Diets and healthy eating may be de rigueur this time of year, but that doesn't mean we all have to give up cookies. For us the temptation lies in large batches; if we bake two dozen then we're in trouble.
A better idea for those of us who live alone or with just one other person is to bake cookies from the freezer. There are several recipes we love that can be frozen and baked off one-by-one.
Good freezer cookie recipes generally come in two varieties: scoop and roll, and icebox cookies.
An example of each freezer cookie recipe, with directions for freezing below...
1. Scoop and roll: A perfect example is the recipe for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Monster Cookies we posted yesterday. Other good candidates are classic chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies.
• To freeze individually, roll in balls and put on a cookie sheet. Freeze until hard - about an hour. Then remove the frozen cookie dough balls from the cookie sheet and freeze in a gallon freezer bag. Make sure to label with date and cookie variety. You can bake these at the same temperature called for in the recipe; just give them a minute or two longer.
2. Icebox cookies: Icebox cookies are cookies made from dough rolled into a long log. The cookies are sliced off one by one for even sizing and thickness. This can be done immediately, or you can freeze the log and slice them as the mood takes you. We did this often with our favorite Earl Grey Tea Cookies. Ultra-Chewy Lemon Coconut Cookies would also work well.
• Freeze the cookie dough log, wrapped well in plastic wrap or wax paper. These cookies will be even easier to cut after the dough is frozen. Bake at recommended temperature for just slightly longer than specified in the original recipe.
Do you have any favorite freezer cookies?
I keep logs of gingersnap dough in the freezer, for impromptu parties or when I just want a couple of cookies. I use the Chez Panisse recipe via David Lebovitz, and it's delicious.
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Another tip: cookie dough (for drop cookies, sugar cookies etc) keeps well in the refrigerator for almost a month. My family always makes a batch of cookie dough then refrigerates the rest to make just a few cookies at a time.
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