Today our household has a hectic schedule. And, I'm having one of those days where I'd like a little extra something that only comes from a freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie (and my daughter will love the surprise when she comes home from school as a special treat). This is when I'm so happy to open my freezer and find homemade gluten-free cookie dough ready to bake.
Twenty years ago I learned how to freeze cookie dough from a PBS show, and I've been relying on this old kitchen trick ever since. Now that our family is gluten-free and dairy-free, I find this technique of being prepared essential. Here's how I freeze gluten-free cookie dough and have homemade cookies in 15 minutes, anytime.
Tip
Frozen gluten-free cookie dough makes the best gift to someone who has just found out they have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
1. Prepare your favorite cookie dough (my current easy recipe is Pamela's classic chocolate chip cookie recipe). Pamela's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour is my staple and always in the pantry.
2. Scoop out the dough onto a cookie sheet. You can place the cookie dough balls next to each other (but not touching) because they are going directly into the freezer and not the oven at this point. Place this entirely filled cookie sheet into the freezer.
3. Once the dough is hard and frozen, plop them into a zip bag and store back in the freezer.
4. When you are craving freshly baked cookies, just bake off as many as you'd like following the baking instructions from your recipe. Add one extra minute (or maybe two) of baking time for frozen cookies.
Now that we've gobbled up these delicious gluten-free and dairy-free cookies, I must remember to make another batch of dough and freeze for the next time!