Sugar cookies are an essential treat at my home. However, while these tasty treats are easy to make, I don’t always have the time or energy to prepare them from scratch. This led me to wonder: Can you freeze sugar cookies?
The answer is yes! Sugar cookies can be frozen for months. You might freeze the dough, a batch of baked sugar cookies for a quick snack, or even leftover decorated Christmas cookies.
Still, you need to take a couple of things into consideration to get the cookies to taste as good as fresh. I’ve prepared a comprehensive guide on freezing and thawing sugar cookies. So, let’s dive in!
Can You Freeze Sugar Cookies?
Freezing sugar cookies is an excellent way to keep them fresh if you made a large batch.
That said, how your cookies look and taste out of the freezer ultimately depends on their form before freezing.
You can freeze sugar cookies before or after baking and decorating. Let’s take a closer look at how well each type of cookie freezes:
Cookie Dough
The best way to freeze sugar cookies would be to freeze the dough. Frozen cookie dough retains the most flavor.
It also means you’ll get that cozy smell of freshly baked cookies the next time you want to enjoy the sweet treat.
Rolling and cutting out the cookie dough is another exceptional option, as the cookies will thaw quickly.
Additionally, you’ll be able to pop them in the oven, enjoying the baked goods in minutes.
Keep in mind that your dough should be firm and smooth. If it’s too crumbly or too runny, it won’t freeze properly.
Baked Cookies
You can freeze your cookies after baking as well. They’ll still taste great, and you might even eat them frozen!
Freezing baked cookies is a great meal-prepping idea. You won’t need to preheat the oven, cut out the cookies, or wait while the treats bake.
Instead, any time you’re craving a sweet snack, it’ll be ready in your freezer.
The best part is that freezing the baked cookies will prevent you from overeating. That’s because you can thaw only a couple of cookies at a time.
Decorated Sugar Cookies
Decorated sugar cookies are a lot trickier to freeze. There’s no guarantee that the icing will maintain the design you worked so hard on.
While royal icing can stay good in the freezer for months, it has surprised me a couple of times after thawing.
The cookies look exceptional straight out of the freezer. Yet, the design is incomprehensible once the cookies defrost!
As the icing thaws, moisture is reintroduced. So, the colors bleed into each other. The result is basically as if you didn’t wait for the icing to set.
Fondant has the same issue when it comes to colors. What’s more, it cracks and becomes brittle while thawing, making it incredibly unpredictable to work with.
How Long Can You Freeze Sugar Cookies For?
Freezing your cookies will significantly increase their shelf-life. However, if you want your cookies to last months, you should freeze them before baking.
That’s because frozen cookie dough lasts up to three months. On the other hand, baked sugar cookies are good for three to four weeks only. Afterward, they might have a weird flavor.
While you can ignore the “best by” date on store-bought frozen cookie dough, this isn’t the case for your homemade sugar cookies.
Packaged cookies and cookie doughs contain preservatives to extend their shelf-life. They’re also made to be frozen.
For this reason, you should carefully inspect the cookies, even if they’ve only been in the freezer for a week. Look for a change in color or smell, as your cookies can get freezer burn.
If you’re unsure if the cookies are still good for consumption, it’s best to stay safe and throw them out.
How to Freeze Sugar Cookies
The form of the cookies isn’t the only determinant of how well they freeze. You must freeze the cookies properly as well.
Here’s everything you need to do to keep your cookies fresh and tasty for months:
1- Divide the Cookie Dough
Don’t just roll your sugar cookie dough into a ball and freeze it. Instead, divide the dough into smaller parts.
Not only will the dough thaw faster this way, but you’ll also be able to make a larger batch of cookie dough, and bake it in parts for months to come!
2- Keep the Cookies From Absorbing Odors
If you don’t freeze the sugar cookies properly, they might end up tasting weird. The reason is that the freezer contains other items.
Food with high-fat content, such as cookies, tends to absorb odors. Since you can’t freeze the cookies in a separate freezer, you should pay attention to the packaging.
To keep your cookie dough from absorbing smells, simply wrap it in at least two layers of plastic wrap or wax paper.
As for baked cookies, make sure you place them in a sealed ziplock bag. However, this might cause the cookies to crumble while freezing.
