Reduces Holiday Stress With Thess 5 Baking Tips

Having fun while baking

It seems like as soon as the calendar flips to December my inbox gets flooded with questions about Tips for Holiday Baking. MBA readers are looking for ways to make the holiday baking experience as productive and rewarding as possible. I’m sure we have all had those baking mishaps that seem to be hilarious to everyone but you! As a result, I have decided to make a list of tips and must-haves for your holiday baking extravaganza.

1. Get Organized – The first thing I always suggest is GET ORGANIZED! Organization is key for maintaining your sanity, so start by making a list of the items that you want to bake and the ingredients that you’ll need. Nothing ruins the “baking zone” more than having to run to store to pick up that forgotten ingredient, especially when its something as trivial as eggs! Always start several days prior to “D-day” and make sure you have a plan of attack so you can get right to the good stuff on your baking day. This may also include deciding what can be made ahead of time to freeze and be used in coming weeks such as cookie dough and pie crusts.

2, Clean Up – After you have created your “must make” list, you’ll have a good idea of the kind of space you’ll need for storage and preparation. Cleaning out your pantries and refrigerator can reduce some of the stress that comes with finding room for all your finished products. I think most of us have experienced a surprise pantry attack – you know, when you open the door and things come tumbling out on your toes. Organizing your space ahead of time will definitely decrease your stress level and increase your sanity.

3. Pantry Check – Once you have cleaned and organized, conduct an inventory of your pantry, freezer and refrigerator. You’ll obviously want to make sure having staple ingredients on hand such as butter, eggs, a variety of sugars, flour, baking soda, and powder without question. I also like to think about including some of the not so obvious items, such as an assortment of nuts, a variety of chocolates, and your fall and winter spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and ginger. A quick check list twill ensure that you are no wasting money by purchasing duplicate items.

4. Get Your Friends and Family Involved – Baking doe so’t have to be a chore that MUST get done. Begin a yearly tradition with family and friends where your special baking buds gather together for an all-day baking event. It gets especially interesting when you allow everyone a hand in decorating sugar cookies.

However, if you look forward to the serenity of baking alone, you can also facilitate a cookie exchange, where everyone bakes a couple dozen of their favorite cookies, and each person gets an assortment of cookies for themselves. This can save you time if your family is big on variety and who knows, you just might happen upon a brand new cookie recipe.

Wrap It Up –  No gift is more appreciated than a homemade gift of sweet treats for your friends, co-workers and neighbors. What’s better than a variety of homemade cookies and candies wrapped up in festive packaging?

So there it is, 5 quick tips on how to take the stress out of the season and put the fun in!

7 Holiday Tips For Baking Cookies

Baking cookies during the holiday season is very popular. Here are a few baking tips to help you be successful in making delicious holiday cookies: 

1. Read the recipe completely. Make sure you understand all the steps before actually beginning the baking process.

2. Don’t overlook specific mixing instructions. Ignoring particular mixing instructions could greatly alter your final results.

3. Plan ahead. For example, measuring out all the ingredients prior to starting or making the dough and freezing it and baking later could be big time savers.

4. Use quality ingredients. For example, you should use real vanilla instead of imitation. When quality ingredients are used, it is evident in the taste.

5. It is best to use a heavy duty cookie sheet. The heavier your cookie sheet, the less likely your cookies are to burn. If you do not have a heavy duty cookie sheet, you can wrap thin cookie sheets with Aluminum foil.

6. Don’t over bake cookies. Cookies should be light brown around the edges.

7. Pack cookies in airtight containers. Other alternatives can also be plastic boxes, metal tins, glass or ceramic canisters, cookie jars or heavy-duty plastic bags. The container provides protection against breakage and prevent exposure to the air.