As a busy working mother, I'm short on time, especially
during the holidays, but baking Christmas cookies is a family tradition I'm
unwilling to give up. Over the years, I've come up with many ways to make
the process of baking a large variety of cookies go much smoother and take
less time out of my busy life. You may want to start by checking out my
6-day program for Christmas cookie baking [note: link here to "Hassle-Free
Holiday Baking: 6 Easy Days to Perfect Christmas Cookies" article]. In
addition to the 6-step method, I 've found an efficient way to prepare a
large variety of cookie dough with minimum fuss by setting up a cookie
assembly line. The best part about this process is that you can make 12
different batches of cookies and only have to wash the dishes once!
This process assumes that you have
already chosen your recipes and gone grocery shopping. You will want to use your
longest available expanse of countertop for this. My assembly line turns two
corners as it winds around my small kitchen, but that is fine.
You may need to make some adjustments depending on your
individual recipes, but for most recipes, you can set up your assembly line like
so:
Large mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Fork for stirring
Flour
Baking powder and baking soda
Salt
Cocoa powder
Spices
Any other dry ingredients that are added to the flour in your recipes
Butter Line
Another large mixing bowl (or the bowl from your stand mixer)
A second set of measuring cups and spoons
Electric mixer
Wooden spoon
Rubber spatula - Butter, shortening, margarine and/or cream cheese
Sugar (white and brown)
Eggs
Vanilla and other extracts
Chunks such as raisins, nuts, chocolate chips
Rolled oats
Any other ingredients that are added to the butter and eggs in your recipes
Plastic wrap
Felt-tip marker
To avoid transferring flavors from one recipe to another, you will start with
basic recipes that have no spices, chocolate, or other strongly flavored
ingredients. Starting with your first recipe, go down the line measuring out the
amount of flour, baking powder/soda and salt into one bowl. Then, combine the
butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla in your larger bowl as directed. Gradually stir the
flour mixture into the butter mixture. After that, stir in any chunks.
Next, scrape down the edges of the mixing bowl so that it's
fairly clean, shape the dough into a ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap.
Identify the recipe by writing its name on the plastic wrap with a felt-tip
marker, and refrigerate it. If it is a slice-and-bake refrigerator cookie,
form it into a log instead of a ball, according to the directions in your
recipe. If you plan to bake much later, you can even freeze the dough. Most
cookie doughs freeze very well. Defrost at room temperature while still
wrapped in plastic wrap, and unwrap only when dough is thoroughly defrosted.
Otherwise condensation could add too much moisture to your dough.
When your first batch of dough is prepared, wrapped, and
stored in the refrigerator or freezer, return to the beginning of your
assembly line, without washing your dishes, and begin preparing the next
batch of dough. When you have prepared all the recipes that contain no
spices or cocoa, move on to the recipes that contain cocoa, and finally
those that contain spices. This way, you will only have to do dishes once at
the end of the process, and you will have several different kinds of dough
waiting to be baked
When all
your dough is prepared, then you can finally put away all your ingredients, clean up the
kitchen, and do your dishes. Now if you plan to finish your baking today, you'll have
lots of space for rolling out your dough or setting out your cooling racks. If you plan
to bake another day, you're done!
Mimi Cummins is co-author
of the book "Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and Tips
for Making Heartwarming Gifts. For more info, visit
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/