Made way too many sugar cookies and it is now wondering if you can freeze them? Well, this article is for you! Below we will give you the best tips and steps on how to freeze sugar cookies in the correct way.
Either you are trying to save time and plan ahead by baking sugar cookies before you will need them or already baked and realized you will have too many leftovers, freezing the sugar cookies is a good option to avoid food waste and make them easy and ready to eat snacks.
Sugar cookies are perfect for any occasion and will go well with tea or coffee any time of the day.
There are a few different ways to freeze the sugar cookies and they will depend if they are baked, unbaked, decorated or not.
So, with that being said, find in this article the best way you can freeze sugar cookies.
How to freeze sugar cookies
The freezing process of sugar cookies will depend on how those cookies are.
Freezing and defrosting unbaked sugar cookies
If you are planning ahead and will make the cookies and leave them frozen just to baked when you need them, you can freeze the sugar cookie dough.
The best way to freeze it is by cutting it in the shapes you will need – make sure to leave them at the same size and shape, so they can all freeze evenly – individually wrap the dough with freezer plastic, add it in an airtight compartment and store them laying flat in the freezer.
Do not let the cookies touch each other or they will become one big frozen block of dough and you will not be able to consume only the quantities you need.
Also, be careful with what other foods will be in your fridge at the same time since the cookie dough can absorb the flavor and smell of other ingredients.
The frozen sugar cookie dough will last for around 6 months and do not forget to write down the dates so you can keep track of the time.
The defrost process is very simple, you can let it sit overnight in the fridge or they can go straight to the oven to be baked, just remember that the baking time may be a little longer, since they will not be in room temperature but completely frozen. Just add a few minutes and control them, but it is a huge time saver.
Do not freeze again the cookies you do not consume. The freezing and defrosting process can only be done once.
Freezing and defrosting baked undecorated sugar cookies
But, if you already baked the sugar cookies, have not decorated them yet and want to freeze them to make the reheating process faster, the process is also very simple.
After baking the cookies, let cool completely, add them in airtight compartments and freeze. Do not freeze them together so later you can defrost and consume just the ones you need.
Also be careful with the absorption of the flavor and smell of other food in your fridge.
The frozen baked and undecorated sugar cookies will last from 6 to 8 months in your fridge and do not forget to add the date so you can track for how long they are there. But it is good to keep an eye on it and see if there are any color or texture changes that may indicate that it is not good to be consumed anymore.
The defrosting process for already baked cookies is even more simple, you can let it in room temperature until the ice is gone or reheat it straight in the oven if you want to consume them hot.
Freezing and defrosting baked and decorated sugar cookies
Although you can freeze fully decorated sugar cookies, it is recommended to only add the frosting after you defrost them, but if you already baked and decorated and wants to avoid food waste, they can be frozen too, it just can be a little trickier since they will need to be frozen 100% sealed with no oxygen contact at all. You can use one of those heat sealers to help if you have one.
So, after they are sealed and packed you can store them in the freezer, it will be best if you place them sitting up at their ends.
They will also last for around 8 months, but it may depend on what you used to decorate them. Pay close attention to the colors and textures.
To defrost the process is also simple, just take them sugar cookies from the freezer and leave it to cool in room temperature. But, do not remove them from the bags and do not move or shake them around until they are completely defrosted.
Conclusion
Sugar cookies are a delicious dessert or snack and can be frozen to save you time when you need to eat or it can be a great solution to avoid food waste when you already baked too much.
The process to freeze the sugar cookies is very simple and they will last for many months. Even the fully decorated sugar cookies will work fine after being frozen, just let them thaw untouched for a few hours and even the frosting will be good. Although, it may be better to decorate your sugar cookies after the defrosting and when you are going to consume them.
Either way, baked or unbaked, the cookies will taste the same after you defrost them. This is the best solution to increase their shelf-life since only refrigerating the dough or the baked sugar cookies only make them last for a couple of days. We hope that this article was helpful in any way. The recommendations in here are the most used ones and should work well for you too. Give us a feedback to let us know if you used any of the tips above or if you have more recommendations that were not mentioned here.
