10 Cookies You Can Make And Freeze Now for Christmas

10 freezable Christmas cookie recipes to give you a head start on the busy baking season from gingerbread and shortbread to slice and bake dough, chocolate chip cookies, and more! Your holidays are about to get super chill!

rolling out cookie dough for freezable Christmas cookies.

my best freezable cookies

Armed with these 10 freezable Christmas cookie recipes you should be able to sail through holiday baking season with ease. The freezer is your best friend, as long as you know the dos and don’ts. It allows you to bake according to your own schedule, which is priceless. One of my favorite tricks is to use the freezer to help me break up more complicated baking projects into do-able chunks. I’ll make and freeze my cut out gingerbread or sugar cookies and save the decorating for another day. Score!

When frozen and thawed properly, you shouldn’t be able to tell a previously frozen cookie from one that is fresh baked! Let’s dive in to the dos and don’ts of freezing Christmas cookies…

Gingerbread cut out cookies, a perfect freezable Christmas cookie that can be decorated after defrosting. — gingerbread trees

cookie freezing faqs

when should you freeze cookies?
- If you aren’t planning to serve your cookies within a few days of baking, freezing is the best option, even if it’s for a very short duration.

what is freezer burn?
- Freezer burn happens when air comes in contact with the surface of your food in the freezer. It’s not a food safety issue at all, but a cosmetic one. Freezer burns causes dried spots that can look gray or white.

how long can I freeze cookies for?
- Technically cookies can be frozen for 6 months, but for best results I recommend freezing cookies for 6 weeks to 2 months. The longer cookies sit in the freezer the higher the risk of deterioration.

why do I need to double wrap cookies?
- Your goal is to keep as much air away from your cookies as possible, so double wrapping is a great trick. I usually do plastic first, then foil, or a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag.

do I really need to use freezer bags? They’re more expensive!
- Yes, they really do make a difference, the heavier plastic is made to keep out air. The good news is that you can reuse them.

thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies wrapped up as a gift. — Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These universally beloved cookies are easy to make and because they are so simple they freeze beautifully without losing any of their charm.

cookie freezing tip

If you crave the full on cookie baking experience without the work, freeze drop cookies like these before baking. To flash freeze unbaked cookies ~ just form the cookies, fork marks and all, and then freeze on a baking sheet until solid. Pop them into a heavy duty freezer bag and you can bake up one (or a dozen) on a whim. Remember to allow a little extra baking time to account for the cold dough.

making cross-hatch marks on peanut butter cookies.

Oatmeal cookies get a holiday makeover with a lacy maple glaze. Lots of us prefer these familiar cookies to the overly decorated fussy types during the holidays.

cookie freezing tip

These iced cookies will do fine in the freezer, just make sure the icing is completely hardened before you freeze. And separate the cookies with sheets of waxed paper to prevent sticking.

Maple Glazed Oatmeal Cookies on a wooden table.

Shortbread cookies are made with a large percentage of butter, and if you’ve ever stashed extra butter in your freezer, you know that butter freezes perfectly.

Dedicate an area of your freezer to your cookies so they won’t be disturbed every time you’re shuffling around for the frozen peas. Ideally the back of the freezer is the coldest, and the safest spot for your cookies.

a stack of cranberry orange shortbread cookies.

These pretty stamped cookies are a fun project for early in the holiday season, before things get hectic. See the cookie stamps I used, here.

It’s ok to freeze glazed cookies, especially plain glazes like this, but follow best practices: pack the cookies in a sturdy container so they won’t jostle around, and lay sheets of waxed paper between layers to protect the surfaces. If there’s extra room in your container add some scrunched paper towel to fill in and support the cookies. These are best used within a month or so for best quality. To defrost, remove them from their container and arrange on paper towels to thaw on the counter.

a stack of soft glazed gingerbread cookies.

These ginger molasses cookies are famous for their chewy texture. They’re family favorites and usually the first cookies we make every season. When my kids were young we made them together. When they went off to college they loved getting that special shipment every December. So did their roommates!

Sturdy cookies like these don’t have to be pre-frozen, just stack them tightly into a freezer safe container and pop in the freezer.

While you might not think of chocolate chip cookies as holiday cookies, I’ve found they’re always the first to go in a Christmas assortment. You just can’t improve on perfection.

Have you noticed a through line here? Most of these delicious cookies are rather plain, which makes them good candidates for freezing. Once a cookie is frosted or sprinkled, it doesn’t fare as well in the freezer. Get a head start on your holiday baking with the plainer cookies in your assortment, like these Tate’s copycat thin and crispies.

thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies on a marble surface.

Classic gingerbread cutout cookies are one of my favorite make-ahead cookies. I freeze the plain cut out cookies and then have fun decorating them after de-frosting. It cuts the work, and the clean-up, in half! (A set of stainless steel cookie cutters will last a lifetime.)

Gingerbread cookies are extremely sturdy and have a famously long shelf life, which makes them a great candidate for freezing. They’ll come out of the freezer looking exactly as they did going in.

gingerbread star cookies ready to frost.

When it comes to freezable Christmas cookies, slice and bake dough is my favorite. My dad loved pecan sandies and so they were always a part of our holidays. They’re an old fashioned but sophisticated cookie that freezes beautifully, thanks to its shortbread base.

Slice and bake cookie dough is ideal for freezing. You can freeze the whole log of cookie dough for carefree baking whenever you’re ready, just stack them like firewood at the back of your freezer 😉 Let a frozen log thaw overnight in the fridge the night before you want to bake.

Drop cookie dough can be frozen in balls on a lined baking sheet until hard, and then transferred to a heavy duty freezer bag or airtight freezer container.
Cut-out dough can be patted into flattened discs, then wrapped in plastic, and popped in heavy duty zip lock freezer bags. Force out any extra air before zipping.
Unbaked cut out cookies can also be placed on a lined baking sheet and frozen until hard, then carefully stacked, with wax paper between layers, in an airtight freezer container.

slicing a log of pecan sandies cookie dough.

I can’t think of anything more luxurious than knowing you have a stash of these chocolatey cookies in the freezer. These little mounds of pure chocolate are the perfect centerpiece for any cookie collection. A cookie scoop guarantees your cookies will bake up the same size.

Soft or delicate cookies like these brownie cookies should be frozen in a sturdy container, with layers of waxed paper to protect their surfaces. Be sure to let them cool completely before freezing. Any extra moisture will condense in the freezer and make your cookies soggy.

a stack of easy brownie cookies, on parchment paper.

Twice baked biscotti are exceptionally sturdy and crisp, making them the perfect freezable Christmas cookies. You can leave them as is, or give them a dunk in chocolate after they defrost, it’s your call.

cookie freezing tip

Sturdy biscotti can be frozen in heavy duty zip lock freezer bags that can be flat stacked in your freezer to save space. Remember to push out any excess air before zipping closed.

cranberry pistachio biscotti are ideal freezable Christmas cookies.

happy baking!