I don’t have a lot of experience with freezing cookies decorated with royal icing.
UNdecorated ones; no problem! Freezing them in airtight containers between layers of parchment paper, and then thawing them to room temperature before decorating, has always worked for me.
In fact, it’s a great time saver if I’d like to make my cookies for a certain date, but know I won’t have tons of time. Making and freezing the cookies ahead means I can just do the fun part (decorating of course!), when the time is near.
So why the nutcracker here?
I made him before Halloween. Ahem… um, yes, before Halloween - I was itching for Christmas this year 
and needed to freeze him so he’d be fresh for the Christmas season. (Click here for the recipe and more pics).
Once he was thawed, the colors didn’t bleed like I had anticipated, but I noticed little splotches on his navy legs. (See below).
To Freeze or Not to Freeze? That is the question…
In this post, I have questions for you about freezing decorated cookies:
- What has been your experience with freezing decorated cookies?
- Was bleeding an issue?
- Were spots an issue?
- How do you thaw decorated cookies? -In the fridge or at room temperature? -Is the container lid on or off when you thaw them?
- Why would only the dark color (navy) on the nutcracker, have spots and not other areas?
- What are your tips for successful freezing of decorated cookies?
As an aside as well, I’ve recieved many emails about spots on cookies which have nothing to do with freezing… and I’m wondering if the two issues are related.
If spots form on the surface of your royal icing just after drying (or during the drying process), it’s possible the fats from the dough are penetrating through the icing. I haven’t experienced the spotting issue (except for this cookie which I froze), and am not certain about the cause, but suggest the following ideas as solutions if spotting happens even before you freeze your cookies:
- Less butter in your dough (maybe try a different recipe)
- Dry cookies in an environment free of humidity/moisture
- Avoid letting them dry in the sun
- Make your cookies a little thinner
- Make your royal icing thicker (consistency) or try a different recipe (I love Antonia74′s)
- Make sure all ingredients used in the royal icing are fresh
- Sift icing sugar and meringue powder when making your royal icing
*
Please leave me your feedback in the comment section below and/or on my facebook page here.
Looking forward to learning from you!
xo,
Marian
@ marian:
Thanks Marian!!!
Whoops! How did I miss these?
@ LAURA:
Usually 24 hours. You can freeze uncut, undecorated dough without problems though. (I freeze mine for up to 3 months and the cookies taste fresh).
@ Donna Carroll; Thank you!
@ sweetiepetitti: Humidity is a huge culprit! Frustrating sometimes isn’t it!
@ Create4fun: Looks like fun!
@ bridget {bake at 350}: Thanks for your thorough reply! I’m so glad to hear you haven’t had issues with freezing; I’d like to freeze some cookies for my brother’s wedding and don’t want to mess up!
@ Rola:Thanks!
@ Rachel Taylor: What a great idea! -Patty paper squares! Thanks for your reply!
@ Karen Lizzie: Another brilliant idea – a blast chiller. Thanks so much for your input Karen!
Wow, that must have taken some time to prepare. I must say I’m impressed with the detail of the cookies.
The closeup of the second image really underlines the quality of the detail.
Nicely done…
Ca me tente bien ! Bisous et bon mardi !
I’m wondering what you all know and think about freezing royal icing? I wonder if there is any reason to, first of all. I have been making larger batches of my colors and freezing them in ziplocs. It seems to be working well for me. It is wonderful to have icing ready to go! Can you discuss this sometime? I’d love to get you and your reader’s feedback. Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
That’s funny you mention that! Amber just asked me a question regarding freezing royal icing under my ‘storing royal icing’ post and I didn’t have an answer, as it’s not something I’ve done. Thanks for letting us know Lisa; I most definitely will experiment with that, do a post on it, and ask for everyone’s feedback. I’ll perhaps refer to you and your idea if you don’t mind?
Sure thing! I am excited to hear what everyone thinks. I will let you know my findings as well.
Hi Lisa – do you used powdered egg or egg whites for your royal icing? I wonder if that makes a difference in freezing royal icing too? @ Lisa @The Cookie Jar:
I have a question about thawing out cutout but not decorated cookies. When you bring them to room temp do you leave them in closed container–or take the lid off–or remove them completely and put on rack or wax paper????
