Did you know?  December 4^th is National Cookie Day, so this week’s blog is all about Holiday Baking!  I carry wonderful memories of baking with my mom as a child, and now my kids and I do the same!

Before you bake the first cookie, examine your personal Christmas traditions and expectations.  Do your traditions add to or detract from your enjoyment of the holidays?  Do you have traditions that you love? Do you have any that are more trouble than they are worth?

An example:

My mom made frosted butter cookies every Christmas.  There was mixing, chilling and rolling of dough; frosting and sprinkles; assembly and display.  It was a lot of fun.

A few years ago, in addition to our annual favorites, I decided to add the butter cookies to our list.  Yikes, what a chore!  I quickly realized the secret is the time spent together in loving and creative ways, not the actual frosted butter cookies.  So we now stick with our specialties, I call and thank my mother, and I let others frost and sprinkle.

One meaningful family tradition that we keep is making lemon bars on Christmas Eve.  The story goes, I was making lemon bars on Christmas Eve many years ago when I realized I was in labor for our oldest son.  He loves that story, so the tradition stays.

After you examine your traditions, Create Your Plan!

Pick your cookies.  Keep the list reasonable, don’t go crazy.  Here are our favorites:

• Peanut butter cup cookies,  https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9471/peanut-butter-cup-cookies/; 
• Lemon bars
• Magi’s Turbans, http://www.food.com/recipe/magi-s-turbans-176588
• Toffee cookies, https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/easy-graham-cracker-toffee/, we leave out the nuts
• 2 or three types of Biscotti
• Just for fun:  Turtle Pretzel cookies, https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/96749/pretzel-turtles/ , we use M&Ms instead of a pecan; rice krispie treats with sparkles, or puppy chow
• Occasionally, oreo truffles but they are very time-consuming

Look at your list, read all the directions and ask yourself some questions (my answers are listed, too):

When can I bake?

• I realized  that baking on a weekday in addition to regular life is just too much, so  I’m sticking to weekends.
• Then again, I can prep my cookie dough on weeknights when I am making dinner, ball it and freeze the balls, then bake them on the weekends.

For what events are the cookies needed? 

• We give cookies as gifts, plus serve them at various parties.  The first party is December 16^th.

What cookies freeze well?  Make those early.

• Toffee cookies and biscotti.  So I will make those soon, bag them up and freeze them.

What dough requires chilling?

• Magi’s turbans.  So I assemble that dough first on baking day and chill it while baking the others

What recipes tie up my pans for a long time?

• toffee cookies tie up my cookies sheets for hours of cooling, so I make 4 pans all at once, and nothing else

What recipes use specialty pans (and free up the cookie sheets for other things)?

• Peanut butter cup cookies require my mini muffin tins, so the cookie sheets are free for something else.  So I will probably make those on the same day as the biscotti or Magi’s turbans.

So, considering my answers, here is my plan:

• Today      – toffee cookies (4 pans cooling on the counter right now)
• 12/9           –      2 types of biscotti, peanut butter cup cookies
• 12/15        – magi’s turbans and just-for-fun cookies
• Oreo           truffles are optional for the day after Christmas for a late-in-December party

Other tips:

• Share specialty spices, supplies or baking dishes with friends or family to defray baking costs.
• Enlist Aid.  Most of our specialty cookies require some type of candy.  My sons are great about helping with assembly and un-wrapping, and we all enjoy the time spent together.
• Assemble cookies all the way to placing the balls on cookie sheets.  Instead of baking them, put the cookie sheets in the freezer and freeze the balls.  Store them in a freezer bag, and when you want fresh cookies, make a dozen or two as needed.  No need to defrost, the frozen dough can go straight into the oven!
• Don’t store peanut butter cookies or mint cookies with anything else, or everything will taste like peanut butter or mint.
• Try a cookie exchange:  Plan an event with 5 or more friends.  Have each attendee bring many dozens of their specialty cookie, and then swap at the cookie exchange.  Everyone goes home with a variety of yummy homemade cookies, and you can concentrate on one type you make really well.

Enjoy your baking and have a great Christmas season.  As for me, I need to go clean out my freezer to make room for the first batches of cookies!