Why You Shouldn't Freeze Cookie Dough Rolled In Sugar

Cookie dough is the best freezer surprise. Rifle beneath bags of frozen vegetables and pre-made pizzas, and you may find a batch of forgotten cookie dough. Freezing dough is easy, though to maximize your freezer space, roll your dough into a log for slice-and-bake cookies. You'll need to store the dough in plastic, but it will be easy to access — and easier to bake when the time comes.

But freezing isn't as straightforward as it seems — and making cookies isn't as quick as recipes suggest. According to CNN, cookies seem easy enough when compared to complicated pie and cake recipes. However, cookies can prove deceivingly time-consuming due to the batched nature of baking. Because cookie dough bakes on trays, there's plenty of waiting, particularly when a recipe yields more than a dozen cookies — and your tray can only fit a certain number at a time.

To cut corners where you can, you may be inclined to freeze extra dough. But not all steps can be expedited, nor all doughs frozen. According to Kitchn, adding sugar too early is one mistake that will harm your cookies' appearance.

Baking cookies is an exercise in patience and some things can't be rushed, especially when it comes to holiday party cookies. Many festive cookies, like holiday chocolate crinkle cookies, call for a dusting of powdered or granulated sugar. This final, sweet step results in a stunning appearance and a tastier coating, but is one that should be saved for the very last minute.

For your next batch of sugar-dusted cookies, you'll want to skip adding the sugar until after your cookies have come out of the freezer. Per Kitchn, rolling your cookies in sugar prior to freezing may cause the sugar to clump, creating an uneven texture and appearance. This consistency will disrupt the baking and inhibit that perfectly crinkled effect.

Betty Crocker's recipe for chocolate crinkle cookies reminds bakers to drop their dough into powdered sugar, shape into balls, and then bake — and you only need about 10 minutes for the ultimate, sugar-dusted, crinkle cookies. So if you're batch-making crinkle cookies for your holiday party cookie swaps, you'll want to hold off on the sugar until you're ready to bake. 

Sure, it'll add more time to your baking regiment, but what's a few extra minutes for better texture and appearance?