BTW your cookies are unbelievable—I’ve got to take your advice and get Kopykake projector!!!!
Also just wanted to thank you for always sharing your hard work and efforts with all of us. You are valuable resource for me and my business!
@ Jean:
thanks for asking I was actually thinking the same thing too !!
@ Jean, @ Angela: I generally leave them in the container with the lid off. All the best, ladies!
I recently froze a decorated cookie with great success. It was only two colors and oval in shape, sugar cookie with Royal icing. I put it in a fold over bag with a sticker on the back and put it in the freezer for two weeks. When I took it out the color was just like original and the flavor was fine as well. It was a trial run for me for a customer who wanted to distribute a cookie at a time to customers.
Hi: regarding freezing cookies: I’m just curious if you feel like it makes a difference in the flavor and texture if the cookies are baked vs unbaked when you freeze them? To me it seems like the cookies might end up drying out if they are already baked? But maybe you would only detect the difference if you tasted them side by side with unbaked frozen ones. If I’m going to be tight on time, my first choice would probably be to freeze cut out and unbaked cookie so they could be bake fresh just prior to decorating. What are your preferences when you can afford to be picky? Love your blog! All my friend’s think I’m a genius, but I explain that I jus do whatever your blog tells me to. Am finally mastering the art ofgettig the icing consistency right after many years of botching it!
thank you so much for this – I want to do my own wedding cakes & cookies and really want to use some of your tips and tricks and this was on my list to find out – will cut down on the stress for sure!
thank you!
I have frozen sugar cookies for years with no problem whatsoever. I don’t even bother with paper between layers. I unfreeze them in the container. However, I have frozen decorated cookies, but like you found, it isn’t as simple. I usually only freeze them for a few days….just to keep them fresh until I am ready to use them. I layer them between parchment paper and then cover. When I take them out of the freezer, I move the cookies to a shelf in one layer and let them air dry. They always defrost with condensation, so keeping them in layers isn’t a good idea. The ones I have done this with have not been with dark colors. I think that may be the difference. Your cookies are fabulous. Mine don’t hold a candle to yours, but they are always devoured!!!
HI @ Brenda and @ Nina: Thanks so much for your tips! I really appreciate them, and am sure others will as well!
Hi @ Sara Fotakis: They seems to taste the same if they’re frozen either way. But yes, I think it’s a perfect idea to test out your recipe and compare frozen and fresh ones -all you can do is try! Thanks so much for your kind comments btw. =) I’d love to see your cookies if you’d like to share them on my facebook page.
@ Lisa @The Cookie Jar:
I saw this post about freezing royal icing – how do you thaw it? Is there a difference in consistency? I’ve froze cooked and uncooked cookies before and have been happy with the results, but not decorated ones or the icing itself. Interesting!
Hi there @ Lynn! I’m definitely not an expert in freezing cookies, as I’ve only done it a handful of times. I suggest reading through the comments to see how other (successful attempts) were done. All the best!
Marian you are so generous to share all your best tips! You rock. Recently I used black food coloring for the first time and wondered if it was normal to have to use so much to get the color a true black. I couldn’t find an answer anywhere and then I thought, of course, to check Sweetopia, and there it was- the answer that let me breath easy and confirm it was indeed normal
You are truly so talented and wonderful. Thank you again for your willingness to share your best tricks with the all of us as we aspire to your level of skill and beauty on your cookies.
Aw, @ michele martin, thank you so much!
There is a blog entry on Bake at 350 that beautifully explains how she freezes undecorated and decorated cookies with ease!
Thanks so much, @ Tina Dahl!
I am NOT a professional baker but have had experience with sugar cookies. First I must stay I use a powdered sugar/corn syrup glaze icing. I do freeze after decorating, placing the cookies on sheets and freezing first then layering with wax paper & placing in
Rubbermaid containers. And not more than two layers for large cookies. I have kept them frozen at least four weeks. Like Nina I lay the cookies out in a single layer (with a fan on them) to dry while defrosting.
