This post has been sponsored by SC Johnson, makers of the Ziploc® brand. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The holiday season is officially here and I couldn’t be more excited! I love that this time of year is all about spending quality time with friends and family. Whether it’s a cozy getaway to the mountains, trip home to see your parents or a friend’s holiday party, there are a variety of festive occasions (and treats!) to be enjoyed during the holidays.
When it comes to gifts, you can’t go wrong with food. One of my favorite hostess gifts to give during the holiday season is frozen cookie dough! Just whip up a batch of dough, freeze it in a holiday Ziploc® brand bag, and add a cute tag with baking directions. Click here for a $1 off 2 any Ziploc® brand offer while supplies last.
The holiday season is crazy enough already, and most people don’t have a lot of time on their hands for baking. By gifting prepared balls of cookie dough, the recipient can freeze them until they’re ready to eat. Busy moms will especially love this gift. If a class party comes up or they need a quick dessert for houseguests, all they have to do is pop the cookie dough into the oven and ta da! Fresh, homemade treats.
I have frozen cookie dough on hand year-round (typically chocolate chip). That way, I’m prepared for spontaneous visits from friends or I can satisfy a cookie craving in no time (and I get a lot of cookie cravings). Sometimes I just bake two at a time—one for me and one for my husband. There’s nothing better than a chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven!
First, choose your favorite cookie recipe (this might be the hardest part of the process). Recipes where you scoop the dough or roll it into balls work best for freezing. Follow the instructions as normal and place the prepared balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. They don’t need to be spaced too far apart since we won’t be baking them yet.
Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for about 30 minutes. This step is important because if you just put the balls of dough into the Ziploc® brand bag immediately, they will stick together as they freeze. By pre-freezing the dough, they won’t lose their shape and they will be easy to grab individually when you’re ready to bake.
After they are mostly frozen, transfer to the desired Ziploc® brand bag. The limited edition holiday bags are perfect for gifting! They come in a couple of sizes and have cute holiday designs on them. The quart-size bags are perfect for a dozen cookies and the freezer gallon bags are best if you’re baking for a large family. Store in the freezer until you’re ready to gift them (or bake them for yourself!).
When it comes time to gift the frozen cookie dough, add a seasonal tag with baking instructions (what temperature, how long, and anything else they might need to know). You could also add a bow, but I think the holiday patterns are cute as is!
The recipient can also reuse the Ziploc® bag. Just wash them out according to directions and keep using them all season long. The durable slider seal on the quart-sized bags stays strong for many uses. That’s a lot of batches of cookie dough!
Happy Holidays!