake them. Here’s what to do:
- Divide the dough in half: Just like with the cut-out cookie dough, this makes the dough more manageable.
- Roll into logs: Roll each half into a log shape, per your recipe’s instructions.
- Roll logs into coating: If your recipe calls for rolling the cookie dough logs into a coating like coarse sugar or sprinkles, you can go ahead and do that now.
- Wrap and label: Tightly wrap each log in plastic wrap, and label with the name and date.
- Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the dough: Transfer the wrapped log or logs of cookie dough to the refrigerator the day before, or at least a couple of hours before you intend to bake the cookies.
- Slice and bake: Once the dough has thawed enough for you to cut with a knife, slice the cookies and bake according to your recipe’s instructions.
This is a great question. If the cookie dough is particularly sticky, it would be difficult to roll into balls AND also roll into balls that won’t stick together in the freezer. I always suggest chilling if your cookie dough recipe calls for it, and then scooping and rolling into balls to freeze.
Want to make M&M cookie bars or even chocolate chip cookie cake? You can freeze that dough, too. Prepare the cookie dough according to the recipe’s instructions. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, and then wrap the cold dough tightly in plastic wrap and add a label with the name of the recipe and the date. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then press the dough into the baking dish and bake per the recipe’s instructions.
Delicate cookie doughs/batters don’t hold up well in the freezer. For example, I avoid freezing French macarons batter, madeleine batter, lace cookies batter, and chocolate swirled meringue cookies batter. Even if you let the doughs/batter thaw first, the results will not be the same. See each individual recipe for detailed make-ahead instructions.
Freezing Baked Cookies & Bars
Instead of freezing cookie dough, you can freeze baked cookies like almond biscotti, spritz cookies, and sugar cookies (before decorating).
After your baked cookies have cooled completely:
- Place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid (this way they won’t stick to each other in the freezer).
- Then, layer in a freezer container with parchment between each layer, or carefully place in zip-top bags. Label the container if desired.
- Freeze up to 3 months.
- Thaw the cookies (still covered) in the refrigerator, or at room temperature.
You can also freeze baked bar cookies like peanut butter blondies or homemade brownies. Cool them completely, cut into squares, then layer between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer container or zip-top bag. Again, freeze for up to 3 months.
I hope all of this helps. As always, let my team and me know if you have any questions. Here are all my cookie recipes. I usually note freezing instructions in each recipe as well—always check the Notes section of the recipe card.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Such a very helpful post and your recipes are amazing! Thank you Sally
I have found that I come to your site the most for hints and recipes. We are currently in LOVE with brown butter oatmeal pumpkin cookies. More in love than we should be haha. I have family coming for Thanksgiving and want to indulge in these, probably more than turkey. We used to make oatmeal cookies and cook in individual cooking bowls and then top with ice cream, like a restaurant would. I would like to do this with your recipe. The bowls are about 5 inches wide, 2+ in deep. They look like mini corningware. How deep would you suggest putting the dough, cook temp and cook time? I will be adding choc chips also. Can i freeze these bowls with the dough inside? They won’t be airtight which causes me concern since i don’t want the ice crystals. It might be easier to freeze dough, thaw, put in bowls and cook???? thank you so much.
Hi DeAnna, we’re so glad to hear you’ve been enjoying the brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies! We haven’t tried baking them in the method you mention, so it’s tough to give specific baking times. You can fill the bowls to your desired thickness (we’d recommend no more than half way) and cook at the same temperature. Perhaps try baking one first to get a better gage of the time before baking them all. You can freeze the dough in the individual bowls or freeze separately and then thaw as you mention. Let us know how it goes!
I tried youare White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies and I can’t believe how good they were! I’m going to make some now for my freezer so that I have some to give away at Christmas time….easy peasy! Thanks so much!!
Hi Sally! I am a huge fan of your recipes and get a ton of compliments every time I bake one of them for friends and family. I am wondering if you have any thoughts on freezing using a vacuum sealer. Is it possible for drop cookies? have you tried it? Would you pre-freeze the balls and then vacuum seal? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Gina! We haven’t tested freezing cookies with a vacuum sealer, but think it would be best to freeze dough balls prior to vacuum sealing. Let us know if you try it!
