dad’s famous frozen cookies

prep: 15 MINUTES | bake: 12 MINUTES PER BATCH | makes 36 COOKIES

I grew up on these cookies, so even though I have a lot of favorite cookies on my best-of list, these are at the tippy top. My dad got the recipe from his mom, who would bake the cookies and then hide them in the freezer so the kids couldn’t find them. However, they knew there was a stash socked away, so one day when they really wanted a cookie, they ate them straight out of the freezer—and discovered they’re even better frozen! Growing up, there was pretty much always a batch in our freezer, so whenever friends came over, that’s exactly what we grabbed. Don’t get me wrong—they’re delicious fresh, but there’s something magical that happens when they’re icy cold.

2 cups all-purpose flour (see Notes)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup unsweetened applesauce (chunky, if you can find it—see Notes)

1 cup raisins

2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.

2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.

3 In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add the applesauce and mix until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the raisins.

4 Slowly add the dry ingredients with the mixer on low and mix just until combined. Use a spoon or spatula to stir in the oats and chocolate chips.

5 Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough, about 2 tablespoons per cookie (not more or they will spread too much!), onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Not all the cookies will fit on the sheet for one batch. Bake for 12 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and only slightly set in the middle. You want them to be a little underbaked.

6 Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Once the baking sheet has cooled completely, repeat with the remaining dough. Store the cookies in a large freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Enjoy them frozen!

NOTES: You can use white whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose. If you can find chunky applesauce, I highly recommend using it. It gives the cookies great texture. But if all you can find is smooth, you’ll still end up with delicious cookies.