Baking Frozen Cookie Dough: A Step-By-Step Guide

Storing cookie dough in the freezer is an easy way to whip up a fresh batch of cookies whenever needed.

It saves you the effort of collecting the different ingredients and preparing the dough each time.

So, how to bake cookie dough from frozen?

Let’s find out.

Steps to Bake Frozen Cookie Dough

The best thing about having frozen cookie dough is that you can bake it directly.

You can pull it out of the freezer and bake it without waiting for it to thaw.

However, frozen cookie dough bakes a little differently than fresh cookie dough.

The cookies can end up slightly puffier with a soft interior and crisp exterior.

The following steps will help you bake frozen cookie dough for the best results.

1. Cook from Frozen by Starting the Oven at A Higher Temperature

Freezing cookie dough makes it thick and dry.

Since the texture of the dough changes in the freezer, the way it cooks will also differ.

When baking or cooking frozen items instead of fresh ones, you will have to adjust either the time, temperature, or both.

Depending on how you alter the cooking settings, the results will vary.

So adjust for this fact when working with frozen cookie dough.

One of the ways to do this is to start the oven at a higher temperature.

Set the oven temperature to 20 degrees more than what is mentioned in the recipe for just a few minutes.

Wait for three to four minutes. Then reduce it to the temperature mentioned in the recipe.

This simple step ensures that the texture of the cookies is like what you would get with fresh dough.

This method requires you to be around to reduce the temperature after three or four minutes.

Leaving the cookies unattended or getting the time wrong can compromise the results.

2. Increase the Heat

An alternative to the previous method is to bake the cookies at a slightly higher temperature than in the recipe.

You can set the oven temperature to twenty degrees more than mentioned in the recipe.

This helps the frozen dough crisp up on the outside. Meanwhile, the insides remain soft and gooey.

The texture, in this case, would be significantly different from what you would get with fresh dough.

However, many people like gooey cookies with soft and chewy insides.

Related: Various Types of Cookie Dough | How to Fix Sticky Cookie Dough?

3. Reduce the Heat and Bake for Longer than The Recipe Suggests

Any frozen food takes slightly longer to cook than fresh food, regardless of the cooking method.

Cookies are no exception.

You can bake frozen cookie dough at a lower temperature than in the recipe.

This allows the dough to cook slowly and evenly.

It’s a gentle way of baking the dough.

The cookies will end up thoroughly and properly baked. But it will take more time.

A batch of up to twelve cookies may take at least five extra minutes when you reduce the temperature by twenty degrees.

The advantage of this technique is that you don’t have to be involved in the cooking process.

Since you need not change the temperature during baking, you can set the oven up and leave it to do the work unsupervised.

4. Bake for Longer at The Same Temperature

If you don’t want to bake the cookies at a lower temperature, you can extend the baking time.

Since the dough is frozen, a few extra minutes will help it bake better.

In this case, you will not need as much time as when you lower the oven temperature for baking.

Just one or two extra minutes will be enough to thoroughly bake the cookies.

In this case, the cookies will end up being crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

The texture closely resembles what you get when you work with fresh dough.

The main benefit of this method is that you don’t have to be involved in the cooking process.

You can just set the temperature and time and attend to the cookies after they are done.

5. Thaw Before Baking

Unless it’s specified, you don’t have to thaw frozen cookie dough.

Nonetheless, some bakers prefer to wait for the dough to thaw.

The good news is that cookie dough thaws quickly. It usually reaches room temperature in 1 to 2 hours.

You can leave it on the countertop for thawing. The cookie dough will begin to soften in an hour.

However, depending on the recipe, it can take longer to become pliable.

For certain types of cookies, like drop cookies, you don’t have to wait for the dough to soften completely.

However, it’s necessary for cookie dough that must be rolled and cut into different shapes.

When thawing most types of cookie dough on the countertop, remember that you should use it while it’s still cool.

The chilled dough holds the shape better and produces a better texture for the cookies.

6. Thaw in The Refrigerator

You can thaw cookie dough by keeping it at room temperature for an hour or two.

This method takes less time.

The dough is usually ready for baking by the time your oven preheats.

The other option is to thaw it overnight in the freezer.

Though this method takes longer, it’s better than thawing the dough on the countertop.

When you thaw cookie dough in the refrigerator, the process is gentler.

The cool temperature of the refrigerator allows the dough to thaw evenly without any frozen bits.

Another advantage is that you don’t have to check on the dough during the thawing process.

The dough will remain cool even after all the frozen bits are eliminated.

So, you can directly take it out and bake it without further chilling.

7. Thaw Frozen Cookie Dough Logs Partially

If you freeze cookie dough in the form of logs, it can be difficult to cut them for baking.

To make it easier, you can partially thaw these logs of dough.

Allow the logs to thaw on the countertop for ten to fifteen minutes.

This should help them soften and be easy to cut.

You can slice them to the desired thickness and bake them using any of the methods we mentioned.

Another method is to thaw the logs completely.

It will take one to two hours on the countertop or slightly longer in the refrigerator.

Completely thawing the logs ensures that the cookies aren’t crumbly.

They will be soft on the inside but crisp on the outside.

Related: Keeping Cookie Dough in The Fridge

8. Thaw Dough Balls Till They Are Pliable

Some bakers prefer to store cookie dough in the form of discs or balls. In this case, the dough hardens.

So it will be more difficult to cut.

Since you can’t bake frozen cookie dough directly, you must wait for the dough balls to soften slightly.

It will be the right texture in an hour or two when thawed on the countertop.

Depending on the type of cookie dough, you may have to wait a little longer.

For instance, it will need more time if you must roll out the dough and cut it into the desired shapes.

However, the rest of the baking process remains the same.