Batch cooking snacks and freezing them for later use is a surprisingly efficient way to save both time and money while having a tasty treat within a hand’s reach all the time. It’s always easier to make your mixture bigger and invest a bit more time than do everything all over again when you are in the mood for, let’s say, muffins. And when you freeze them, they’ll keep their freshness a lot longer compared to being stored conventionally. So let’s check out the best snacks to batch cook and freeze alongside some tips on how to do it properly.
Muffins
We already mentioned them in the intro, so we may as well start with them. Muffins are one of those delicious snacks that are fairly easy to make in large amounts. You just need to have enough muffin tins. Since homemade muffins don’t have additives like the store-bought kind, they’ll start hardening several hours after you take them out of the oven. And we all know this isn’t the state in which you want to have your muffins.
So, next time when you are making muffins, make a ton and let them cool. Eat as many as you like and put the rest in a freezer bag or a regular plastic back if you don’t have the former. After you’ve tightly sealed the muffins, place the bags in a freezer. Next time you are craving muffins, just take them out of the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for two to three hours. Heat them in a microwave for a minute, and they’ll be as fresh as they were when you first made them.
Pancakes
Having pancakes for breakfast without having to actually mix the batter and cook them sounds great. Well, this can be a new normal if you freeze them. After making a large batch of pancakes, let them cool down. Individually wrap them in baking paper and then stack them on top of each other. Once stacked, place them in a freezer/plastic back and pop them into a freezer.
On mornings when you’re in the mood for pancakes, just take them out and let them defrost for an hour. In case you are impatient, you can always use a microwave to speed up the process.
Cookies
Don’t worry; we didn’t forget about cookies. They’re also a great snack to keep in the freezer. The process is fairly similar to the previously mentioned snacks. After they’re baked, let them cool for a while so they won’t stick together. Then put them in a bag, or alternatively in a plastic container, before storing them in a freezer. They’ll need one hour to defrost (alternatively two hours if they’re bigger), but trust us, the wait will be worth it.
