Refrigerator Cookies

Refrigerator cookies, also called icebox cookies, are an old American baking trick where the dough gets shaped into logs, chilled firm, then sliced and baked whenever the craving hits. The make-ahead format is the genius part. One batch of dough lives in the freezer for weeks, and you can bake six cookies for company or all thirty-two at once.

This version goes heavy on textures. Chopped dates bring chewy sweet pockets, shredded coconut gives delicate crunch, and walnuts or pecans pack the dough with meaty bite. The remaining nuts get rolled around the outside of the log, so every slice has a built-in nutty crust.

Use unsugared chopped dates. The pre-rolled-in-sugar kind throws off the texture and turns the cookies cloying.

Pro Tips

• Chill the logs at least 2 hours. Freezing for 30 minutes works in a pinch.
• Slice with a thin sharp knife, drag don’t push, otherwise the log smashes oval
• Rotate the cookie sheet halfway through baking for even browning all around
• Cool completely on a wire rack. The centers firm up as they cool.
• Store in an airtight tin between sheets of parchment. They keep a week at room temperature.

Variations

• Sub chopped dried cranberries or apricots for the dates
• Stir in 1 teaspoon orange zest with the dry ingredients for citrus brightness
• Roll the log in raw demerara sugar instead of nuts for a sparkly sweet crust