Freezing the surplus amount of cookies for the upcoming holiday season is a great way to prepare ahead of time. If you have accidentally thawed more cookies than the required amount, you might now be thinking of a safe way to store them so that they don’t end up getting wasted.
This whole dilemma and a glance over the lovingly baked cookies might leave you wondering, can you refreeze cookies?
You can refreeze bakery and homemade cookies that are thawed in a refrigerator. Cookies can be refrozen several times. You can opt for methods like flash-freezing and vacuum-sealing to ensure optimum flavor. Carefully refrozen cookies will last you for about 6 months or even longer.
Different cookies will react differently to refreezing. So, in this article, we have shared lists of some cookies that are and are not freezer-friendly to help you figure out if you can refreeze them or not.
Table of Contents
Is it Safe to Refreeze Cookies?
Cookies will maintain their gooey, soft texture even after refreezing. If you have a sweet tooth and want to preserve the cookies for a long time, it is entirely safe to refreeze the refrigerator-thawed cookies.
You should avoid refreezing cookies and any food that was either thawed in some other way or was exposed to air for more than 2 hours.
Also, it is better to refrain from refreezing cookies sitting at a room temperature greater than 80-90 degrees F for more than an hour.
It is because methods other than refrigerator thawing bring the food in contact with air for an extended period. And air exposure is hazardous for cookies as it leads to bacterial contamination.
Moreover, prolonged exposure to air will also make the cookie dry and less flavorful. So, it’s recommended to thaw foods in a refrigerator only.
How well the cookies tolerate refreezing also depends on how well you prepare them for refreezing. If you properly double-wrap or vacuum-seal them, you’ll notice that the quality loss is very minimal.
Proper sealing and packaging will also help lower the risk of freezer burn and flavor loss.
What Types Of Cookies Are Safe For Refreezing?
While all cookies are safe for refreezing, a few types tolerate refreezing better than others. Generally, any cookie rich in butter will freeze exceptionally well. Cut-out cookies and drop cookies also refreeze beautifully.
Some cookies that refreeze very well include:
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Oatmeal cookies
- Shortbread
- Gingerbread
- Peanut butter cookies
- Icebox cookies
- Sugar cookies, etc.
What Types Of Cookies Are Not Safe For Refreezing?
Some cookies are better off eating fresh and don’t react well when frozen for the second time. Cookies made with a very runny batter should not be refrozen. It is because these cookies have a very delicate texture that suffers adversely from refreezing.
Cookies that are not freezer-friendly include:
- Pizelles
- Tuiles
- Florentines
- Lace
- Madeline’s, etc.
You can freeze these cookies once, but you should avoid freezing them again at all costs. If you plan on storing them for a long time, it’s better to refreeze them individually or in meal-size batches.
How to Refreeze Cookies?
Refreezing cookies does not involve any rocket science and you can successfully refreeze them by following a few easy steps. You can follow the steps mentioned below to refreeze cookies properly.
- Take the thawed cookies and divide them into desired portions/parts. You can also refreeze them individually.
- Now, fetch a portion and wrap it carefully in plastic wrap, making sure to seal it as tightly as possible.
- Place the wrapped cookies in another plastic wrap and wrap it carefully over the first layer, ensuring there’s no excess air inside. At this point, you can also vacuum-seal the bags if you want to avoid double-wrapping.
- Put the double-wrapped cookies inside a freezer-safe bag/container and seal it well. Also, before sealing the container, make sure to remove as much air as you can.
- Next, label the sealed container with the date of refreezing.
- Lastly, place the container inside a cold corner in the freezer until the next time you want to have some.
How Long Can You Refreeze Cookies?
Properly refrozen homemade cookies will retain the best taste and texture when consumed within 4-6 months. But, sometimes, you can store the cookies for an even more extended period. You can refreeze the bakery cookies until the expiration date crosses.
To enjoy the cookies in the best flavor and texture, try to eat them as soon as possible. However, if the taste doesn’t bother you much, you can keep them in the freezer for as long as you want.
If you want the refrozen cookies to last for a long time, it is crucial to follow the refreezing instructions properly. It will also be best to remember that the homemade/bakery cookies might sometimes turn bad even before the recommended time limit passes.
How Many Times Can You Refreeze Cookies?
There is no fixed limit to how many times you can refreeze cookies. Refrigerator thawed cookies can be refrozen several times. However, it is vital to remember that freezing, thawing, and freezing the cookies will negatively affect the taste, texture, and quality.
You can refreeze the cookies in portions to avoid having to refreeze them again and again. It will allow you to take out and thaw the required amount of cookies only, saving the rest from unnecessary thawing.
Can You Refreeze Cookie Dough?
Cookie dough is the same as bread dough, so you can safely refreeze it. However, this statement is not valid for some kinds of doughs. Cookie dough will last you for 2-3 months after refreezing.
Doughs with a higher fat/butter content tend to tolerate refreezing exceptionally well. So, it is considered safe to refreeze them. Even after refreezing, these doughs will stay in a good state if you wrap the dough tightly and use it within the recommended time.
Cookie doughs with a liquidy/runny texture should not be refrozen, as these doughs will undergo a significant quality deterioration. As a result, the taste will also suffer, so it is best to use these doughs immediately.
Conclusion
It is safe to refreeze previously thawed and refrozen cookies as many times as you want. If you have accidentally thawed a batch of cookies, you can refreeze the unwanted part to save it from wastage.
But, before refreezing, make sure the type of cookies you want to freeze/refreeze are freezer-friendly. Also, ensure they have not been sitting out at a temperature greater than 90 F for more than an hour. It is recommended to refreeze the cookies you thawed in a refrigerator only.
Refrozen cookies will last you for anywhere between 4-6 months. However, sometimes the cookies might last you for a longer or shorter time, so before eating, make sure that they are safe for consumption.