Can You Freeze Snickerdoodle Dough?

Making homemade cookies from scratch can be a fun but time-consuming process. Many folks will opt to make a lot more dough than they need at the moment, freezing the rest for a later time. Can you do this with snickerdoodle dough?

We checked out the science behind this from multiple professional sources, so you'll know if you should tuck a batch away in your freezer.

Because of the key ingredients in snickerdoodle dough, you can freeze it for some time.

This will allow you to always have some on hand to bake without going through the hassle of making the dough every time.

Now that we know it's okay to freeze snickerdoodle dough, we'll look at how to best freeze this concoction safely. You might also be curious if freezing cookie dough will change the taste or if the cream of tartar is essential to snickerdoodle dough.

For the answers to these questions and more, read ahead in this post to see what our research has uncovered.

How to freeze snickerdoodle dough

Once your batches of dough are made, freezing some of them for another time takes a little more effort than just tossing lumps of dough into the freezer in a container. For the freshest results, you'll want to ensure that you follow a few steps.

Roll the snickerdoodle dough into the recommended balls from your recipe. Let these balls chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Then, it will be time to remove them and prepare them for a long stay in your freezer.

Carefully place the chilled dough balls into an airtight container. Ziploc bags work perfectly for this. Label the date on the bag, then put it in the freezer.

The next time you have a desire for snickerdoodles, all you'll need to do is remove them from the freezer and pop them into the oven.

What cookie dough cannot be frozen?

Cookie dough recipes with good amounts of butter and/or fat are much more conducive for staying in your freezer. These agents work to hold the dough together at low temperatures, keeping the dough balls from crumbling.

But not all types of cookie dough can be successfully frozen. Some types are just too delicate to be exposed to the cold for very long, compromising both the taste and consistency of the dough.

French macaron dough is an excellent example of a dough that should never be frozen. Additionally, we advise against putting pizzelle or madeleine dough into your freezer.

How long can you store snickerdoodle dough?

We know from the information provided earlier in this post that it's perfectly okay to freeze snickerdoodle dough. But nothing should be frozen forever.

Like almost anything in your home's freezer, snickerdoodle dough has a frozen shelf life before the quality diminishes.

You are recommended to write the date of freezing on the bag for a reason. For best results, you will want to make sure you bake the snickerdoodle dough within three months of it being frozen.

When you are ready to bake with the frozen dough, there is another important item to consider.

You will want to preheat the oven as your recipe instructs. But the recipe is expecting fresh, chilled dough, not frozen balls.

Because your dough is frozen, you will want to allow for at least one more minute of baking time in the oven before the cookies are ready.

Does freezing cookie dough change the taste?

Depending on the type of dough you are freezing and the length of time it has been on ice, you will notice a bit of difference in the taste if the dough is frozen.

Short-term stays in the freezer will not impact the taste of most cookie doughs at all. But if they are kept in for too long, they can get freezer burn.

Freezer burn happens when an item is exposed to cold, dry air for too long. This dries it out, greatly impacting the consistency.

Freezer burn will also diminish the taste of whatever it is that you are freezing. For best results with snickerdoodle dough, be sure that the dough balls are in an airtight container or bag and use them before the three-month window has passed.

Chilling the dough will make the cookies have a better texture as well. Experts maintain that the butter in the dough can brown better when it's cold. The dough will also spread less, and the finished product will be chewier.

Is cream of tartar important in snickerdoodle dough?

If you've baked cookies before, you're familiar with the standard ingredients of most drop cookies; eggs, butter, sugar, flour, etc.

But one ingredient in a snickerdoodle recipe stands out when paired against most other ones for cookies. Cream of tartar is listed in virtually every snickerdoodle recipe, and it is important.

This ingredient is critical for the dough for two reasons. Cream of tartar helps to give the snickerdoodle its texture and form. It also gives it just the right amount of tangy flavor to balance the cinnamon and sugar in the cookie.

There are some substitutes for the cream of tartar out there, like lemon juice with baking powder and vinegar. But no substitute will match the consistency and tang that cream of tartar adds to this popular cookie.

Why are my snickerdoodles falling apart?

If your snickerdoodle cookies are spreading too much or falling apart, there is a problem with how you made your batch of dough. Generally, if you overmix the sugar and the butter, it will cause some issues with how this combination holds the dough together.

If you've used too much flour, you will also notice that the cookies will not stay together. Carefully follow your snickerdoodle recipe to the letter to avoid the cookies falling apart.

Additionally, chilling the balls of dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour will make baking them a much better experience.

Should I let the cookie dough thaw before I bake it?

You might be tempted to take the dough from the freezer and let it thaw before popping the dough balls into an oven. But we've discovered that this isn't necessary.

It's perfectly fine to put the frozen dough balls onto a baking sheet and bake them as soon as the oven has reached temperature.

When you bake the dough, you can either let them stay in the oven for a minute or longer than the recipe's called, or you can try another tactic. Lowering the oven's temperature by 15 degrees will also consider that the dough is frozen, letting it bake properly.

Either way, it's never necessary to thaw frozen snickerdoodle dough before you bake it. This cuts the time down from retrieval to enjoyment!

Is it better to freeze or refrigerate cookie dough?

We know that dough will keep longer in cold temperatures. Earlier in this post, we mentioned that snickerdoodle dough can be safely stored for three months in the freezer without compromising the taste or texture.

And while you can keep the dough in the refrigerator, you'll find that its shelf life in this appliance isn't near as long.

If you refrigerate the dough, you will want to be sure that you use it within a week. At the temperature in your fridge, the ingredients in the dough will slowly begin to spoil.

Keeping the dough in the refrigerator is perfect if you want to use the dough within a few days. But if you know that you will not bake the dough balls after they've been there for a week, go ahead and freeze them to enjoy them another day.

Final thoughts

Snickerdoodle dough can be frozen successfully, making it a snap to bake this popular cookie on a whim without following a recipe from scratch each time you want to make a batch.

Be sure you do not keep this dough frozen for too long, or the taste and consistency will be impacted. When baking frozen dough, allow for a bit more baking time in the oven for the best results.

We hope this post answers all of your questions. For additional information, we suggest reading the following posts:

Why Are My Snickerdoodles Flat? [And How To Prevent This]

How To Make A Cookie Jar Airtight [The Key To Keeping Cookies Fresh!]

Which Oven Rack Is Hottest? [And Which Cooks Food The Fastest?]