Holiday Baking Tips from Miss A!

Holiday Baking Tips from Miss A

We all love the taste of a freshly baked cookie at holiday time. Each family has their own set of cherished recipes that are made each year. For most of us, baking has become a luxury due to our busy schedules running from here to there all year long, especially during the holidays. If you are in the mood for some holiday baking, consider these tips to make your holiday baking more enjoyable and less stressful! 

Plan it out: Choose a manageable amount of recipes to make. If you know your schedule is already packed, then don’t push yourself to make 5 different types of cookies. 2 well executed recipes are much tastier than 6 recipes you threw together. Once you have your recipes, sit down and look at all of them. Take stock of what ingredients you already have and what you need at the store. If you are making several different cookie recipes, consider shopping for butter, flour, sugar, and eggs at BJ’s or Costco. It will save you some money! 

Mix in advance: Instead of trying to make everything from start to finish in one day, mix all of the cookie dough over the span of a few days. If you’ll be baking the dough within a week then it can stay in the refrigerator. If you are working a few weeks in advance, it is perfectly fine to store cookie dough in the freezer. I like to wrap the dough in wax paper and place it in a gallon size reseal-able freezer bag. Another way to store the dough is to pre-scoop or roll the dough before storing in the freezer. This can be done with most cookie dough, even sugar cookies can be rolled and cut out in advance. I lay them out in a flat layer on a cookie sheet and separate multiple layers with waxed paper. 

Enlist helpers: Invite a friend over, open a bottle of wine, and bake together! Not only will you have an extra hand to help but it is a great way to connect with friends during the busy holiday season. Also, involve the kiddos! They can be great helpers when mixing dough, scooping, and cleaning up. More tips for baking with kids to come next time!! J