Hello Dan. This is a very common issue when transitioning from baking fresh dough to baking straight from the freezer, and there are a couple of primary factors at play here.
First, the main culprit is usually the temperature of the dough itself. When dough goes into a 350F oven completely frozen, the exterior crust begins to set and bake before the internal butter has a chance to warm up, melt, and allow the cookie to spread across the sheet. In baking science, spread happens when the fat liquefies before the flour proteins and egg proteins coagulate. When the dough is frozen solid, that window of time shrinks significantly.
Second, your flour measurement could definitely be contributing. If flour was measured by volume with a measuring cup rather than weighed with a kitchen scale, it is easy to accidentally pack in twenty to thirty percent extra flour. Excess flour absorbs moisture and creates a stiff structure that refuses to flatten.
To fix this for your next batch, you have a few great options:
1. Let the frozen dough balls sit on the counter at room temperature for ten to fifteen minutes before putting them in the oven.
2. If you prefer baking straight from the freezer, gently press the dough balls down into thick discs with the palm of your hand before freezing them, or flatten them slightly right before placing the sheet in the oven.
3. You can also lower your oven temperature slightly to 325F and extend the bake time by two to three minutes. This gives the center enough time to thaw and spread before the outer edges set completely.
I hope this helps you get that perfect bakery-style spread on your next batch.
