A Little Experiment

I have been struggling with the question, "Can you freeze cookies frosted in royal icing??" Well, the answer is, Yes you can!! 

I like to decorate my cutouts with royal icing.  I pipe the borders and flood the inside.  They have a smooth, shiny finish and look great.  The only downside is, they are time consuming.  It seems I am always making the cookies a day or two before the event I need them for, and I get stressed.  So when I made the valentine hearts, I decided to freeze some to see if it would change the cookie.

I read a lot of different reviews on line, but the general opinion was, as long as you freeze them carefully they are fine.  One reviewer who works for Cookies By Design, even gave a few tips.  Basically, you need to freeze the cookies after the royal icing has completely hardened (about a day after decorating).  Also, lay wax paper between the layers.  Finally when defrosting, leave them set at room temperature undisturbed for several hours. 

If you follow these simple steps, your cookies will be perfect and very tasty.  The general guidelines also said you can freeze them for up to two months like this.  So the next time you have a special cookie to make, go ahead and do it early at take some of the stress away.