h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Many, many cookies can be prepared in advance and frozen - in fact most do quite well, including chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, gingersnaps, etc.

But if you're looking for that freshly baked approach, especially if you want the house to *smell* like freshly baked cookies, try making up the cookie dough in advance and freezing it in little doughballs instead.

Then when company comes over, you can simply take some doughballs out of the freezer, slap them on a baking sheet and into a hot oven and in 15 minutes - fresh, hot cookies!