Fabulous Freezer Cookies

Adapted from Tamal Ray’s recipe in the UK Guardian, 15-Feb-2020.  Tamal’s introduction:

When spending more time on my feet in the kitchen isn’t an option, freezer cookies are the perfect solution. A modest amount of preparation is done ahead of time, on a day when you’re bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, then all that’s required is a few minutes in the oven before you’re enjoying the healing power of a freshly baked cookie – maybe with a scoop of ice-cream.

These were delightfully easy to make and absolutely delicious, with the right combination of crisp+chewy!  Prep time is 20 minutes, cooking time is 15 minutes, and this quantity makes about 18.

Ingredients:

1 cup organic light brown sugar
1½ sticks unsalted butter
1 medium egg (or you can use a ‘flax egg’)
2 Tbsp agave syrup
7 oz (1⅔ cups) gluten-free flour
½ tsp baking powder
A generous pinch of salt

For the chocolate chip cookies:
6 oz dark chocolate chips
Optional: 4 oz mini fudge pieces

For the oat, ginger and orange cookies:
1 orange, zest only
¾ cup porridge oats
2 oz crystallized ginger

Method:

Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy.  Add the egg, syrup, flour, baking powder, and salt; stir to form a soft dough, then work in either the fudge and chocolate, or the orange zest, oats and ginger, until evenly dispersed.

Form the dough into a log about 2” across and lay it on a large rectangle of greaseproof paper.  Roll up the paper around the dough and twist the ends to seal. Put in a ZipLok (or any thin plastic bag) and store in the freezer.

When you’re ready to bake, remove the log from the freezer.  Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.  When the dough is soft enough to slice – about an hour out of the freezer – use a bread knife to slice off discs roughly 3/8” (1cm) thick.  Lay on the baking sheet with 2” between each (to allow for spreading).

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden-brown around the edges.  Cool on a baking rack – or eat warm with a dollop of ice cream.  Personally, I love Talenti’s dairy-free coffee sorbetto; high-quality vanilla ice cream would also go well with either of these cookies!

As always, here is the printable file for Freezer Cookies.