Thank you for responding to me. I was so excited to try this out because I think vacuum sealing is the best way to freeze anything! I have taken the time to freeze a few different cookie dough recipes using the vacuum sealer in order to give you a thorough answer. I learned that it is definitely better to pre-freeze on a cookie sheet for and hour or more. I also learned that you should move quickly when sealing. If the balls of dough get a little soft or “wet” on the outside, they may stick together when you remove them from the sealed bag. That said, for the cookies that did stick together, they came apart easily and there were no negative effects on the cookie itself. This has been a great option for me. I do not care for frozen baked cookies, but the frozen dough really holds up. Unless you are comparing side by side, it tastes just like freshly mixed dough. Thanks again for your input & encouragement!
thank you for your reply. I am making a butter cookie cut out, for my grand daughters 16th birthday. I plan to cut, bake and freeze, in layers, in advance. Thaw then decorate, and wrap. I need to make 100, for thank yous! I didn’t know, which cookie dough, would have been better to freeze….butter or sugar!
Hi… I would like to bake butter cookie cut outs, for my granddaughters, sweet sixteen. Could they be frozen, then decorated. Or would I be better off, making sugar cookie cutouts instead? Thank you!
Hi Millie, I’m unsure of the recipe you are using but most cookies can be frozen after they are baked. Then after they have thawed you can decorate them. If you want to use one of our recipes, we freeze these cut out sugar cookies with great results.
Hi Sally, I freeze cookie dough all the time, I love it and recommend it all the time. You mention chilling in the fridge for one hour once you roll into balls. I put them directly into the freezer at this point so just wondering what putting them in the fridge first then freezer does?
Thanks for your response 🙂
Dawn
Hi Dawn! We prefer to put them in the fridge first because it helps the cookie dough balls to harden and then they are easier for stacking / packing and won’t stick together as much. If you prefer to put them right in the freezer, that’s okay too!
Hi Sally, I’m making chocolate chip cookies (jumbo size) for my wedding favors. I want to get as much done ahead of time so I’m not baking for hours the day before. Would you recommend freezing the dough in balls, or freezing the already baked cookies — especially for this type of dough?
Hi Brittany, What fun wedding favors! You can see all of our tips and tricks for these in our Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie post. While normally you can bake frozen cookie dough balls straight from the freezer, we recommend thawing giant cookie dough balls prior to baking. Given that you don’t wish to be baking right up to your wedding day, the baked cookies also freeze well for up to 3 months!
I’ve never frozen any dough to use later but I did for the first time today with some cookie dough. Have you tested frozen vs ready made cookie dough? Do they tend to taste the same? I know something like chocolate chip tends to benefit from chilling so does freezing and using later leave a similar benefit ? It would definitely be convenient to spend a day making different cookie doughs to bake later !
Hi Marea! We’ve had great success baking frozen cookie dough, so much so that we include freezing instructions with all our cookie recipes. I love to have a stash of frozen cookie dough ready to go in my freezer – so convenient for fresh baked cookies in a snap!
Instead of rolling cookies ahead of time, can I just freeze the dough in plastic wrap and then partially thaw before baking?
Hi Sabina, Yes you could freeze the entire bowl of cookie dough but it will be difficult to scoop after its frozen. If you thaw, just make sure your cookies are not too warm going in the oven so that they over-spread!
My problem with frozen cookie dough is that it doesn’t spread like it does with “fresh” cookie dough. It seems to bake in a “mound.” How is this overcome? Maybe it’s because mine are gluten free?
Hi Karen, We don’t have much experience baking with gluten free flour but it is often more dry than regular all purpose. Typically, when cookies aren’t spreading, it means that there’s too much dry ingredient (flour) soaking up all the liquid. Make sure you are properly measuring your flour. When measuring flour, use the spoon & level method. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag. Doing so leaves you with excess flour in the cookie dough. If you’re in the middle of baking a batch and the cookies still aren’t spreading, remove them from the oven, and use a spoon to slightly flatten them out before returning them to the oven. You can see more details in the post 5 Cookie Baking Tips to Improve Your Next Batch.
I forgot to wrap my sugar cookie dough in plastic wrap and just put it in a ziploc freezer bag. Can I still use it or will the flavor/texture be ruined?
Not at all– it will still be just fine!
Hi Sally 🙂 after freezing the dough, would you recommend to let it out of the freezer for a few hours for it to cool down befor going into the oven? Or is it better for the texture of the cookie to directly put it in the oven (adding of course some minutes)? Thank you!
Hi Marianne, We always bake them directly from the freezer and simply add a minute or two to the bake time. You can let them sit out while your oven preheats if you wish, just make sure they are still cold going in the oven so that they don’t over-spread.
