Have you ever had your parents stop by your house unexpectedly? What about a small get-together after a dinner with friends that somehow ended up at your house? Or more likely it is 8 p.m. after a long day at work and you are craving a warm, soft, gooey cookie. Instead of having to gather all the ingredients and bake a whole batch of cookies or muffins at the last minute, depend on your freezer. Take one day out of the month to prepare a couple of easy, freezer-friendly desserts to make the rest of the month that much easier.
Cookies and cookie dough
The most obvious – and oftentimes most-requested – dessert is the chocolate chip cookie. It is a great example of a freezer-friendly dessert. Prepare two dozen baked cookies, cool and then put in an airtight container or baggie and make room in your freezer. Pull them out the night before they are needed or even thaw them in the oven for a couple minutes to get that fresh-out-of-the-oven goodness without all the extra work.
Speaking of fresh out of the oven, cookie dough freezes wonderfully! Prepare cookie dough as normal and scoop into small balls and place on a lined baking sheet. Stick the tray in the freezer for about an hour and then transfer to an airtight container or baggie. Keep in mind that frosting or a delicate topping should not be added to cookies until directly prior to serving.
Muffins
Most muffins are great for freezing and an easy snack to grab and go. As the day goes by, the muffin will thaw and be ready for you to eat in just a couple hours. Make a double batch of your favorite muffin and enjoy fresh muffins when you do not feel up to making breakfast. Thawing them in the microwave is the easiest and fastest solution. For the freezer, it is best to have muffins that don't have icing or streusel, as neither freezes well.
Bread
I know – you are thinking that bread is not a dessert. But you clearly haven't had cinnamon swirl bread. What about chocolate babka? Cinnamon rolls? All of these freeze really well. Most bread, if stored properly, will come out of the freezer tasting just as fresh as when it went in. Make sure that the bread is tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, then placed in a large baggie. Thawing is most efficient when placed at room temperature overnight. It can also be warmed in an oven if you are in a pinch.
Brownies and bars
Baked brownies, blondies and layer bars are all super freezer-friendly. You may want to cut them first as they can be difficult to cut once frozen. Again, leaving them at room temperature overnight would be ideal to thaw them, but using a microwave or oven is also an option.
If you have a day you do meal prep, then you can add a dessert recipe or two to the day. Never again will you forget to make dessert for a work pitch-in or be left trying to make small talk to your in-laws over a plate of Oreos after an unexpected visit.