Chewy, chocolate chip cookies are the perfect compliment to a chilly evening indoors. Whether you’re enjoying them right out of the oven or freezing them for unexpected guests, soft, homemade cookies never go out of style.
If your kids are anything like mine, they are constantly wanting something sweet to nibble on. Don’t fall into the trap that is the candy bar aisle at the grocery store! Double, triple or quadruple this no-fuss recipe and freeze the dough or baked cookies for later.
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How should I freeze my cookies for later use?
You are going to love having chewy, chocolate chip cookies on the ready. Here are two ways to pull it off:
Freezing the Dough
Form cookie-size spoonfuls of dough using an ice-cream scoop, melon ball or the palm of your hand. Place the balls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Freeze them on the tray until the tops are hard. Transfer dough balls to a Ziplock bag. Keep for up to six months.
Freezing Baked Cookies
Place COMPLETELY COOLED cookies on a baking sheet, covered in parchment paper. Allow each cookie to individually freeze. Transfer the frozen cookies to a flat-bottomed, airtight storage container. Make sure each layer of cookies is separated by parchment paper to prevent the cookies from freezing/sticking together. Keep for up to six months.
If You Don’t Want to Freeze the Dough, Refrigerate it!
Roll the cookie dough into a 1.5 inch thick log. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap. When you are ready to use the dough, remove the plastic wrapping and slice the log into discs. Bake as instructed below! Cookie dough can be kept up to three days in the refrigerator.
How Should I Store my Fresh-Baked Cookies?
Fresh-baked, homemade cookies last for up to three days at room temperature. To keep that out-of-the-oven texture and taste and prevent the morsels from becoming stale, store your cooled cookies in an air-tight container for up to a week.
Soft Versus Crispy Cookies
Soft Cookies
Want to make EXTRA chewy cookies? Use four egg yolks versus two regular eggs. Egg yolks have more fat than egg whites. More fat means more chewy-ness! Another trick is swapping the all-purpose flour for cake flour. Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour, which creates a fluffier texture.
Crispy Cookies
Cookies made without brown sugar are going to be harder and flatter. If you like a crispier cookie, use all white sugar. Also, bake your cookies at a lower temperature. This will allow the cookies to spread before rising.
Cookies Hacks from Me to You:
- Add in peanuts or walnuts for some extra crunch.
- Spread the cookie dough into a greased, 10-inch cast iron skillet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until the edges turn crispy brown. Cut the giant cookie into pie slices and top each piece with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream. YUM!
- Bake your cookies as directed above. Let the cookies completely cool. Scoop your favorite ice cream onto one cookie and top with another to make ice cream sandwiches. Put individual sandwiches in ziploc bags to freeze for a quick treat.
- Try chilling your cookie dough from anywhere between 10 minutes and 2 hours prior to baking. This allows the dough to fully absorb the flavor of all the ingredients. You can use the chilling time to straighten up the kitchen. Who doesn’t like killing two birds with one stone?
Other Chocolate Cookies to Try:
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter softened
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 cup Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 tsp Hot Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt.
- Stir in flour, chocolate chips.
- Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans. Leaving enough space between each cookie.
- Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.
If I freeze the dough in balls as you described, do I need to let them thaw completely before baking? Or can I bake them frozen?
Also, what temp and how long to bake after freezing?
Hey Rachel, bake them frozen, we add 2-3 extra minutes to the baking time.
Good job Ethan!
Ethan was happy to see your comment. Thank you!
This is a great recipe! Made them extra chewy by taking your tip and adding 4 yolks instead of two eggs. They turned out exactly how I like my chocolate chip cookies:)) So much better than the store bought!!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
Hey Dina, sounds amazing. thank you for sharing your feedback! I think it will help others as well.
2Tbsp vanilla or 2 tsp?
The cookies need 2 tsp of vanilla extract. Thanks for asking!
These look so soft and amazing. I can't wait to try them, thanks for sharing.
Val, thank you! I hope you all love them as much as we did. Make sure to double up the recipe 🙂 Comes in handy.
Thanks never thought of freezing them before
Yes, it has been so great to have them on hand for later.
what temperature do you bake them at?
Bake chocolate chip cookies at 350F.
YUM! Are these soft an chewy? I have been looking for a soft choc chip cookie recipe for a while now.
Yes, they are soft and chewy. You have to make sure not to overbake them, this is when they would come out dry.