Holiday Baking Tips

The holidays are here and with it comes lots and lots of baking! It can be very stressful sometimes when you have a lot of cookies to make for friends and family, and sometimes disasters are inevitable. Hopefully, though, I can help a little to avoid those disasters with some holiday baking tips to make your cookies a success!


Tips for cut-out cookies 


Cut out cookies can take time, space, and get really messy. Here are some tips to help you get through it gracefully.

1. Roll your dough between wax paper. If the dough you're using is very sticky, you might find yourself continuously adding flour while you're rolling. This can change the structure of your cookies and in some cases leave them dull and flavorless. Minimize this amount by sprinkling flour on one sheet of wax paper, and then on the top of the dough. place another sheet on top and then roll.

This is pie crust, but you get the idea, haha!

2. Flour your cutter each time you cut, and wipe off if necessary. I like to have a small plate next to me with a little bit of flour and a paper towel. It might not be absolutely necessary to flour every time, but you wanna make sure there is some flour on the cutter and it is wiped clean so each cookie is consistent with the others.

3. Keep the dough cold. whatever dough you haven't rolled out yet (I like to do it in sections) keep either in the fridge, or if it's dough that has been worked a little and is scraps, pop in the freezer, and use all the scaps together at the end. If it gets too warm, it will be hard to cut and will ruin the shape of your cookies.

Tips for drop cookies

1. A great tip for drop cookies is to plan ahead! If you are someone who has a big family or just likes to make a lot of cookies for people, try this. Make your dough as usual, and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, place in freezer. When the dough is frozen (about 2 hours) take it out and remove drops into a tightly sealed freezer container. Then when you're ready to bake, simply preheat the oven and bake while cookies are still frozen, just be prepared to add a couple of minutes to the baking time. Cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.

2. To get consistent, professional looking drop cookies, try a cookie scoop. These are great as you won't have to get your hands messy and it beats dealing with the two spoon method

3. Let your drop cookies rest. Remember, cookies continue to bake after they are taken out of the oven. Let them rest on the baking sheet for a good 5 minutes. This will ensure that the cookies stay moist and finish cooking thoroughly before being transferred to a cooling rack.

Tips for shipping cookies


1. Drop cookies, brownies, and bar cookies are the best for shipping

2. Pack in sturdy boxes, tins, or other containers lined with wax paper, and in between each layer of cookies.  One idea for drop cookies is to take an empty chip can (like pringles) and make a stack of cookies wrapped in plastic. It would be fun to decorate the can, too!

3. Pack shipping box with packing peanuts, crumpled newspaper, or air popped popcorn (no oil)

4. On top of shipping box write 'This Side UP' and 'Perishable-food' to ensure safe handling or your goods.

I hope this helped you somehow! Please comment below if you liked this post, if there's any questions you have, or if there's something else you'd like to see on here! I love the support!


Love, Kailee