Why Store-Bought Cookies Need To Be Frozen Before Dunking Them In Milk

There are two types of people in this world: those who dunk cookies, and those who shove cookies into their mouths the second they lay their paws on them. Both types of people are perfectly justified in their cookie-eating methods, however, this particular hack is for the dunkers out there. If you can't enjoy a cookie unless it's soaked in creamy milk, might we suggest putting it in the freezer first?

Okay, yes, a frozen cookie sounds like a great treat to lead you straight into the dentist's chair — that's why we don't recommend freezing your cookies unless you're planning on following it up with a dunk. The reason why frozen cookies make for supreme dunking specimens, especially in a glass of warm milk, is that the hardened shell has more time to absorb the moisture from the milk without disintegrating the cookie. Plus, any filling like cream, chocolate chips, or even raisins (if you're edgy) softens into a delectable yet firm bite. Freezing your cookies gives all of the ingredients a chance to maintain their integrity throughout the dunk and gives you a variety of textures to chew through.

This works better with your favorite store-bought cookie brands instead of homemade cookies, which everyone knows are best enjoyed chewy, gooey, and straight out of the oven. You'll want to pick out an airy and crunchy type of cookie, such as Oreos or Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Cookies. In fact, this cool (get it?) trick was discovered after TikTok user @thebloomingnest caused a minor internet maelstrom by revealing that she prefers her Oreos frozen. Everyone from former ice cream shop employees to the Oreo brand itself weighed in on the genius of freezing your cookies, with the official Oreo TikTok account commenting, "Okay you're on to something here...."

Although there's technically an optimal amount of time to dunk a cookie that's not frozen, there are still a lot of great reasons to give the ole cookies-in-the-ice-box move a try. For example, you can freeze your Oreos and then crumble them to use as a topper for yogurt parfaits. Freeze a couple of chocolate chip cookies and stick a scoop of vanilla ice cream in between for a fresher ice cream sandwich. Or simply throw some thin mints in the freezer — nothing beats the satisfying crunch of an ice-cold thin mint. What we're saying is, the next time you buy your favorite cookies at the grocery store, throw them in the freezer for a day and get to experimenting. You won't regret it.