Top 25 Holiday Cookie Recipes

Most cookies are best eaten the day they’re made, or within a day or two of baking. If you can’t finish off a baker’s dozen in 24 hours flat, the good news is that you can freeze them!

Make sure your cookies are cool, then place them on a lined sheet pan in a single layer. Let them freeze for an hour or two, then once they are frozen solid, move them to labeled freezer-safe bags or containers to store. They can be stored for 1 month in the freezer (the longer they spend in the freezer, the less fresh they taste. I try to just keep them in there for a week). Move them to the refrigerator the night before serving.

Sometimes cookies or bars with cream cheese don’t freeze quite as well. I have had mixed results; I have frozen cream cheese bars and had them thaw beautifully, but occasionally freezing them has changed the texture slightly.

Frosted/glazed cookies don’t always freeze great – the glaze can get a little wonky in the freezer, and lose its glossy shine. I would recommend freezing the cookie base, and then glazing after they are thawed.

To freeze cookie dough balls, scoop the balls as directed, and freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. When the dough is frozen solid, transfer the balls to a freezer-safe storage bag. Dough can be refrigerated up to 1 month.