Michelle Darmody: How to make sugar cookies for the freezer

I like to bake these cookies and ask younger family members to decorate when I am stuck for an activity to keep them occupied

It is very handy to have the work done and you can then bake the cookies on a day closer to Christmas without any fuss. 

It may seem too early for Christmas baking but hear me out. It is the perfect time to make the dough, roll and cut it and place the unbaked cookies in the freezer. 

It is very handy to have this work done and you can then bake the cookies on a day closer to Christmas without any fuss. 

I particularly like to bake them and ask younger family members to decorate when I am stuck for an activity to keep them occupied.

There are different moments when you can freeze the dough. You can simply make batches of it, wrap it in parchment and pop it into a freezer bag, or you can roll the dough, cut out the cookies and freeze them. 

This has the added benefit of you being able to bake them from frozen. You would need to keep an eye on the cookies as they bake and make sure the centre is the pale biscuit colour you desire, and the edges are just becoming tipped with a golden hue.

You will probably only need to add an extra minute or two to the instructed baking time as the cookies are so small and thin. As ever, it is important to have the oven preheated to the correct temperature.

What you do not want is the cookies softening and defrosting at a lower temperature before they crisp up, as they will spread and lose their snap.

Sugar cookies

It is the perfect time to make cookie dough, roll, cut it, and place the unbaked cookies in the freezer. It is very handy to have this work done and you can then bake the cookies on a day closer to Christmas without any fuss.

Servings

30

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 180g cold butter, cubed

• 180g white sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder, sieved

• 480g plain flour, sieved

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1. Beat the butter and sugar until soft and creamy.

2. Sieve the flour and baking powder together and set aside.

3. Lightly whisk the vanilla into the egg.

4. Add the eggs to the butter mixture a third at a time, adding a spoon of the flour between each third.

5. Beat in the flour until just combined.

6. Scoop the dough onto some baking parchment and fold the paper over to cover the dough.

7. Place this in the fridge for about two hours to firm up. Or you can place it into a freezer bag or freezer-proof container and freeze it at this stage.

8. If you plan to bake the cookies at this stage, line two large flat baking trays with parchment and preheat your oven to 190°C / gas 5 or omit this step if you prefer to freeze your cookies for now.

9. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface. Flour the rolling pin as well and gently tease out the dough until it is about half a centimetre in thickness.

10. Cut out your cookies and place them on the pre-prepared baking trays or place them into a flat oven-proof container with parchment between each layer.

11. If baking now, bake them for about 10 minutes.

12. Once cool enough to handle gently transfer the cookies onto a wire rack.

Michelle's tips

If your dough is too sticky it may be because it was handled too much, and the butter melted. It is best to try and keep your dough cold, so the butter stays relatively firm.

Eggs are used in recipes to bind the other ingredients together. It is best to use eggs which are at room temperature so the egg spreads evenly throughout the cookie dough and emulsifies better.

I tend to use caster sugar more often than granulated sugar when making cookies, but in this recipe, the granulated white sugar adds a nice texture and sweetness.

It is best not to over mix the ingredients particularly after the flour has been added or the cookies will become tough.

When putting the dough into the fridge, I flatten it out into a rectangle about a centimetre thick rather than putting it in a thick lump or log. This makes it much easier to roll as half of the work is already done.

Cooling the cookies in the fridge to firm up after rolling and cutting, will give a crisper result after baking. If you do not have time to cool them, you could place the baking trays in the fridge before placing the cookies onto them, so they are nice and cold.

I use cutters that are about 2.5in in size. If you are using smaller cutters, you will get more cookies but will need to reduce the baking time by a minute or so. Similarly, when using a larger cutter, bake for a little longer.

When cutting out the cookies, try to press straight down and avoid twisting the cutter, this will prevent them going out of shape as they bake.

Cookies bake quickly so the temperature matters. Every oven heats differently so an oven thermometer can help you get an accurate reading. Also, it might be best to rotate the baking trays halfway through baking to ensure the cookies bake evenly, it depends on the ability of the fan and air movement in your oven. You want to keep the colour of the cookies light, a slightly golden edge and pale biscuity centre.

The cookies are very delicate when still warm so need to be moved carefully onto the wire rack. You can use the sheet of parchment to help you do this.

The cookies last for about three days in an airtight container, you can place a sheet of baking parchment between them if layering them up.

Delicious variation: Vanilla sugar cookies

When still warm, sieve vanilla icing sugar over the cookies. To make the sugar, place a vanilla pod that has been sliced lengthwise into a large jam jar of icing sugar and leave it in your cupboard for a few weeks.

This is a great addition to your store cupboard. Vanilla adds complexity of flavour as well as sweetness to cookies or other cakes and buns.