Freeze right there

Yesterday’s post may have pointed out the downside of refrigerators, but today’s post is all about the advantages. We’re moving from the fridge to the freezer today, as Epicurious provides us useful tips on freezing cookie dough. The holidays can be a very busy and stressful time, but you can use your freezer to get a head start on your baking.

You can freeze almost any type of cookie dough, and even some already baked cookies. For cutout cookies like sugar cookies and gingerbread, Epicurious recommends freezing the dough in flattened discs, and then thawing the disks until they are flexible enough to roll and cut.

Drop cookies like chocolate chip, oatmeal, or molasses are even easier. Just roll the prepared dough into balls. (Use a spring-loaded scoop to speed up the process.) “Freeze the dough balls on cookie sheets until firm. Then store the balls in a plastic freezer bag until you’re ready to bake them.”

Slice and bake cookies were made for freezing, since most recipes instruct you to chill the dough anyway. Thaw the dough for about an hour in the fridge or a quarter of that time at room temperature before slicing and baking. Most doughs can be frozen for up to a month, so you can start now. Check out the Epicurious article for more tips to help with your holiday baking.

Photo of Dark-chocolate cutout cookies from Martha Stewart Living Magazine