This is going to be a long post, don't say I didn't warn you.
Why
is it every year when I say that I'm not going to bake any Christmas
cookies something always happens and I end up making even more than I
thought humanly possible? This year I even got the perfect excuse- I got
sick the week before Christmas. Perfect excuse?! Yeah, right, said no
mom ever.
In any case, it is entirely my fault, I wholeheartedly admit it:
- I did start the cookie swap in my neighborhood 6 years ago. ( Did that bite me on the butt or what?)
-
I did promise my 6 year old 3 months ago we'll be making cookies
together for Christmas. ( In my defense, that was when I was juggling 2
jobs and a school at the time and she was insisting on baking the
cookies now.)
- I did go out and buy tons of "cookie supplies" as my daughter says. ( BEFORE I got sick. )
So,
as I said, it is my fault. But, still when 5 people ask you if you'll
be swapping cookies this year and your daughter goes all puppy eyes on
you, well...there is nothing you can do, is there? Nothing, except
cookies that is.
What does that have to do with how to
make cookies without really trying then, you'll ask? I'm getting to
that. Overall, this year I made ( by my calculations) 17 lbs of sweets
in a single day. When I finally sat down and looked back at the 16 trays
of cookies on the counter, the boxes after boxes, I realized that I not
only beat my record from last year ( hell, yeah!!!) but I have
completely lost my mind in the process. Can you believe that someone,
somewhere is so crazy to make 17 lbs of sweets?? If somebody told me
that would be me this year, I would have told them they are nuts.
Who's the nut now, huh?
What
surprised me the most was not that I managed all that. I am pretty
aware there is very little I can't manage, if anything ( yеah, modesty
is not one of my strongest virtues either). What surprised me was how
little effort I actually put into it. So, I decided to make a list of
the things that made my life easier, when it came to baking this year,
hoping it will be of use to someone who is planing on going all out on
the Christmas baking this or any other year for that matter.
No. 1 Get an elf.
No, seriously. You can't possibly think you can bake as many cookies and not have anyone help you. It's insane.
My elf in action:
This
girl stuck with the baking for the whole 6 hours it took us! I couldn't
believe it, but I was so happy about it. I have to admit without her
help ( and she really worked!) I couldn't have made it.
No.2.
Make a list of the cookies you'll make and then approximate the time it will take you to finish them.
You
would be surprised how many recipes I skipped simply because they were
too time consuming. When I am saying approximate the time, include all
of it- the prep, the actual making, shaping, baking. And yes, count how
many times you will have to wash your mixer bowl to switch between
cookie batches too. You have to admit, after a while, washing that bowl
gets kind of old. So, getting an extra mixer bowl might not be a bad
idea either.
No. 3. Get an oven that can bake 3+ trays at a time.
I
realize this is a long shot and you can't get an oven simply because
you have to bake cookies. However, this is a big thing to consider when
you are buying an oven. If you have a double oven or an oven and a
baking drawer- even better. This is a HUGE time saver, not only for
baking cookies, but in general. I am not saying it's impossible to bake
cookies in other oven, I've done it for years and years, but it is a
huge convenience when you have your appliances working with you, not
against you.
Me personally, I love my
GE Cafe C2S985SETSS 30 Freestanding Dual Fuel Range, 5 Sealed Burners, Convection, Baking Drawer
but it took me 10 years to save up for it.
No. 4. Use recipes that can be customized easily.
I
like versatile cookie dough. One simple basic recipe that you can
easily customize to make 5 ( or more) different cookies not only
different shapes, but actual different flavors. How you can customize
them:
- cut different shapes
- use different fillings
- add different spices
-
add "fun" to the taste ( dry fruit, citrus fruit zest, Turkish delight,
nuts, chocolate chips, caramel chips, crushed peppermint candy etc.)
- add food coloring
No. 5. Be realistic.
How
many cookies do you really need? Count the people you are giving
cookies too and compare the number of cookies you NEED vs. the ones you
WANT to make. That way there will be no surprises when you start
dividing them between the people you are swapping cookies with.
No. 6. Always, always add an extra hour of work to your calculations.
No
matter what you do, there is always something that will happen and
delay your work. Having in mind that you counted that extra hour is the
safety cushion you fall back on, when you start panicking you wouldn't
finish on time. And as we all know, baking and stress don't go along
very well together.
No. 7. Take out all of your ingredients ahead of time.
First
of all, it will give you the opportunity to check one last time if you
have everything you need. Just remember the last time you were in the
middle of making something and you realized you need an extra of
something. Not good, right?
Second, having your ingredients at
room temperature would save you a lot of trouble ( and stress) when you
begin mixing your dough.
No. 8. Use recipes for dough that can be stored in the refrigerator overnight.
I
am not saying use ONLY refrigerator cookies. No. What I am saying is,
use recipes that can be stored at least overnight in the freezer or the
refrigerator. Most of the dough can be stored in the refrigerator,
however there are some cookies you simply have to bake right away.
Always, always begin your baking with these.
Why?
Well, because life happens, that's why.
You
mix up all your dough and you are ready to go then suddenly one of your
kids gets sick, or you almost cut your finger, or your boss calls you
at the office because there is an emergency, yada yada yada... You know
the drill. Waste not, want not as they say, so don't waste any dough,
because you didn't plan ahead for an emergency. Therefore, you can mix
up your cookies that can be stored in a refrigerator, leave the dough
and bake the cookies that have to be baked right away.
No. 9. Use trays that fit in your refrigerator.
If you
think that you can bake 10+ trays of cookies and not sweat, you are in
for a surprise. Always choose cookie trays that fit your refrigerator,
so you can store your cookies already on the tray in the refrigerator,
while you are waiting to put them in the oven. There is nothing worse
than already shaped cookies melting on their tray ( because of all the
heat from the oven in the kitchen, duh). Save time by not allowing room
for mistakes or doing something twice ( like reshaping melting cookies)
No. 10. Use parchment paper
I
do not bake cookies on a cooking spray covered tray. No matter what you
have heard, it DOES change the taste of the cookie, especially if you
bake more than one batch on the same tray unwashed (shudder). How to not
go insane between the washing of your mixing bowls, endless spoon and
knife armies and baking trays? Parchment paper! Just line up your
cookies on a parchment covered cookie tray, bake, then depending on the
condition of the partchment paper you can either recycle or reuse it.
Ta-da! You just saved 10 minutes!
There
are really a lot of things you can do, I am just scratching the surface
here, but really, the most important one is to use your common sense.
- Do not start something you can't finish.
- Do get someone to help.
- Listen to music ( preferably Christmas one!)
-
And for Pete's sake, please, please have fun! Do not make the baking of
the cookies an ordeal. Make it a memory, something to look forward to,
not to dread it with all your soul.
After all, nothing makes you work more than having fun, right?
And
before you ask, YES- I will post the recipes of these cookies, and YES I
left all of the photo equipment in the shot on purpose, just to brag
about my MY VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS PRESENT THIS YEAR- my new studio!!! I
will tell you all about it very very soon ( or as soon as I manage to
recover from overeating with cookies).
As you can tell, I finally
got a camera remote and you will see me more often in front of the
camera, not only behind. But be patient with me, I'm just learning how
to work the damn thing properly and it ain't as easy as I thought. It's
been a while since I was in front of the camera in a studio ( that's a
topic for another time).
Until next time, when you will find out what was on my Christmas cookie list for 2012!
