Now What?

So what does nearly 2000 cookies look like? 

All cookies, all the time. At least from October to December.

Yup, that's my freezer.  And yes it is full of cookies (well, there might be a frozen pizza in there somewhere).  And what does one do with them all?

Well, clearly, you eat them.  But first, you have to pack them up in pretty tins and trays and share them with your friends and family. Everyone loves a homemade gift and my friends and family are no exception.  They anticipate the cookies each holiday.  I've even gotten Christmas cards early in the season with notes telling me how much the sender is eagerly awaiting the arrival of their cookie tin.

I started picking up tins on clearance after Christmas.  These things can be expensive and the whole point of a homemade gift is to fill it with time and love, not oodles of money.  So I'd store them until the next round of holidays.  Then I joked with people that if they gave their tin back, it was a guaranteed refill the following year.  So now not only do people give me their tins back within days, but they'll also find me new tins and send them me throughout the year.  Or they'll wait until they have a stockpile, and give me three or four years worth of tins at once.  It's funny, because I never intended to get the tins back--it's not like I won't give someone cookies because they wanted to keep their tins.  But alas, this is how it's come to be.  And how I ended up with this pile in my basement:

I lost track of how many I have.

And just to deceive you, there are tins hiding inside tins hiding inside tins.

I have a very organized process for filling the tins.  It starts with figuring out which tin each person gets.  I put everyone's name on a sticky note and start sorting the tins, looking for the right size, shape and design for the receiver.

These are just the tins for the first batch.

Once all the tins have been sorted and labeled, I then move onto the cookies.  Using a list of all the cookies I made, I grab the cookies from the freezer and spread them out on the kitchen table and counters.  There isn't a specific order but I do arrange the cookies so I can make a loop around the kitchen.  And I usually pack the tin with the flatter cookies on the bottom (Gingerbread, Sugar Cut-Outs) and the more delicate or soft cookies on top (White Chocolate Coconut, Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip).  Depending on the tin and how many people are sharing it, I may put one of each cookie, three of each cookie, or only focus on the flavors I know someone likes.  And I pay attention to allergies, so my friend who can't have strawberries didn't get any Banana Split cookies in her tin, and my father-in-law won't get any Hotel cookies due to his walnut allergy.

Seventeen different kinds on the kitchen table.

Seven more on the counter and flattop stove. (Yes, this is one of the reasons I like my flattop.)

Once a tin is packed with cookies, I top it with a piece of waxed paper or parchment to act as a cushion during shipping.  Hand delivered tins usually don't get this (I've been told it "just gets in the way").  I don't always tape the lid shut, but occasionally I will if the tin is particularly full, finicky or the shipping box is questionable.

Who wouldn't want to get this in the mail?

For shipping, Dave is a big help, making sure to use boxes that are pretty close in size and well cushioned with packing peanuts, foam or air pockets.  I've also used bunched up plastic grocery bags. 

The alternative to the cookie tin is the cookie tray, which I save for when I give the cookies as a gift at a party or when they are my contribution to a party. The theory is the same, get a cute tray and load it up. I like to make concentric circles, with the bigger cookies overflowing the edges and the smaller ones piled high in the middle.  For a little extra fun, I'll throw on some candy as well. Either my homemade fudge or wrapped Hershey's Kisses, Reese's Cups, or something else I have on hand.

Prepped for a Christmas party this past weekend.

However you share your cookies--in tins, trays, or even zip-top bags--your friends will love them and appreciate your kindness.  My cookies started to arrive in mailboxes yesterday and the phone was ringing nonstop with holiday wishes and thanks.  And once you've finished up, make sure you grab a few for yourself and cuddle up with a big glass of milk.  Hey, someone has to test them for Santa.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

Getting Organized

When people find out I make roughly eleventy billion cookies, I usually get one of two reactions, sometimes both from the same person.

"You do what now?" and/or "How, exactly?"

As with any big project, organization is key.  And the fact that I'm a little crazy when it comes to organization definitely helps.  I'm the girl who got a label maker for Christmas and thought it was awesome.  The girl who has color-coded file folders (that match the purple and green file cabinets where they are contained).  The girl who used to rewrite her notes from classes so that they would flow better for studying than they did in the lecture.  And the girl who just recently reorganized all her printed and loose recipes to create three binders containing very specific recipe types, organized and separated by dividers (but I stopped short of actually alphabetizing the recipes, because I never remember their actual names).



So organization is the first step to preparedness.  I do this in a few ways.  First, while there's always reasons to have cookies, you don't want to start baking massive quantities of cookies without first thinking of your audience.  How many you make should be dictated by the number of people your sharing with and the process by which you will share.  Do you go to a lot of holiday parties and want to take trays of cookies to each one?  Do you want to give a bag of cookies to everyone you work with?  Do you have 3 kids at 3 different schools and 3 different bake sales?  In these times of financial uncertainty, maybe you want to scrap the purchased Christmas gifts this year and give everyone a homemade gift of yummy cookies (stay tuned for more on that).  Make a list of all the possible people you want to give cookies to/make cookies for, from family to friends to teachers to coworkers to your hair stylist and more.

Now, decide if everyone is getting the same amount of cookies.  I do tailor the size of my cookie gifts, based on several factors.  When I know the cookies will be shared at a party or holiday gathering, I make the gift a little bigger.  Or if I give to a coworker who has a family at home, there may be a few extra gingerbread men or sugar cookies for the little ones.  A friend who looks forward to my cookies but is also conscious of her weight gets a smaller tin (and is appreciative!) because she wants to indulge, but not gorge herself.  Some of these things won't be evident the first time around, and I still don't have the perfect number for my needs, since my list of recipients changes from year to year.  But cookies aren't a one size fits all gift, so try to keep that in the back of your mind.

The next step is deciding on your cookie recipes.  It's never a bad idea to start with recipes you know and are comfortable with.  It takes some of the stress out. This is not a project for people who don't love to bake, so stress isn't an option.  Make it fun.  Use the recipes your family likes or try the ones you're comfortable with.  Have I made complete failures? Yes.  Have I given them as gifts?  Most of them.  Did I stress about it? No.  I just made notes on the recipe to try again next year.  Or threw out the recipe.

This isn't even all of it.

The next part of preparation will be organizing your resources.  This means figuring out exactly how much flour, sugar, butter, etc., you're going to need.  And this is why I think starting early (I started my list in July this year) is key.  Once you know what you need, you can start keeping an eye out for sales and coupons to start stocking your pantry.  Generally speaking, baking should be inexpensive, but if you're going for large quantities, the cheap stuff adds up.  By planning early, I scored 30 pounds of flour for $6 (normally $18 at this grocery store) by purchasing it in August.  Just make sure you have a cool place to keep it.  Similarly, I scored several bags of candy (Reese cups, Hershey Kisses, M&Ms) at big discounts by getting them over the summer when chocolate doesn't move as quickly off store shelves.  And don't forget that butter freezes just fine, so pick up a few pounds when it's cheap.  And if you're not a member of a big box club store, do a little reconnaissance and if the prices are good, ask the service desk for a free one day shopping pass to take advantage and stock up on your baking needs.

I'll continue to address some of these issues as we go along. (And yes I will explain the packages of Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes, too. They are not the devil, as originally suspected.)  But let me know if you have questions on getting started.  Leave me a comment--I want to hear from you.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess