Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday.  May I suggest “Cookie Tuesday”?  It’s time to bake!

     First things first, check your recipes.  Pull out your favorites, and maybe one or two new ones.  (If you are looking for inspiration, you can purchase my friend Chef Kate’s cookbook “It’s Magic” from the Evergreen Park Public Library.) Know your limits, and be realistic.  Don’t try to make 20 different kinds, stick with what you do well,

      Ask yourself whose tradition is it anyway?  Growing up, my mom always rolled out and cookie-cuttered cookies with frosting every year.  My boys and I tried that one year, but they weren’t too interested, so we let it go.  I tried Oreo truffles, too, and while they were delicious, they were a lot of work, so I let those go, too.  Christmas Eve lemon bars are a special tradition with my oldest son, though, so they stay!

      Make Your Plan.  Do you want to bake all at once, or in bits and pieces?  We used to have a big holiday baking event over Thanksgiving weekend.  I have lovely memories of those events, but schedules have gotten more complicated.  Now I bake a few batches on the weekend, and a batch a day during dinner preparation until I’m done.  One batch at a time feels more do-able for me.  Choose for yourself!

      Check your recipes, then your supplies and dishes, too, and make your shopping list.  Buy the real stuff.  Real vanilla, real butter and actual eggs (right VH?).  For flavor and texture and gift giving, yes, it is worth it.  If something is costly to purchase or cumbersome to store, like special pans (Bundt cake, CK?) or expensive spices, borrow, swap or share from friends or family members. 

      Clear your counters.  My kitchen is small and I need to maximize my work space.  My largest counter is clear at all times, and the other ones, too, if I can manage it.   Kitchens are usually for work, not for show, and they have enough personality on their own.  Limit the canisters, decorative jars, clutter, etc. 

      Shop alone.  My kids are helpful, but they give new meaning to “impulse purchases”.  Stick with your baking supplies shopping list.  Now is not the time to stock up for the next month.  Some specialty items are expensive or hard to find, so purchase just what you need.

     For actual baking, enlist aid – my kids are great sous chefs these days.  They can dice and chop and unwrap hundreds of chocolate kisses, so I get their help and we have fun. 

     Prepare your cookies all the way to baking, but pop them in the freezer instead of the oven.  Once frozen, store them in a freezer bag, and bake as needed.  No thawing necessary, just add a minute or two to bake time. This only works if your husband is not aware of this or doesn’t eat raw dough, like mine does!  If you are shipping cookies, pack them as soon as they cool. Freeze the packaged cookies until you are ready to ship them.

     Happy Baking!  and if you have extra cookies lying around, remember the friendly organizer who gave you good tips
(gingerbread is my favorite:)!