Calling all Christmas cookie experts!

[FroggyinArk]

sooooo i am geussing a i know some people who are getting cookies in the mail this year????????//

 

[Trish Bessette]

I started baking yesterday I made my gingerbread cookies. What I do is put them in an airtight container with wax paper between rows and all I do is keep them in the fridge.

I will ice these cookies the weekend before Christmas.

Next weekend I plan on making at least 6-8 different cookies. If I run out of space in the fridge I'll put them out in my garage where it is cold.

Never have I had a cookie taste stale. Plus I will proabably deliver most of my cookie platters the Sunday before Christmas.

 

[Mom2Nick]

#1 You can freeze cooked cookies

#2 Bake at your Kitchen table with DW sitting in a chair. She still should be able to mix, measure, decorate etc. from there

 

[2girlsmom]

I don't think you should freeze the doughs, but you definitely can freeze the finished cookies, I agree.

Also, have a SUPER easy Christmas cookie for you, do you do Palmiers?? You use puff pastry sheets, roll them to 1/8" thick in sugar, then you fold them lengthwise-from each side to just shy of the middle, then the whole thing in half so it looks sorta like a pretzel shape if you look at it on the end. Cut 1/4" slices, coat in sugar and bake. When they are done you can leave them plain or dip the corners in melted chocolate.

 

[Michelle67]

#1 You can freeze cooked cookies

#2 Bake at your Kitchen table with DW sitting in a chair. She still should be able to mix, measure, decorate etc. from there

This is what we do with my sister. She has very poor health, but likes to participate in the baking bonanza. We are marathon bakers too.

You got great advice on your cookies, so I won't be too redundant other than to say that some doughs do freeze well (chocolate/butterscotch chip dough freezes fine, and sugar cookie dough, and I freeze my cream cheese cookie dough when I make too much), and there are a lot of cookies that keep well for extended periods just in ziplock bags, without losing their nice taste or texture. The Russian tea cakes and shortbreads keep very nicely. When I freeze dough I just do it in ziplock freezer bags.

 

[kristilew]

Can anyone else confirm that the frosted cookies shouldn't be frozen? Those are everyone's favorites here and I'd love to do them ahead of time since they make the biggest mess.

 

[EthansMom]

Can anyone else confirm that the frosted cookies shouldn't be frozen? Those are everyone's favorites here and I'd love to do them ahead of time since they make the biggest mess.

Sugar Cookies can be frozen. I have frozen them in the past, but do it unfrosted. Then I pull them out, thaw them and frost them.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

#2 Bake at your Kitchen table with DW sitting in a chair. She still should be able to mix, measure, decorate etc. from there

That's a good idea! We have a smallish kitchen table since it's just the two of us, but I have one of those long folding tables I might be able to find room to set up.

I just need to round up enough containers to store the cookies in. I just bought a popcorn tin but I still have a ton of popcorn to eat to empty it out Does anyone know a good, inexpensive place to find some airtight containers big enough for cookies?

Also, Lauri wanted me to ask what type of cookie sheets everyone uses to bake their cookies on. All of her sheets are the dark, nonstick type, she uses parchment paper on. She hates them because she says the cookies brown too fast. Do they make disposable aluminum cookie sheets like the pie plates you can get? Would this help with the cookies browning more evenly?

Thanks for all the advice! You guys are great!

 

[christiane]

Hi Obi-Wan-Pinobi,

We bake about 15-20 different goodies every year. Shortbread, iced sugar cookies, many types of bars, drop cookies, cut-outs...you name it & we bake it!! We have everything done by mid-December & then it is all frozen in Tupper Ware-type containers with layers of waxed paper. We do freeze the iced sugar cookies & they are fine, too. On the days we want to eat them, we arrange a variety on festive plates, and let them thaw for about an hour before serving them.

Baking marathons can definitely be exhausting. Bars are by far the easiest & least time-consuming to prepare, but can take a while to cut. Cut-out cookies take a lot of time to prepare, but once baked you are done with them.

I'm not sure about freezing cookie dough, but I know you can refrigerate it for a few days. Many recipes actually require the dough to be chilled overnight. You can bake bars & leave them in the pan (covered) for a day or 2 in the refrigerator before you tackle cutting them up into squares.

The other thing to consider is organizing ingredient lists & the shopping. Over the years, we have developed spread sheets to make sure we have everything in order...yes we are a little crazy about our Christmas baking!!

For the cookie sheets, we use Baker's Secret Air-Insulated pans. They are amazing & nothing has ever burned on them. They are a bit more expensive (about $15 a pan) but we have had some for many years & they are still in great shape.

I just want to add that I really don't know much about your family situation, but have read many of the posts in which you refer to your wife. I can really feel the love you have for your dear wife and you sound like one amazing husband!!

Merry Christmas to you & your wife Lauri (& your cute little pups!)...

Christiane.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Christiane, thank you so much for both your tips and the warm sentiments. I wish you and your family (furry ones included ) a very Merry Christmas.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Okay, after reading everyone's suggestions, and poking around on the internet, I think I have a plan to allow Lauri to bake a large variety of cookies, without it being too much of a strain. Plus maybe it will get her in a Christmasy mood, which has been missing this year.

