An Inspired Cook

For the past year or so I’ve been making cookie dough and putting the dough balls into the freezer to bake whenever I please. Once they are frozen they are ready to go, and all you have to do is heat the oven and place as many frozen dough balls on a baking sheet to pop in the oven for approximately 13 – 15 minutes. You can even mix and match cookies as long as they can be baked on the same temperature. I wish I had started doing this years ago, it would have saved so much time and energy. Some cookies turn out better than others though. Through trial and error I’ve found that the best freezer cookies that I have tried so far are Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies and most recently Halloween Candy Cookies. They taste just as delicious as if you had made them fresh the same day. Making Freezer Cookies makes sense especially for busy Mom’s. You never know when you will need a batch of cookies for a school function, a potluck or holiday gathering. It’s so easy and no one will ever know you baked them straight out of the freezer, unless you tell them.

Making the cookies all the same size is so much easier with a cookie scoop. I use the #40 scoop which is most commonly used for medium size cookies. Once the dough is made, prepare your pans with a layer of parchment paper. Scoop your dough balls and place as many as you can on the lined tray. Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours so that they freeze solid.

Once frozen you can place them into zip lock freezer bags and store in the freezer until you are ready for cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the frozen dough balls on your baking pan spaced approximately 2 inches apart. They will need additional bake time since they are frozen. These go about 15 minutes. I always start with 12 minutes, check to see if they need additional bake time. Check every minute or so after until the edges start to brown. ** For Snickerdoodles, roll the frozen dough in cinnamon sugar before baking.

Once the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are baked, sprinkle some Vanilla Sugar over top.

Here are the Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles.

For the Halloween Candy Cookies, you can press some candy pieces on top if you like. Sprinkle with grey sea salt.

Halloween Candy Cookies

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 cups Candy Bars, chopped, M & M’s and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups were used in these cookies
Grey Sea Salt for sprinkling on top

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time, mixing on low after each addition. Stir in the chopped candy bar pieces.

Prepare your baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop #40 to make dough balls and place on the parchment paper. If needed, make a second pan lined with parchment paper. Place baking sheets in the freezer for 2 hours or until the dough balls are frozen solid. Place the frozen dough into a zip lock freezer bag and back into the freezer.

To bake cookies: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place frozen dough balls on a baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Remove from oven and let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Links for recipes:

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Notes:
For the Snickerdoodle Cookies : Do not roll in Cinnamon Sugar mix until you are ready to bake them.
For the Halloween Cookies: Mix or match any candy bar or candy pieces you choose. Chop 2 cups to add to your cookie dough.
Just my experience: I found that Oatmeal Cookies, Calypso Cookies, and Chocolate Chip Cookies baked flat and thin. They tasted good but they did not bake the same as when made fresh.