3- Freeze Baked Cookies on a Flat Tray
Freezing baked cookies requires special instructions. Otherwise, the cookies might break and crumble in the freezer.
The sad part is that you’ll probably only find out when defrosting the cookies, leading to a lot of disappointment.
That’s why you should place the cookies on a tray and place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Once frozen, you can transfer the cookies to a ziplock bag and freeze them for up to four weeks.
4- Remove the Frosting Before Freezing
If you’re working with decorated cookies, there’s no need to worry. You won’t have to eat stale cookies or throw the rest of the batch.
Instead, all you have to do is remove the frosting. To do so, take a knife or a fork, and gently lift the icing from the cookie. It should come out clean, and the design of the frosting will remain intact.
If you’ve accidentally cracked the icing, it doesn’t have to go to waste. Put all the icing into a bowl, and add a couple of drops of warm water or milk, depending on the type you have.
Then, stir the icing together to create an entire new icing batch. The resulting color will be different, but it’ll still be usable!
5- Freeze Fondant/Icing Separately
To use the icing again, you should place it in the freezer. If you were able to remove the decorations perfectly, they’ll need to be frozen flat, before you can transfer them to a ziplock bag.
It’s essential to understand that there’s still a chance the icing will crack and become brittle. Still, this is a better choice than throwing the entire batch of cookies out or making the icing from scratch.
If you’ve blended your icing, you can also freeze it by placing it in a bowl and wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap or wax paper.
6- Label the Cookies
The last step is to label the sugar cookies. This step is crucial, regardless of the form of the cookies you’re freezing.
That’s because the cookies can remain good in the freezer for months, and you don’t want to risk forgetting about them.
It’s easy to forget the exact time you’ve placed the cookies in the freezer. So, don’t forget to write down the date on the label as well.
Moreover, if you enjoy baking as much as I do, you’ll probably want to freeze a bunch of other cookies as well. Accordingly, labeling is crucial to avoid getting your cookies mixed up.
How to Thaw Frozen Sugar Cookies
Lastly, when you’re ready to enjoy the sugar cookies, you must know how to properly thaw them.
If you’re too impatient or don’t follow the proper steps, both the texture and flavor of the cookies will be completely ruined.
You should do the following to enjoy the most delicious sugar cookies after freezing:
Thawing Frozen Sugar Cookie Dough
Thawing frozen sugar cookie dough is incredibly simple. All there is to it is letting the dough defrost at room temperature.
This means you’ll leave the dough on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes. You can also thaw the dough in the fridge for an hour.
Most importantly, the dough should still be firm and cold. This way, you’ll be able to roll it and cut out the cookies.
From there, bake the sugar cookies as you normally would. The end product should taste just like freshly made cookies!
Thawing Frozen Sugar Cookies
Similarly, you can thaw frozen baked sugar cookies in the fridge or at room temperature. You really can’t go wrong with defrosting these cookies. You can even eat them frozen.
Furthermore, you don’t need to wait that long. Instead, place the cookies in the microwave for a couple of minutes to defrost.
If you want your frozen baked sugar cookies to taste indistinguishable from fresh sugar cookies, pop them in the oven for three to five minutes.
Thawing Decorated Sugar Cookies
Whether you’ve decided to freeze the decorated cookies as they are or separate the icing from them, you should be extra careful when thawing them.
This is the step that can make or break your fondant or icing design. You don’t want to store your cookies for months only to throw them away later, especially if these are your Christmas cookies.
Avoid thawing decorated sugar cookies at room temperature. Instead, the cookies should be placed in the fridge to defrost overnight. This will prevent the icing from absorbing too much moisture at once.
Final Thoughts
Can you freeze sugar cookies?
Whether you’ve made a large batch of sugar cookies or you’re prepping for the Holidays in advance, frozen sugar cookies can come in handy. Luckily, you can freeze sugar cookies before or after baking.
Ideally, you’ll want to divide the cookie dough into smaller pieces and freeze them. This ensures the freshest flavor. Still, freezing baked and decorated sugar cookies is still a great way to enjoy these sweet treats any time, for up to four months.
Make sure you’re properly storing the cookies by placing them in a well-sealed, labeled ziplock bag. Once you’re ready to enjoy the cookies, just thaw them in the fridge.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.