For sugar and gingerbread cookie dough, do you have to chill it first and then freeze? Or can you just wrap the two disc in plastic wrap and put directly into the freezer?
You can put them directly into the freezer as you mention! No chilling needed prior.
This post is so helpful, Sally! I am gearing up for a huge cookie sale this month and I am so happy that I can work on the batches a little at a time and freeze them for when I’m ready. It will be such a time saver!
Thanks again!
Hi, Sally, I’m looking to save some time this Christmas by freezing my cookie dough, mostly drop cookies like Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal. I was looking at your steps on how to freeze and would like your thoughts on Step 2 which talks about freezing the cookie dough balls for another hour before going into the freezer. I’m worried about not having enough space in my fridge and food odors. Would placing the balls on a cookie sheet in my chest freezer for a short period of time before bagging them work as well? And if so, how much time – 15 minutes? Thanks!!!
Hi Arleen, You can definitely try a quick freeze on a cookie sheet before bagging them! Just keep them in there long enough that they won’t stick together once placed in your freezer bags.
If I make shortbread dough, can I freeze it and when ready thaw it, roll it out and cut the biscuits. You seem to suggest you should cook the biscuits whilst frozen. Thanks
Hi Kathleen! Happy to help. Yes, you can freeze shortbread dough, thaw it out, and shape as needed for your recipe. I only suggest not thawing out to save a step with already shaped cookie dough balls.
There is never a time when I don’t have frozen cookie balls in my freezer! My family teases me about my emergency cookies, but they don’t mind eating them!!! 😉
Why would you need to chill the cookie dough if you are just going to freeze it?
If the cookie dough is particularly sticky, it would be difficult to roll into balls AND roll into balls that wouldn’t stick together in the freezer. I always suggest chilling as per the recipe, then scooping and rolling into neat balls to freeze.
Do you have any suggestions for thumbprint cookies? Would that be similar to the cinnamon sugar rolled cookies where you have the dough in normal balls, then let it thaw, and then do the thumbprint and add the filling? Let me know your thoughts. Thank you!
Hi Colleen. You’re exactly right– that is what I’d suggest. Freeze as dough balls then thaw and assemble.
This post is saving me this holiday season! I have to bake seven trays of brownies, a pie, a crumb cake, and cookies for next week so I’m relieved to find out I can make the cookie dough now! Thank you!!!
How do you make the perfect rounded cookies? I measure them out evenly and roll in balls but when I put them in the oven after they have been chilled they are small and super thick. Should I flatten the dough just a little before baking them?
Hi Casey, you can try flattening them out before baking. That should help.
Your cookie recipes just made my daughters 1st birthday party a huge success! I had made your oatmeal raisin cookies several times before so when I decided to do a cookie buffet at the party, I turned to your website and went with the oatmeal plus m&m, snickerdoodle, m&m, inside out chocolate and cake batter. Thank you so much for having so many flawless recipes and tips.
Hi Sally! Love your recipes. I have a question about chilling the dough. Is there a reason to chill the batch as a whole before forming into balls, or could you form the cookies into balls while the dough is soft, and then chill them for the 2+ hours, and then just let them sit out for a bit before baking? I have had great success forming my cookies into balls while the dough is soft and then putting them right into the freezer. I’m wondering if the same would be true for recipes that simply require the dough to chill. It seems you could really cut down on time since forming them when the dough is soft is easier (especially with a cookie scoop). Then you could just pull them out of the fridge, put on cookie sheets and go. Your thoughts?
Hey Emma! Usually cookie dough (my recipes at least!) are much too soft to get into neat ball shapes before being chilled. So that’s why I recommend chilling before rolling. If you find rolling the dough to be easy right after the dough is made– by all means, go ahead! 🙂
When you take your cookies out of the freezer, do you just bake them in ball shape or do you flatten them?
Thanks
Jan
In ball shape– do not flatten
THANK YOU for this! I made your chocolate crinkles this week, and read the note you wrote about freezing them and it blew my mind. This year I have gotten the hang of freezing soups and chills and such, but never desserts. I am so excited for the weekend to fill my freezer with your cookies! 🙂
I have always LOVED that you give guidelines for freezing cookie dough in your recipes! We were recently selling our house, and I had a batch of your white chocolate cranberry cookie dough frozen in balls. Right before a showing, I would pop a few in the oven, bake 10 minutes, and have treats for the potential homebuyers, plus a wonderful cookie smell! Worked like a charm!