This easy, freezer-friendly cookie dough is great to have on hand when the cravings hit for a freshly baked cookie or last-minute treat! And the best part? There's no scooping & it uses melted butter so no mixer needed!
Why I Love This Freezer Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- No mixer needed! All you need is a big bowl and a spatula to make this freezer dough! Because it uses melted butter, there is NO mixer required!
- No Scooping: I've never liked making freeze dough because of all the scooping. With this method, skip the cookie scoop and just press into the pan and cut!
- Super Versatile: Use any mix-ins you like to make any kind of cookie dough you're craving! This is a great way to use up half-opened bags of chocolate chips in your pantry.
- Cheaper than store-bought: To make this dough, I simply make a 4x batch of my favorite cookie recipe, which gives us 60 cookies for about $13! And you could easily go cheaper than that depending on the type of chocolate chips/candy you use. To get this many of the bigger pre-packaged ones would be about double that. Plus this cookie dough freezes beautifully so it's the best way to ensure you have a delicious batch of cookies whenever the cookie cravings hit!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Unsalted butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter in most of my baking so I can control the amount of salt. If you only have salted butter, you can just omit the additional salt. Also, since you'll be melting the butter no need to let it soften or come to room temperature.
- Sugar: You'll need both light brown sugar and granulated sugar for these cookies. You can also use dark brown sugar, if you have it on hand.
- Eggs: Using a whole egg helps to bind these cookies together and keep them moist.
- Baking essentials: vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder and salt (omit if using salted butter)
- All-purpose flour: For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free 1-to-1 flour but I personally like them best with half GF flour, half almond flour (like my chewy gluten-free cookie cake).
- Chocolate chips or mix-ins: I love using semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Nestle or Costco brand). Feel free to make these with your favorite chocolate chips, chunks, M&M's, or dairy-free chocolate chips!
Make it gluten-free! Use your favorite gluten-free flour to make this gluten-free! My favorite brand is Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
How to Make Cookie Dough
Step 1: Melt Butter
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the unsalted butter (2 cups, i.e. 4 sticks) and cover with a paper towel (will help for splattering).
- Melt the butter in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until all is melted (no chunks left).
Step 2: Make Dough
- Step 1: to the melted butter, mix in light brown sugar (2 cups) and granulated sugar (1 cup) and use a spatula to stir until combined.
- Step 2: Stir in eggs (4 large) and vanilla extract (1 tablespoon). Next, mix in baking soda (1 teaspoon), baking powder (1 teaspoon), and salt (1 teaspoon).
- Step 3: Add in all-purpose flour (5 cups) and mix until all the flour disappears into the dough. The dough WILL be wet and sticky, this is normal.
- Step 4: Mix in all chocolate chips or mix-ins (4 cups total).
Step 3: Press Into Pan
Spray a rimmed half-sheet pan with nonstick spray and line with with parchment paper. Press dough into an even single layer in the pan.
Step 4: Cut & Freeze
Cut into 60 squares (a bench scraper works well for this), cover with plastic wrap, and freeze pan for 1 hour, or until dough is frozen.
Step 5: Store or Bake Cookie Dough
- Remove from freezer, break into individual squares or slabs, and freeze in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container.
- On each bag or container, write the date you made them and the baking instructions "Bake from frozen at 350℉ for 11-13 minutes."
- Ready to bake? Place cookie dough squares on parchment-lined cookie sheet (I recommend a light-colored metal pan) and bake. You want them to be slightly brown on top and look slightly underbaked (my oven was perfect at 11 minutes).
- Remove from oven and place entire pan on a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool on the hot pan for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This will allow them to finish baking on the hot pan. Once cooled, use a spatula to transfer them to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!
Tip: Baking times will vary based on oven and size of squares you cut. Remove from oven when the edges look lightly golden brown and the center looks a tiny bit wet. They will finish baking on the hot baking pan as they cool.
Tips & Variations
- Consistency: Since we're using melted butter, this is more of a wet dough that should be the consistency of a very loose playdoh. If your dough is too liquidy, you can add a few tablespoons of flour until it firms up a little bit (dough can vary based on the butter you use). The dough will also firm up as it sits, so you can let it sit on counter for a few minutes (or pop in fridge if it is really too runny).
