Saturday, November 14, 2009

Cookie Baking Day

I am a messy baker. My mother was too. Guess I inherited that gene as well. But I have found that if I insert a little organization into my holiday baking plans, I can get the mess over with in a day.

A few weeks before I plan to bake, I sit down with all my cookie recipes and decide which ones I am going to make for that year. The list usually consists of chocolate chip for my husband, green Christmas tree cookies (pressed butter cookies) for my Japanese daughter-in-law, cut out cookie shapes for the grandkids, Russian tea cookies for a son--well the list goes on according to favorites. It usually consists of about ten different cookie recipes.

Once I have my list, I write down all the ingredients I will need to purchase that I don't have in my cupboards/refrigerator. I shop for those needed items and store them away for the day I have set aside to bake.

As soon as breakfast is cleared away, I begin. By noon I look like the Rice Krispie Treats lady in the commercial--floured face and sticky fingers. I break for a quick snack and then continue until the last cookie comes out of the oven. By then, it is usually time for dinner which is either carry-out from a nearby restaurant or carry-me-in to the restaurant.

Cookies are stored in large plastic containers with a good seal and either frozen or stored in a cool place--like our garage. There are some advantages to living in a wintry climate.

2 comments:

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

I do exactly the same as you do! But I'm only doing about 5 different cookies in one day. And I have a good, cool utility room to store the cookies in. Can't wait!!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

Just wanted to thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment there. As all my children are grown now I have the luxury of enjoying the cookies they bake. I passed on all my recipes and don't have to bake now as they do all the work and I get to enjoy them. I guess it is one of the perks of getting older.