Slice-and-bake refers to cookies made by shaping chilled dough into a log and then cutting it into rounds just before baking, rather than dropping or rolling individual portions of dough. Chilling firms the dough enough to slice cleanly and helps the cookies hold their shape while baking to a crisp edge and tender center. The dough log can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for longer, so slices can be baked a few at a time as needed. Shortbread, sugar cookies, and icebox cookies are commonly made this way, with mix-ins like nuts or chocolate chips worked into the dough before it is shaped into a log.