Last Minute Freezer Cookies for Christmas

It’s just about the halfway mark on my 12 Days of Christmas blogposts and here’s a recipe for last minute freezer cookies for Christmas that you can bake in 10 minutes straight. Great for last minute callers or gifts.

The last time I made these cookies for the freezer, I froze them in sausage shapes and simply took a “sausage” and cut slices from them if I wanted to bake up a batch of cookies.  This time around I took extra time to chill the dough then roll it into ping pong sized balls, then froze the balls in a box.  I then take out as many cookie dough balls as I want to bake and there’s very little waste.

If you increase the quantities below then you can make up a large batch to have in your freezer to bake at the last minute.  Store them in a resealable box (maybe a lunchbox) to protect from freezer burn.

Ingredients (makes approx 20 mini cookies)

• 100g butter, softened
• 75g brown sugar (I used light demerara)
• 1 egg
• 50g plain flour
• 50g rolled oats (oat flakes)
• 20g chopped crystallised ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Break in the egg and beat again until well mixed. Pour in the flour, oats, chopped ginger and cinnamon then beat well until you get a claggy, sticky dough. Spoon the dough onto cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll into pingpong sized balls and freeze for up to 1 month.

To Bake

Preheat the (fan) oven to 190 degrees Celcius. Once up to temperature, space the balls evenly on a lined baking tray. There’s no need to flatten them out as they will do this naturally while baking.  I normally fit a maximum of 9. Bake for 10 mins then remove and place on a rack to cool. Eat warm if you prefer but they will keep for up to 3 days in a sealed, dry container.