cbad, I freeze cookie dough every year, everything from peanut butter to chocolate chip to molasses and they all bake up fine. I usually portion out the dough into "balls" and freeze them on a baking sheet, then put the frozen dough balls into bags. I just take them out and place them on a sheet, thaw them and bake when I need them. Frosted cookies and filled cookies, as Nancedar mentioned, do not freeze well. I would not bake cookies a week in advance, I'd go for two days, three max, if I were going to bake ahead. I'm experimenting right now myself with white/yellow cake for Ashley's wedding cake. The fiancee only likes plain white/yellow cake, and I don't usually bake that. I like Pixiestix hot milk cake a lot, and it might end up being Ashley's wedding cake too, it was mine. First, though, I'm going to bake Readinglady's buttermilk cake, she sent me a recipe. Ashley and Kevin get to sample every single one too, LOL. Anyway, here is Pixistix' hot milk cake, it's plain and not too sweet, and stand up to icing and stacking. I really like the brown sugar icing too, although some people have mentioned that it's "gritty" from the brown sugar. I like the crunchy sugar texture, though, so it's all good by me. Hot Milk Cake - Pixitix Old fasioned, simple, melts in you mouth! 4 eggs 2cups sugar 2 1/4 cups flour 2 1/4 tsp. bakiing powder 1 tsp. vanilla 1 1/4 cups milk 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter Beat eggs and sugar well. Combine flour with bk. powder and add to egg mixture along with vanilla. Heat milk and butter together until butter melts: gradually add to batter, beating until well blended. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Topping from the daughter of CindyNY Brown Sugar Topping 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup whipping cream 1 T unsalted butter 3/4 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup chopped pecans Combine the brown sugar, whipping cream & butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Let stand 10 minutes. Whisk until of spreading consistency. Stir in the pecans. Spread over the brownies or cake. Let stand 1 hour or until set. Serve cold or at room temperature. Makes enough for an 8x8 pan. Just a note, the topping seems pretty runny when you put it on the cake, but it sets right up when cool, so don't worry, Note from jude: I doubled the topping recipe since I was making the cake in a 9x13 pan. Annie

Several years ago, when SIL got her KA stand mixer... she was RAVING about it. FORCED me to take it home Thanksgiving Day to try out... with strict orders to return the followiing weekend. My first thought was... I don't bake that often but do like to make a variety of holiday cookies, so what the heck!?! By the time I get to the end of November, "room temp" butter (left on counter for SEVERAL hours) is BARELY getting soft. The KA made easy work of putting together double batches of chocolate chips, peanut butter, oatmeal, and a few other cookie doughs... with no upper body or arm/hand power needed at all. Had at least 5 batches of dough that I just put in zip bags and into freezer for later. Pulled them out a day or 2 before I planned to bake and just scooped onto parchment. That year I gifted SELF a KA! Since then have modified prep methods a bit. Most doughs get rolled into fat logs, wrapped well, then into freezer. That way can be a scoopless, cut/bake cookie.

I freeze baked cookies all the time. I do use tins, but I would guess the caliber of the tin (tightness of the seal) is a big factor. I buy wax paper in boxes of 500 sheets cut 10"x10 3/4" and use that to line the tin and between layers. Two things that are big issues with freezing cookies - one is that the cookies must be thoroughly cooled. Otherwise they steam in the container. I also agree that types of cookies should not be mixed. The flavors intermingle and if a soft cookie is frozen with a crisp one, pretty soon they're all the same texture. If I've frozen a frosted cookie or one with something like a chocolate ganache top layer, I thaw the whole tin in the fridge. It helps prevent condensation. I also freeze dough. Usually I freeze slice-and-bake doughs, but other cookies can be shaped, frozen on a tray and then bagged up or vacuum-sealed. Carol

trudymom, I mostly freeze cookies. I don't have much freezer room because my freezer has a whole pig, half a beef and 24 ducks in there, LOL, along with blueberries, cherries, strawberries, rhubarb and salmon in my second, smaller freezer. I do freeze cookie dough, though, and bake it at Christmas time as I need it. Right now I have chocolate chip, molasses, peanut butter and sugar cookie dough in there. I'd love to have enough room to freeze things like quick breads, muffins, scones, but I just don't. I know one poster here said they made scones and froze them unbaked, then baked when needed and they were very good that way. Annie