**I’d freeze the dough now and bake the day before**, provided you’ll have time for all the batches. That’s my recommendation for freshness: the cookies get their final bake close to serving. Baking now and freezing the finished cookies is also a good option if you need to spread out the oven work. [King Arthur’s make-ahead guide](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2024/11/29/holiday-cookies-timeline) supports both approaches.

Standard snickerdoodle, peanut butter, and chocolate chip doughs are suitable for freezing. Here’s how I’d prepare them:

- **Chocolate chip:** Scoop individual portions, freeze on a tray until firm, then transfer to an airtight freezer bag. Bake from frozen at the recipe’s temperature; they may need an extra minute or two.
- **Snickerdoodles:** Freeze the portioned balls before adding cinnamon sugar. On baking day, let them soften for about 30 minutes so the coating sticks, then roll and bake.
- **Peanut butter:** Shape before freezing, including the fork marks if your recipe calls for flattening. If you freeze them as balls, let them soften enough to flatten before baking.

Follow any chilling step in your recipe before freezing. These methods are covered in [Sally’s freezing guide](https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baking-basics-how-to-freeze-cookie-dough/) and [King Arthur’s freeze-and-bake tips](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/10/21/freeze-bake-tips). Bake a few test cookies first to check timing and spread before committing a whole tray.

If **getting the baking finished now** matters more, cool the cookies completely, then freeze them in airtight containers with parchment between layers. Thaw them in the closed containers at room temperature. Six days is comfortably within Sally’s recommended freezer storage period of up to three months. [Instructions for freezing baked cookies](https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baking-basics-how-to-freeze-cookie-dough/).

For a large party, a mix of the two methods is practical: bake and freeze some batches now, and save some dough to bake Friday.