I'm going to take the long folding table that we have and put it up in the den, which is right off the kitchen. I'll set up an assembly line with all the ingredients and ending with her KitchenAid mixer. We'll throw some Christmas movies in the DVD player like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (one of her favorite all time movies) and I'll help her mix up all the doughs ahead of time. We'll freeze half of them to make next week on my day off. The other half we'll refrigerate and bake the day after tomorrow and store in air tight containers. Hopefully by next Wednesday, everything will be done with little to no stress!

 

[bigmerle1966]

I just need to round up enough containers to store the cookies in. I just bought a popcorn tin but I still have a ton of popcorn to eat to empty it out Does anyone know a good, inexpensive place to find some airtight containers big enough for cookies?

Try the dollar store and WalMart.

 

[HERSEY]

I use baking pans from Wilton I think I bought them from Micheals. They are a shiney alumimum. I think my cookies come out great.

FYI my grandma used to start baking before Thanksgiving and store the baked good in the "cold room" alas the front bedroom closet which was unheated. Of course some of those cookies never made it to Thanksgiving or Christmas

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

FYI my grandma used to start baking before Thanksgiving and store the baked good in the "cold room" alas the front bedroom closet which was unheated. Of course some of those cookies never made it to Thanksgiving or Christmas

Yeah, I'm kidding myself that I'm worried about freshness. I'm more worried about what I could do to the supply before Christmas gets here!

 

[MAKmom]

You can freeze the cookies & they are as good a new.

 

[Michelle67]

Okay, after reading everyone's suggestions, and poking around on the internet, I think I have a plan to allow Lauri to bake a large variety of cookies, without it being too much of a strain. Plus maybe it will get her in a Christmasy mood, which has been missing this year.

I'm going to take the long folding table that we have and put it up in the den, which is right off the kitchen. I'll set up an assembly line with all the ingredients and ending with her KitchenAid mixer. We'll throw some Christmas movies in the DVD player like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (one of her favorite all time movies) and I'll help her mix up all the doughs ahead of time. We'll freeze half of them to make next week on my day off. The other half we'll refrigerate and bake the day after tomorrow and store in air tight containers. Hopefully by next Wednesday, everything will be done with little to no stress!

That sounds like a great plan. Have a good time, and Merry Christmas.

I picked up buckets with sealing lids for cookies at the dollar store. Usually, though, I just pack mine in gallon ziplocks with as much air as possible pushed out, and stand or lay them (depending on the cookies) in flats. We get the large flats from Costco. They are perfect for keeping them relatively organized and you can also move them easily if you need to for any reason.

 

[GraysMom]

I always freeze my cookies . For choc chip, choc w/pb chip, etc that are pretty sturdy and have icing/decorations, I just stand them up in freezer ziploc baggies and stick them in the freezer. For sugar cookies, or anything with decorations/icing or that are delicate, I put them in layers inside metal cans (popcorn tins work good for this as well) with wax paper in between each layer before freezing. The cookies last a looong time that way (I've found some at the bottom of our chest freezer that were a year old and still tasted good-and I'm very picky). For next year you could even start baking in Sept/Oct/Nov, provided you have the freezer space, and work at a more leisurely pace that is easier on Lauri. Freezing them also makes it harder to grab a handful and eat them right away, which my waistline finds helpful .

 

[Shugardrawers]

That's a good idea! We have a smallish kitchen table since it's just the two of us, but I have one of those long folding tables I might be able to find room to set up.

I just need to round up enough containers to store the cookies in. I just bought a popcorn tin but I still have a ton of popcorn to eat to empty it out Does anyone know a good, inexpensive place to find some airtight containers big enough for cookies?

Also, Lauri wanted me to ask what type of cookie sheets everyone uses to bake their cookies on. All of her sheets are the dark, nonstick type, she uses parchment paper on. She hates them because she says the cookies brown too fast. Do they make disposable aluminum cookie sheets like the pie plates you can get? Would this help with the cookies browning more evenly?

Thanks for all the advice! You guys are great!

Being Her Royal Hineyess, Queen Shuggie of Cookieland I insist on using professional grade aluminum pans from Williams Sonoma (ahhh the Mother Ship is calling me again ) but you can find comparable ones at Wally World. Shiny, heavier aluminum is the key really. In the meantime you might try a silpat on your existing pans.

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=591369&CCAID=FROOGLE591369

Don't be fooled by the rubbery silicone pieces of....trash sold cheaply at Wally World etc. THEY SUCK! Be sure they are the silicone/fiberglass mix. They are a couple bucks more but so worth it I threw out my rubber ones 2 weeks after I bought them and got the real ones

I had GREAT luck at the Dollar Store finding tons of containers is many sizes, shapes and colors that were perfect. I also hit the jackpot at Costco so you might want to give Sam's a look-see

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Shug, you forgot about Lauri and Williams Sonoma, didn't you? That is where Hallmark got all the new CEOs and personnel in the corporate office that put it in the condition it's in now. (And made both of your lives miserable!)

I'm sure she'll eventually get some new aluminum pans, which she will have my head for plopping a frozen pizza on to cook . She's also been wanting new cake pans too. I don't think she'll ever break down and go to WS though!

 

[Shugardrawers]

A CURSE UPON HELLMARK'S HEAD

Try that kitchen store at Stoney Point. The one by Three Dog. I've got a bad fibro fog at the moment and darned if I remember the name but Lauri and I have been there many times to drool. They should have them