Have you started your holiday cookie baking yet? Now is a great time to get started. Here are some tips to help you get through this busy season. Feel free to add your tips & comments below.
PLANNING YOUR COOKIE MENU:
Now is the time to start selecting which recipes you will be making this year and calculate your ingredients shopping list. Check the expiration dates on any ingredients that may have spoiled - such as baking powder, baking soda, flour, nuts, etc. The last thing you want to do is spend hours baking and have your cookies come out flat because your ingredients were stale.
I usually try to keep a running list each year of favorite cookie recipes that I make for every holiday season. Then, each year I also add a few new recipes to my list to try out. If one of the new ones is spectacular, I add it to the permanent cookie list. I have found that it is awfully nice to have a few recipes that become the traditional cookie recipes in my home, ones that everyone expects - and adding a few new recipes each year lets my creative side show through too.
SUPPLIES YOU MAY NEED:
good quality cookie sheets - you will need
at least 2 (if you have more, that's even better)
wire cooling racks or a good supply of clean brown paper grocery bags (cut them into large rectangles and turn them so the insides are what you set your cookies on - the paper absorbs grease and also still lets air escape.)
parchment paper is very handy to have available. Not only can it be used to keep cookies from sticking to your pans, but it can be written on and cut into templates for making shapes
cookie tins - check your local discount stores for bargains on cookie tins for gift giving. A very economical choice is to purchase filled holiday tins of shortbread cookies. It is sometimes cheaper to purchase the tins
filled with cookies than the empty ones. (You can give away the purchased cookies at work etc or grind them up and freeze to use for making cookie crumb pie crusts or cheesecake crusts.) Cookie tins are a better choice than plasticware for gift giving because they keep the light out and let enough air in to keep the cookies from getting soggy - and they are usually less costly.
wax paper for stacking cookies within the tins
scissors for cutting parchment or wax paper
rubber bands for freezing cookie dough (
)- you'll see why if you read on
if you are planning to do a lot of gift giving with your cookies, you may also want to look for decorative plastic cookie bags, curling riboons, etc for decorations
FREEZING DOUGH IN ADVANCE:
Many cookie doughs will keep very well in your freezer for about 1 month(or more). Prepare your recipe up until the point where you would normally start to drop them onto cookie sheets or rolling into balls, etc. Chill the dough first if needed and form into a log - just like the slice & bake cookies you can buy in the stores. Cut a large sheet of parchment or wax paper and wrap the dough up(I usally double wrap them), fastening with rubber bands on each end. If using parchment, you will be able to write directly on the paper to indicate the name of the dough, as well as the cooking temperature and time to bake. If using wax paper, you can make a tag on an index card half, punch a hole in the corner, loop in a piece of yard, and tie it to the rubber band.
When ready to bake, simply slice and bake without thawing (or just thawing enough to be able to slice) or thaw fully in the fridge and shape as directed in your recipe.
*You can also scoop out dough onto cookie sheets and freeze them until hard. Then place the frozen dough lumps into freezer safe bags or plastic containers. This is very handy when making cookies for last minute guests.
STORING BAKED COOKIES:
Once you have baked and cooled your cookies, a great way to store them and keep them fresh is to use cookie tins. Cookie tins keep out the light and also let just enough air in to keep the cookies crisp. For maximum freshness, place a piece of parchment paper (or wax paper) in the bottom of your tin, then place a layer of cookies down, then top with another layer of paper, cookies, etc. End with a layer of parchment or wax paper. Store in a cool place (but not in the fridge)- kept this way, many of your cookies will keep for weeks and still taste as fresh as the first few days you baked them. Most sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, drop cookies, and cookie balls will keep very nicely for 3-4 weeks. Airy cookies such as meringues will probably only be good for 1 week. Moist bar cookies may only keep 1-2 weeks, with the most moist varieties spoiling faster.
BAKING TIPS:
measure carefully when baking- this is not the time to measure with the "taste & season" method. Accurate measuring is
very important whenever one is baking. Level off your measuring cups and spoons
rather than scooping them and having a huge mound atop your cup. Those little "rounded" spoonfuls can greatly affect your results.
set your butter out on the counter and let it come to room temperature about 30 minutes before you want to start baking. You can also soften butter inthe microwave using the
defrost setting - but be very careful not to overdo it or you will melt the butter. If you have a heavy duty mixer (such as a Kitchenaid) you can also simly cut up your butter into small chunks and throw them into the mixer, letting the mixer beat the butter until soft - this takes abut 5-10 minutes.
parchment paper is excellent for keeping cookies from sticking to your pans. If is also helpful when you have a limited number of pans as you can simply slide off the sheet of parchment onto your counter once a batch has cooked, then immediately slide on a fresh piece of parchment. No waiting to scrap off those stubborn bits of cookie crumbs in between batches.) Wax paper may be cheaper, but sometimes the wax melts off into your cookies(wax paper is better for lining cookie tins). Parchment can also be reused several times.
If you must bake several batches at a time in the same oven, rotate your pans halfway through the baking time so that your cookies bake evenly - just about every oven has a hot spot.
your cookies are usually baked fully when they have definite formed edges that you can lift slightly with a spatula - the bottoms should be light brown. Sometimes the tops of the cookies will still look underdone - this is because they will continue cooking after you pull them out of the oven. Don't be tempted to overbake your cookies.
butter makes a flatter, crisper, richer tasting cookie, margarine will make slightly softer & puffier cookies but may not taste as rich; shortening makes for a puffed & crisp cookie, but the cookies get stale much faster.
you may wish to wait 1 minute before removing a batch of cookie from your pans to cool on racks - they will firm up a bit as they cool and may be easier to lift off your pan. But don't let them sit too long or they may glue themselves to your pan. (Again - if using parchment, you won't have this worry.
)
to get bright, vibrant colors for cookie icings, use paste food coloring
instead of the liquid drops commonly used in coloring eggs, etc. Wilton brand is commonly available in the US - look in the cake decorating department for paste colors. They last a long time and a little goes a long way.
HeatherFeather
Pat Stewart
1Steve
WaterMelon
Elly in Canada
Cooking at the Cottage
