Interestingly, when I freeze cookies, they pretty much always thaw out (gradually, left out at room temp) softer than when they were fresh. This has saved cookies that I sincerely thought I'd overbaked or ruined, or that simply came out denser or crunchier than I liked, on top of keeping well-baked cookies perfectly fresh. I once made these bars that had a layer of chocolate chip cookie on the bottom and brownie on top, and the brownie took way longer to set than the recipe said, leaving the cookie rock hard when the pan came out of the oven- I had to use some real muscle to cut the bars. I froze them and thought it was a lost cause, but when I thawed one out, the cookie was the perfect chewy texture; I couldn't believe it. It even works for decorated cookies- I've never had problems with properly mixed and fully set royal icing or cream cheese buttercream changing for the worse after freezing and thawing.

An hour or two after the cookies have come out of the oven and any decorations have fully dried, I simply pack them up, either in an airtight zip-top bag, container, or metal cookie tin, and then put it all in the freezer.

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