Frozen Dough...can I Freeze The Cookies Once Baked?

Baking By cakeflake80 Updated 25 Apr 2012 , 12:12pm by sampit

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cakeflake80 Posted 9 Apr 2012 , 8:00pm
post #1 of 11

Hi everyone! I have a crazy busy week coming up, and was hoping that what I want to do is ok to do from a food safety perspective. I made NFSC dough last week and froze the leftovers, which I plan to use for some cookies for this weekend. I'm really wishing I had actually baked the cookies and then froze them so I don't have to do it this week. Can I thaw the dough, bake the cookies, and then freeze the baked cookies? I know certain foods can't be re-frozen once thawed, but does the fact that I am baking them before freezing them change anything?

10 replies
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leah_s Posted 9 Apr 2012 , 8:06pm
post #2 of 11

Baked goods can be frozen, thawed and refrozen and rethawed. I do it all the time.

Freezing and thawing and refreezing of MEATS causes damage to the meat itself, but unless you temperature abuse the product while it's thawing, there's no food safety risk.

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Annie70 Posted 19 Apr 2012 , 4:00pm
post #3 of 11

So cakeflake do you freeze your sugar cookie already cut out?? I am doing our local farmers market and want to keep everything as fresh as possible. I would like to freeze the raw dough and then bake very thing the day before. I want to make monster cookies but afraid the color in the m&m's will change their color??

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MimiFix Posted 19 Apr 2012 , 8:05pm
post #4 of 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Annie70

So cakeflake do you freeze your sugar cookie already cut out?? I am doing our local farmers market and want to keep everything as fresh as possible. I would like to freeze the raw dough and then bake very thing the day before. I want to make monster cookies but afraid the color in the m&m's will change their color??



I've never had these candies change color but have had mixed experiences with M&M bleeds. It depends upon the dough. I suggest you bake and freeze a couple small cookies to see how your recipe reacts.

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DianeLM Posted 19 Apr 2012 , 8:54pm
post #5 of 11

I agree with Leah (who I seem to be following around the board today icon_smile.gif ) I, too, freeze and thaw cookies made with frozen cookie dough.

There is no risk involved with thawing and refreezing baked goods. Keep in mind, though, that the quality will begin to deteriorate if you do it too often.

When I'm making a sculpted cake, I'll have a variety of shapes and sizes baked and frozen in advance. I'll take them all out of the freezer and what I don't use goes back into the freezer. Some cakes don't make the cut 2 or 3 times! When it gets to be 4 or more times in and out of the freezer, I'll taste it before I use it. I've never had to throw away a cake.

Cookies can survive refreezing several times, too. Keep in mind that after a couple of days what tastes like "not-fresh" to you is "fresh" to most people, since most people don't have the luxury of tasting the cookies straight from the oven. icon_smile.gif

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sugarkissed_net Posted 25 Apr 2012 , 4:10am
post #6 of 11

Thanks for posting this question (and the answers, of course)! I was so excited to see this... what a time saver! Do you ladies know how long u can keep the baked cookies in the freezer?

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cakeflake80 Posted 25 Apr 2012 , 4:47am
post #7 of 11

Thanks so much for all of the responses....I have no idea why I never received an email when the first response was posted!! I didn't even realize anyone answered until I saw it on the main page tonight. Anyways, thank you for letting me know about the freezing/refreezing.....this will save me so much time! I don't cut the cookies and then freeze....I normally just freeze the dough and then cut them when the dough thaws. This takes up less space in my freezer.....otherwise I would probably cut and then freeze!

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Claire138 Posted 25 Apr 2012 , 5:35am
post #8 of 11

I freeze cookies all the time - my kids will only eat them that way!

(Cakeflake - you have to press on the watch this topic for replies in order to see answers to your post)

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scp1127 Posted 25 Apr 2012 , 10:58am
post #9 of 11

Freezing and thawing, each time, adds crystals that deteriorate the product. Each product and recipe will react differently to the process, so you should do a trial run in general. But because so many here have frozen NFSC, including myself, you can rely on the answers for this recipe.

I can taste the difference in MY batters and cookies that have been frozen. But I wouldn't be able to tell in someone else's. You just need to judge each product individually. A friend froze a bunch of my chocolate chip cookies that were left over from a fundraiser for a basketball trip a week later. I could tell, but the boys gobbled them up. When I have a cookie buffet, I will freeze my chocolate chip cookie batter, rolled, in a Food Saver bag, but only for about 12 hours. My batter must be refrigerated for this long anyway. I just am not a fan of freezing anything longer than 12 hours. Cheesecakes actually benefit from a four to six hour freeze. The consistency becomes smoother and more full-bodied. But I can't think of anything, sweet or savory, that benefits from a longer freeze. Just something to keep in mind. The longer the product is frozen, the more crystals form, especially in a frost-free freezer. The Food Saver bags are a huge help with this, but not completely.

My buiness is built on made-to-order small batch baking, but it costs more to do it this way. If your price point isn't high enough to cover this type of baking and killing yourself at the last minute, it's a great way to make your businees run smoother. Just make sure you are happy with the results. If I had more mainstream pricing, I would do it.

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leah_s Posted 25 Apr 2012 , 11:18am
post #10 of 11

I DO store my baked goods in a regular freezer. A frost free freezer is much harder on baked goods, and well anything really. Those freezers may be more convenient, but they're not good for the product inside them.

And since my dessert truck completely sold out of ALL inventory yesterday, I'll be spending today restocking the freezer. I have multiple big events coming up.

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sampit Posted 25 Apr 2012 , 12:12pm
post #11 of 11

it might sounds silly but do you re-bake the cookie after it thawed?

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