Can I freeze all cookie dough? How far in advance can I make it?
I want to make about 15 varieties of cookies for an upcoming gift exchange. I have a number of recipes together. I already made a few that were listed as freeze, slice and bake dough.
- Can I freeze all cookie dough?
- What ingredients will be a tell tale sign that I can't freeze it?
- Whipped egg whites maybe? A lot of butter?
- If I can't freeze the dough, how far in advance can I make it and store it in the refrigerator?
Here is the list of recipes I've collected FYI. http://pinterest.com/superjac/holiday-cookies/
Best Answer
All baking dough does well in the freezer for a few days. But I'd suggest not thinking of meringue cookie mixture as cookie dough... it's an entirely different animal. I think of dough as anything with lots of flour and a decent amount of fat and moisture in it. You can't freeze anything with whipped egg whites and expect it to survive. You can't even leave whipped egg whites to settle on the counter for very long before they start to loose the air bubbles you've worked so hard to incorporate.
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Quick Answer about "Can I freeze all cookie dough? How far in advance can I make it?"
Chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Place the solid and cold cookie dough balls into a labeled zipped-top bag– large or small depending on how much dough you have. Label the bag with the month and the baking temperature and place the bag in the freezer. Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months.How far in advance can you freeze cookie dough?
How to Freeze Cookie Dough. Most cookie doughs freeze well for up to 3 months. Remember to write the date, type of cookie, and baking instructions on the outside of the package. Drop Cookies: Shape the cookie dough into balls as you would when preparing to bake them.Can you freeze cookie dough to make cookies later?
Form the dough into one or two disks, each about an inch thick. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap, then transfer the disks to a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container. The frozen disks of cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.Can you make all cookie dough ahead of time?
The dough can be made in advance, however if you refrigerate it overnight in an airtight container you may find that it is too firm to scoop and bake quicky in the morning.How far in advance can you make cookie dough before baking?
How long can I keep cookie dough in the refrigerator before baking? Most cookie dough can be refrigerated, well-wrapped, for three to five days before baking. If you want to make it farther in advance, freeze the dough.How to Freeze Cookie Dough
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Answer 2
In addition to what hobs says, cookies which are supposed to be light and fluffy (like snickerdoodles) or fragile and delicate (like tea cakes) aren't a great idea to freeze; the dough texture can change too much during freezing and thawing. Cookies which are supposed to be hard or chewey (like oatmeal cookies or chocolate chip cookies) should do fine though.
However, consider taking an alternative route. First, almost all baked cookies freeze very well, so consider baking the cookies ahead of time and freezing the made cookies instead of the dough. Or, there are many varieties of Ice Box Cookies, which must be refrigerated or frozen before they are made ... and have the virtue of making a really large quantity.
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