Making a wide variety of Christmas cookies can seem like a daunting task, but the trick to getting some variety in your tray is to start early. Here are a few of my favorite recipes to make ahead and freeze so they are ready for the big day! It is so easy to pull some dough out of the freezer and just rotate through the oven for a bunch of fresh baked goodness.
These are a must-make for me each year. They are a soft molasses ginger cookie with raisins. I roll mine in colored sugar for a more festive approach.
To make these ahead, get through the entire recipe through rolling the dough into balls and sugar. Place the sugared balls in a single layer (no touching) on a wax or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze for about an hour until solid and pop into a freezer bag. When you are ready to serve, you can bake them up right from frozen, just add a minute or two to baking time.
Spritz cookies are a holiday classic and come together with just a few ingredients but do require a cookie press for those iconic shapes. To prep these for later, make the dough and freeze it wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. When ready to bake, thaw the dough out and put it into your cookie press. Press and bake as normal!
These are another cookie you shape and flash freeze in a single layer to prepare for later. The salty bites from the pretzels and depth of flavor from the brown butter make these a great addition to a cookie platter filled with sweet treats. (Use holiday colored M&Ms as appropriate!)
I rounded out this platter with some almond cherry cookies and peanut butter crunch balls which are both made as I need them. Stay tuned to the blog for more about those treats and more holiday favorites!
What are your favorite holiday make-ahead recipes that I should try?
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