Lastly the only time I had the discoloration or spotting you refer to was on a large deep purple cookie. I haven’t needed to make another dark cookie since. Thanks for your gorgeous cookies pics and blog. You are an encougager!
Hi @ Heather: Thanks so much for your feedback, and for your sweet comment! xo
The cookies I make freeze well. I haven’t noticed any spotting on my decorated ones but I don’t use royal icing either. When I take them out of the freezer, I leave them in the container they’re in. I recently froze some on a pizza pan with no lid and they came out fine. Once thawed they were as soft as if fresh baked.
Hello Marian.
Thank you.
Have a few questions
Can we freeze a ball of dough? I mean dough that is unrolled? And maybe just roll it out before cutting out shapes? It’s because I don’t think I have that much freezer space for a rolled out (in tray) dough.
Personally, how long do you thaw frozen cookies? And what could possibly be the shelf-life of frozen cookies? I have read through the comments and noticed that some people have frozen it up to three months? Could that be the maximum?
What do people mean when they “allow cookies to dry up in the sun?” It might mean simply exposing decorated cookies over sunlight, right? Yikes I hope i don’t seem silly asking this
Hi Marian, I am new at decorating cookies and just embarking on making ocean themed designs and your site has been so helpful. Since the flavor of RI is not very favorable, I want to try adding candy flavorings by Wilton. Do you see any problems with blotching or drying? I haven’t seen any posts from you related to other flavors besides clear vanilla. Also, what is your experience with liquid food coloring vs. gel coloring in regards to drying/blotching, with storage, etc? Thanks for being present on the web. I’ve learned so much from your posts! Aloha from Hawaii, where humidity is a huge issue
Thanks, @ Eva for sharing!
Hi @ Jayvee: Yes, you can, it’s just a bit more work as it’s harder to roll when it’s cold. Let it thaw until it’s workable, cut your shapes out and chill them again.
I’m guessing maximum 6 months for freezing time but have left mine for maximum 3 thus far.
No worries about the sun question… I think some people find it sets the icing/helps it dry faster, however I have also heard the icing is then more prone to getting spots on it (butter possibly from the cookie from the heat of the sun). I haven’t personally tried it.
Hope that helps!
@ Madeleine: I’m sorry, I haven’t tried candy flavoring but if you try it would love to hear about it!!
I prefer Americolor gel coloring as I feel like I’ve had better results with humidity with them compared to any other GEL color. I never use liquid coloring as it seems to take a lot more of it to get the colors I want and then the icing consistency changes.
Lucky girl in Hawaii
if you haven’t seen the posts I’ve done about humidity, if you’d like, check them out.
Happy decorating!
Love your blog…so helpful to inexperienced decorators. When everyone talks about putting the cookies in bags before freezing are they meaning individual freezer bags (ex. Ziplock)? Or do they mean using a cheaper individual storage bag that is small and just flips over to close and then putting all of them in a big Freezer Bag? Very interesting….I’ve learned so much just reading your post and these comments. Have you learned anything new since writing this article?
HI @ Annabelle: I think they mean ziplock bags, those freezer ones would be best I’m guessing. I haven’t actually tried any new methods of freezing since this post – have just been making cookies close to the time they’re needed. I’ll definitely write another post if I do experiment more.
Happy decorating!
Hi Marian- I’ve had a very strange thing happen when I froze some baked undecorated sugar cookies. I put the cookies between layers of parchment in an airtight container in the freezer. When I checked them later to add more I noticed most of them had spots on them. Some did not. They were all made from the same batch of dough. I have done this before with no problem-using the same recipe. I read all the comments and questions but did see this come up- only with iced cookies. What is your thought on this?
I wouldn’t be so concerned if my plan was to ice the whole cookie but my decorated idea will only cover parts of it. Lot of the cookie will be seen as is.
BTY -I love your site and thankful for all you share with us.
Hi @ Pam: Frustrating, isn’t it! Here is a follow up post on the topic you’re asking about… please check out the comment section as well. I think lots of people left valuable comments. xo
http://sweetopia.net/2011/07/how-to-avoid-spots-on-icing/