Baking cookies that freeze well is one of our favorite ways to get a head start on the holiday season. Freezing baked cookies now gives you a leg up on holiday prep and ensures Santa has something to snack on. Each of these lasts in the freezer up to three months.
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Pumpkin Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
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This big-batch holiday baking recipe makes a whopping 60 cookies. Whip them up when pumpkins are in season and enjoy them all winter long. You'll love the combination of classic pumpkin pie flavors and creamy white chocolate chips.
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Shortbread Sticks
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Shortbread cookies are rich, buttery, and delicious. Thanks to this make-ahead cookie recipe, it's easy to have them on hand too. Add holiday sparkle to the freezer shortbread cookies with a sprinkle of red sanding sugar before baking.
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Peanut Butter Blossoms
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Peanut butter and chocolate work together like Santa and his elves, helping one another to make the best possible result. The recipe for these classic Christmas cookies makes 54, which might be enough to last as long as they can be frozen (up to three months). With a batch of these in the freezer, all you need to do is thaw them in time for your cookie exchange.
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Hazelnut Kisses
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Who says you have to make cookies from scratch? Dress up purchased sugar cookie dough with chopped hazelnuts and chocolate-hazelnut spread. These chocolate freezer cookies taste so good and look so pretty that no one will guess they aren't from scratch.
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Chocolaty Melting Snowmen
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Our hearts broke a little when we watched Frosty melt. But we can take solace in these adorable melty snowmen cookies. Peanut butter cup hats and sprinkle noses charm anyone eating one of these Christmas cookies. Best yet, these freezer-friendly cookies will live on for three months when frozen.
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Mississippi Mud Cookies
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A fluffy marshmallow frosting is what takes these chocolate Christmas cookies totally over the top. Finish them with toasted pecans and a drizzle of chocolate and they'll be ready to freeze up to three months before the holidays.
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Red Velvet Cheesecake Bars
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Red Velvet Cake? Cheesecake? Chocolate? Check, check, check. These bars have all the best of those three flavors in every bite. And they'll stay creamy and smooth for up to three months in the freezer. For extra decadence, drizzle on milk chocolate before serving.
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Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies
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Adding whole milk ricotta cheese to the batter ensures these lemony cookies stay extra moist. A glaze made with powdered sugar and Meyer lemon zest adds sweet citrus flavor to every bite.
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Easy Sugar Cookies
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These are no ordinary sugar cookies (although there's certainly nothing wrong with those). This recipe, one of our best cookies to freeze, can be customized seven different delicious ways, so there's sure to be a flavor for everyone. Every variation can be frozen for up to three months. White chocolate and pistachio, anyone?
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Chocolate-Peppermint Waffle Cookies
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Instead of making batch after batch of these chocolate cookies the day you need them, waffle them ahead. Before serving, finish the thawed chocolate freezer cookies with a rich chocolate glaze and crushed peppermint candies.
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Cherry-Walnut Balls
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Powdered sugar and sparkly edible glitter make these festive cookies a pretty holiday treat. (If you'd prefer the Christmas cookies to look more like snowballs sparkling in the sun, trade gold or yellow glitter for the red.) Maraschino cherries and toasted walnuts recall ice cream sundae flavors.
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7-Layer Bars
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In addition to all the sugary sweets, the holidays need a few healthy-ish treats. Enter, this seven-layer dessert inspired by trail mix. Guests will still feel like they're indulging after tasting the orange, coconut, and cranberry flavors in these freezer-friendly cookie bars.
Almond Icebox Rounds
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The cream cheese gives this cookie batter richness and tang. A triple dose of almond ensures each treat is big on flavor. Perfect for Christmas, this big-batch cookie recipe makes 60 cookies that will last up to three months in the freezer.
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Copycat Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
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This Christmas cookie recipe is a play on your favorite Girl Scout cookie! Each bite of these shortbread cookies is filled with creamy peanut butter and milk chocolate. Thaw and serve them with a cold glass of milk!
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Candy Cane Sandwich Cookies
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Purists think that traditional Christmas cookies should showcase the flavors of the season. These freezable cookies do that in sandwich form. Sandwich DIY peppermint filling between two red-swirled sugar cookies.
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Soft Maple Sugar Cookies
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We can't get enough maple, especially during fall and winter. Look for pure maple syrup to use in these sugar cookies. An irresistible maple glaze finishes the thawed cookies.
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The Best Sugar Cookies
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Take a note from Santa and eat these sugary cookies with big glasses of milk. These treats are soft, moist, and chewy—not crispy—even after up to three months in the freezer.
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Macarons
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These colorful macarons will be the star of the Christmas cookie exchange. Once you've mastered the baking technique, decorate the homemade holiday cookies with sprinkles, metallic icing, and cocoa powder. Freeze the macarons for up to two months before serving.
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Twixy Shortbread Bars
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These three layers play together nicely: dulche de leche and semisweet chocolate on a crunchy sugar cookie base. Like the classic candy bar, these freezer shortbread cookies are winners.
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No-Bake Lemon Drops
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These lemony, no-bake Christmas cookies couldn't be simpler. Seven ingredients, three steps, and 30 minutes yields 36 cookies. And, yep, they freeze like a dream. Don't forget the crushed lemon drops on top to hint at the mouth-puckering flavor inside.
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Honey Coins
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Here's some sweet news: These cookies freeze well and are a cinch to prep. Make the dough, roll it into a log, wrap, and freeze. As many as three months later, the honey-infused cookies are ready to bake and add to the cookie tray.
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Mint Meringue Kisses
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Kissed by mint and charmed by chocolate, these gorgeous green sandwiches hit all the right flavor notes. Even though they're light as air and made primarily with egg whites, they freeze well. After baking, freeze them unfilled. Then thaw, pipe with chocolate, and sandwich two little stars together.
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Meyer Lemon-Rosemary Slices
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Fresh rosemary (which might make you think of Christmas trees) makes the transition from savory to sweet in this dessert. Opt for a Meyer lemon (a lemon-orange hybrid) when you make these sweet-savory cookies for a barely tart slice-and-bake freezer cookie.
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Caramel Coconut Cookie Bars
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These chewy holiday bar cookies couldn't be easier! Bake them up in one pan, cut into bars, and freeze. Simply thaw and indulge in the classic combination of caramel, coconut, and chocolate.
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Buckeye Cookies
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Does it get any better than chocolate and peanut butter? These rich cookies take it one step further with a creamy peanut butter frosting and dark chocolate drizzle. They freeze beautifully for up to three months before Christmas.
