Freezing great cookies

Jeannie Nichols, Michigan State University Extension -

Properly frozen cookies and cookie dough will result in great cookies and save you time and money.

You can preserve cookie dough in the freezer just as you can freshly-baked cookies. Properly frozen dough ensures that your dough will make great cookies when the time is right. Simply follow a few steps offered by Michigan State University Extension.

Tips for freezing baked cookies:
  1. Before freezing your baked cookies make sure they are completely cooled.
  2. Wrap your cooled cookies individually in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
  3. Cookies can also be placed between layers of waxed paper in the container. Make sure the top layer is covered with wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil so that very little air will get to the cookies. The individually wrapped cookies will store longer.
  4. Freeze frosted cookies, uncovered, until they are firm and then pack them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
  5. Label the freezer bag or container with the date and type of cookies.
Tips for freezing cookie dough:
  1. Drop unbaked cookie dough onto cookie sheets and place in the freezer until frozen.
  2. Transfer the drops of frozen cookie dough into freezer bags or airtight containers.
  3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible or if using a storage container make sure the top layer is covered well with wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil so that very little air will get to the cookie dough.
  4. If you choose to freeze the entire amount of dough and then thaw it later, to make into individual cookies, wrap the dough with wax paper or saran wrap and then place it into a freezer bag or airtight container.
  5. Label the freezer bag or container with the type of cookie dough and the date.

Keeping air away from cookie dough or baked cookies helps to prevent freezer burn. Freezer burn is not a food safety risk but it affects the appearance and flavor of cookies and dough. It looks like grayish-brown leathery spots on the frozen food. Freezer burn occurs when air reaches the food surface and dries it out.

The suggested storage time for both cookie dough and baked cookies in your 0 degrees Fahrenheit freezer is no more than six months. Most people have no problem eating their cookies within this timeframe! Freezing cookies and cookie dough is both a money and time saving activity that has very tasty results.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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