Can You Freeze Homemade Cookie Dough? How Long Does It Last In The Fridge?
If you’re reading this, then you probably want to know how to have cookie dough always handy to bake some fresh cookies. Being that the dough has ingredients that could spoil easily (such as eggs and milk), it’s not crazy to say that it has a very good chance of spoiling at room temperature. Then, these questions come to mind. can you freeze homemade cookie dough? How long can you keep homemade cookie dough in the fridge?
Contents
- 1 Can you freeze homemade cookie dough?
- 2 How to freeze homemade cookie dough?
- 3 Will freezing affect the taste of cookie dough?
- 4 Can you refreeze cookie dough?
- 5 How long can you keep homemade cookie dough in the fridge?
- 6 How long does homemade cookie dough last in the freezer?
- 7 How to defrost cookie dough?
- 8 How to bake frozen cookie dough?
Of course, you can! It’s actually very easy and convenient to freeze it. Though, for better results, you should follow certain tips to do it correctly, as cookies burned in the freezer are not exactly appetizing! Also, there are preferred methods to follow for each cookie style, which we’ll outline below.
Depending on the cookie recipe, there’s a variety of methods to follow if you want to save time later.
Some cookie doughs require fridge time before baking. In that case, make little dough balls and place them in the fridge for 1 hour. After that, place the balls in resealable freezer bags and store them in the freezer.
For oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip-style cookies, you only need to scoop out the portions and put them in the freezer bag. That way, you only have to prepare the oven and toss the frozen scoops. The same method applies to any other type of chunky or fat cookie.
Cut-out Cookie dough
For cut-out cookies, you can cut the dough in its final shape and place the cuts on a cookie tray over a piece of parchment paper. Cover them with another paper layer and introduce the tray in the freezer until the cuts are rigid enough. Then, you can carefully pack the cuts in resealable airtight bags or wrap them up and store them in the freezer again until it’s time to bake.
Finally, for slice-and-baked cookies, have the dough shaped like a log, place it in an airtight freezer bag, and put the bag in the freezer. Simple, really!
Provided that it was not left for a long time at room temperature and the dough was correctly mixed, packaged, and stored, there should be absolutely no difference between fresh dough and the one you pull from the freezer.
Warning: In doubt, don’t try to taste the raw dough, just in case. You wouldn’t want to catch food poisoning!
In my experience, egg-based products should not be frozen twice as they lose quality rather quickly. It’s best to have the needed amount of dough ready for thawing and the rest of it safely stored in the freezer.
Homemade cookie dough can stay in optimal conditions in the fridge for up to 4 days at 40º F or lower.
In the freezer, according to the USDA, it’s able to last for 2 months (though some fellow bakers have managed to use it after 2 months without any hassle.) Freezer temperature should be set at 0º F or below.
If, for some reason, you need to thaw the dough to tweak the shape or for some other purpose, you can always leave it resting in the fridge for a few hours until thawed. In this case, it’s not recommended to use a microwave at all, particularly if the dough is made with raw eggs, nor should it be left to thaw at room temperature. Remember that raw eggs are very susceptible to bacteria.
The good news is that you don’t even need to go through a tedious thawing process to start baking your cookies. Provided that you already froze them in the desired shapes and sizes, you can simply unpack them and throw them in the oven to bake according to the recipe.
In some cases, it’s easier to partially thaw it first or let it warm, as in the case of slice-and-bake cookies, although some people find it easier to slice the dough frozen (perhaps they have the right utensils to cut frozen dough.)
Also, keep in mind that frozen dough needs more time to bake than fresh dough, thus you should account for the skipped thawing time with whatever recipe you follow.