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

Baking Tips from Miss A Introduction!

Miss A will be giving us some baking tips this holiday season!  I wanted to share with you a little bit about her.  Please watch for her tips coming later this week. Looking forward to SWEETENING UP my holiday!  Take it away Miss A...

 

Growing up I always loved being in the kitchen. I can remember baking with my mom from a very young age, waking up early Saturday mornings to make pancakes pretending I had my own cooking show, and I even started my first cookie business in the 5^th grade. (Wish I would have saved some of that money!) As I got older that love of cooking and baking stayed with me and I started college as a Hotel and Restaurant Management major. I had dreams of owning my own restaurant and being a wedding planner. As time went on I decided to move towards a more family-oriented profession, teaching. My other love and passion has always been working with children and helping them learn, which led me down the path of being a teacher.

I love being a teacher. However, when my son was born in January 2012 I knew I needed to find a way to be more present for him. I missed out on seeing all of the major milestones during his first year and I knew I had to make a change. My goal was to switch to teaching part time and I looked back on other things I enjoyed and had a knack for in order to make extra money for my family.  And so, on a bleary eyed morning before heading to school, Miss A’s was born! My original goal for Miss A’s was to provide customers with cookie trays and other baked goods for their special events. I specialize in traditional flavors, as well as Italian recipes and chocolate covered items. To incorporate my love for working with children I also launched “Bitty Bakers” which offers birthday parties, baking classes, and camps for children ages 4 and up.

 I have been in business for 2 years this month (November), and I am still learning and growing every day. I love the flexibility of making my own hours (which most times are late into the night after my little man has gone to sleep J). This past year it has been so exciting to see my business bloom and I am now reaching customers that are beyond the circle of my family and friends. I am so very grateful for all of the support I have received from my customers- those who have been ordering from the very beginning and those I am beginning to get to know! I am also forever grateful to the networking groups I am a part of via social media, especially the amazing ladies of “Bizzy Mamas.”  Not only have I reached a larger client base because of them, but I have also learned so many invaluable lessons about business! It is my hope to see my business continue to grow so that I can one day open my own bakery with space for children’s parties.

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