Amidst all of the strangeness and uncertainty of this time lies a relatively trivial catch-22: I’ve never had more time to bake but I’ve also never had fewer people to bake for.
Typically I bake on the weekends, distributing what I’ve made to friends who come for dinner later in the week, sending stuff with my partner to his office, or foisting some on willing co-workers. But in this new reality, I find myself opening my pantry and considering the option of cookie dough on a Tuesday or a loaf of banana bread when I’m up at 3 a.m., thoughts racing. And though I’ll drop care packages at the doors of the other two apartments in our building and walk some cookies to friends in the neighborhood, my distribution pool has significantly shrank.
Which is why, for my own sanity and for fear that I’ll eat a whole tray of brownies in the course of one virtual meeting (yes, that’s me you see snacking in the corner), I’m instituting a new rule for myself: I’m only baking what I can freeze. That includes the stuff that freezes well raw (like biscuits/scones, cookies, and—don’t judge me—choux pastry) or thaws nicely once baked (muffins, unfrosted cakes, brownies).
If you’re in the same boat—itching to bake but worried about a spree that’s going to overload your kitchen table with piles of pastries, like that Christmas morning scene in Little Women— maybe these tips on what freezes well (and how to do it) will help. But if you only learn one thing, it should be this—in general, slice before you freeze so that you can grab a portion or two without having to thaw a big mass.
Here’s what I'll be freezing:
Cookie dough
To me nothing says self-care quite like baking off one singular cookie (if you don’t want to waste energy, do it while your oven’s still hot from making dinner, or use a toaster oven if you’ve got one).
My general rule is that any cookie you can shape (so not macarons or Florentine or anything runny or super delicate like those)—whether it’s in a log or a ball—will freeze well. For scooped cookies (like chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, double chocolate), freeze the balls on a baking sheet—they can be packed shoulder-to-shoulder since you’re not worrying about spreading as they bake. My freezer is tiny (and full), so I usually do this in batches using a quarter sheet tray. Once the balls are frozen solid, transfer to a resealable plastic bag (you can rinse it out and reuse it later) or a freezer-safe container. I bake them straight from frozen, knowing they might take a couple minutes longer in the oven.
Slice-and-bake cookies, like these Roasty-Toasty Pecan Caramel Shortbread, will serve you well.
