Make Now, Devour Later: 10 Christmas Treats to Save You Time This December
The bumps of a new school year are smoothed out. Halloween is over. And the stores are in that brief moment of the calm before the storm.
(Just don’t blink.)
There’s but a brief time before things are moving faster than Santa can deliver toys.
So NOW is the perfect time to get started on those Christmas treats.
With an episode of Call the Midwife entertaining me each week as I check off my cooking list, I can open my freezer in December with a dozen treats all ready for munching.
Seeing as how half of our military moves have occurred in October or November and several deployment reunions then, too, a dozen is optimistic. But even a handful? So much better than the alternative.
Tips for Freezing Christmas Cookies
Should I freeze cookie dough or baked cookies? If I have the time to bake later, I like to freeze the raw dough. I think the taste is better, and I don’t have to worry about cookies breaking.
How far ahead is too far ahead? Beginning about 10 weeks before Christmas, I sit down with my calendar & Plan to Eat app and start planning out ideas. My goal is to make one item a week.
Why? One recipe a week is far more manageable when life is busy. My grocery budget also appreciates spreading it out!
Grab my countdown planner free.
One of my friends uses her Labor Day weekend to labor over fall & Christmas treats. She makes almost everything she’ll need in the coming months & freezes them. (Her house is the BEST place to stop into — she always has something she can pull out of the freezer.)
What is the best way to freeze cookie dough? If the cookie dough is something I can slice and bake, I roll my cookie dough into a log, wrap it well with plastic wrap and then wrap it with foil. For cookies like cut-out cookies, I flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it with plastic wrap, and then again with foil.
For slice-and-bake style cookies, you have another option. Rather than rolling the dough into a log, you can scoop cookie-sized portions onto a waxed-paper-lined tray, freeze until hardened, and then put the dough balls into a freezer container, like freezer ziptop bags, a freezer-safe storage container or even a divided container made just for this task.
But CAN I freeze the cookies if they’re already baked? Absolutely! If you want to make delicate cookies, like a crunchy sugar cookie, I would highly suggest putting them into a hard container rather than a zip-top bag. Cookies that are chewy or soft aren’t as likely to crumble if they are bumped, so either type of container should be fine.
Can I freeze baked and frosted cookies? This is going to depend on your recipe. Some hold up fine after being thawed, some do not. My mother-in-law’s frosted sugar cookies are always enjoyed straight out of the freezer. My best advice is to freeze a few from your favorite recipe and see how it goes. Make sure you note the results on your recipe so you know next year!
Christmas Cookies That Freeze Well
Spritz Cookies
I had never tasted butter spritz cookies until my husband requested them about a decade ago. YUM! They quickly became a favorite. Why? They are easy to make. I love the bite-sized portion. And everyone seems to enjoy them.
(I roll the dough in plastic wrap until it is the right size for my cookie press gun & then freeze the rolls. Once thawed, I can unroll it and pop it right into the gun.)
Peanut Butter Buckeyes
Our small wedding reception was just desserts that we made ourselves. The first thing I made ahead were Peanut Butter Buckeyes . They froze well and held up for the four months they were in my freezer. I’ve made them every fall since then. {And most of them make it until December without being devoured!}
Gingersnaps
Gingersnaps are a newer favorite of mine. They became a quick favorite when I realized how nice that spicy bite counters all the sweetness that surrounds us each December. The chewy, sturdy texture hold up in the freezer either raw or already baked.
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies are another treat that is less sweet than many Christmas treats. They pair well with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea.
While they aren’t traditional Christmas cookies, I first made them the December that we moved to Hawaii. That’s all it took — they’re Christmas cookies now!
Pinwheels
The very nature of pinwheel cookies, rolling up two layers of cookie dough into a log, makes them a perfect freezable treat. Slice and bake the entire log or just the amount you need for a visitor or at-home date night!
Other Christmas Treats
Cupcakes (unfrosted)
If you open my freezer any time of the year, chances are good that you will find unfrosted cupcakes. They hold up well, and they are great for a last-minute party dessert. Like with delicate cookies, I pack them carefully. Most buttercream frostings also freeze well in any freezer container. You can also keep buttercream in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Unexpected guests or a class party you forgot you signed up for? Problem solved.
Oreo Truffles
Easy Oreo Truffle Balls became quite the hit in the last decade or so. {Do a quick Google search & you’ll see what I mean!} My family is no exception–they eat them faster than I can roll & dip ’em. I have frozen them both before & after I dipped them in chocolate.
Fudge
Peanut butter fudge defines my childhood Christmas. My grandpa never cooked but, every year, his peanut butter fudge was his one foray into the kitchen. It remains one of my favorite parts of the season! It was only a couple of years ago that I wondered if fudge would freeze well.
Google to the rescue—a source from Mackinaw Island said yes, and that was a trusty enough source for me! Two months after I froze a batch, the fudge tasted just as good as it did when I made it.
Peppermint Bark
Peppermint Bark is another treat we made for our wedding. You can make it with almost any kind of hard candy–we like it with cinnamon discs! If you want to pour it into molds, it does well that way, too. I freeze it in freezer zip-top bags or containers.
If you want to replicate Ghirardelli’s peppermint bark, add a layer of milk or dark chocolate on the bottom.
Hot Chocolate Mix
Okay, this isn’t something you can freeze. But you don’t need to freeze it, either, because it’s already shelf-stable. Make a large batch of hot cocoa mix, whether you need it for a party, to give as gifts, or just to enjoy with your family.
If you want to give it as gifts, divide the mix into glass jars, along with marshmallows (homemade are easy!) and fun mix-ins. If you want to take the gift up a notch, add a whipped cream dispenser.
(We purchased one for my daughter’s kitchen chemistry class, and we love it!)
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