- Chop half the chocolate: By doing so, you'll get more chocolate dust in every bite and it will also help the cookies spread a bit more!
- Reshape after baking, if wonky: Since we're cutting this cookie dough into squares, you may want to use a bowl or round cookie cutter (slightly larger than your cookie) to wiggle warm cookie into a circle after baking. You need to do this immediately after emoving from the oven.
- Mix-ins: There are so many different types of cookie dough you can with this recipe! Try s'mores, peanut butter, or m&m variations!
- Fresh cookies: Ready to enjoy your cookies now? Try my one bowl chocolate chip cookies now!
Freeze or Gift
Store cookie dough in a freezer-safe bag or freezer container for up to 3 months. If storing in a plastic freezer bag, try to get as much air out as possible to prevent freezer burn.
Not only is frozen cookie dough the perfect thing to keep in the freezer but it's also a delicious gift for a friend! I love gifting fresh-baked cookies, but when you gift frozen cookie dough it's like a gift that keeps on giving. You can always bake a few fresh cookies then take the cold cookie dough that they can enjoy at a later date!
Check out these 7 easy cookie packaging ideas if you need some inspo for how to package homemade cookies!
freebie!
Get my free printable holiday cookie dough tags!
Frequently Asked Questions:
No, you do not need to let this cookie dough thaw before baking. You can add it to the pan straight from the freezer and bake as directed.
Baking times will depend on the size you cut your homemade cookie dough. If you cut into 60 squares, the cookies should be done in about 11-13 minutes. However, if you cut bigger squares, you may need to adjust the bake time to 12-16 minutes, depending on how you like your cookies.
Yes, you can scoop individual dough balls if you prefer. Personally, I prefer pressing the dough into the pan as it's much easier and faster. Plus, since this dough it more of a wet dough (since we're using melted butter) the consistency can be hard to keep shaped in balls of dough. If you want to scoop this cookie dough, place balls of cookie dough on parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for an hour, or until frozen. Another reason I prefer pressing the dough into the pan is it ensures you don't have leftover dough but either way works!
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Freezer Cookie Dough
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the 2 cups unsalted butter (i.e. 4 sticks) and cover with a paper towel (will help for splattering). Melt the butter in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until all is melted (no chunks left).
- To the melted butter, mix in 2 cups light brown sugar and 1 cup granulated sugar and use a spatula to stir until combined.
- Stir in 4 large eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Next, mix in 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Add in 5 cups all-purpose flour and mix until all the flour disappears into the dough. The dough WILL be wet and sticky, this is normal.
- Mix in all 4 cup chocolate chips or mix-ins.
- Spray a rimmed half-sheet pan with nonstick spray and line with with parchment paper. Press dough into an even layer in the pan.
- Cut into 60 squares (a bench scraper works well for this), cover with plastic wrap, and freeze pan for 1 hour, or until dough is frozen. Remove from freezer, break into individual squares or slabs, and freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container. On each bag or container, write the date you made them and the instructions "Bake from frozen at 350℉ for 11-13 minutes."Baking times will vary based on oven and size of squares you cut. Remove from oven when the edges look lightly golden brown and the center looks a tiny bit wet. They will finish baking on the hot pan as they cool.
Did you make this?
I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts! Leave a review & photo of your creation and be sure to mention @DesignEatRepeat or tag #DesignEatRepeat on Instagram!Save this recipe!
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I’m very excited to see how these turn out! P.S. Your instructions don’t say which step to add the butter in!
Thank you so much for this recipe! My husband and I are making cookies this year and want to decorate them!!🎄🎄
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Rebecca!
Loved it! Made so many gifts! Doing every year!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Jasmine! I really appreciate it!
Do you have a printable for the tags?
Fantastic idea! Now I’ve got the perfect gift for neighbors and coworkers.
How long can the dough stay frozen? How can I avoid freezer burn if I make these a month ahead of my Christmas party?
I’d freeze then vacuum seal to avoid freezer burn