crazy cooky factory

This is the 3rd year I have made assorted cookies to give as gifts. I have baked cookies as gifts in the past, but not on the scale I do now. I really try to make these cookie gifts special, and then be done with it. No extra buying/making/stressing about gifts for friends and neighbors. I am really into giving consumables for holiday gifts because we all like to eat, right? And who needs more stuff? Also, I feel really comfortable making cookies and it's not stressful. Usually. Update, a double batch of anything in the cuisinart is a bad idea.

So, I have 3 double batches down and about 4 to go. I freeze the dough and then bake them at some point, (usually after the 15th of December) and then freeze the cookies again after they are baked. Then we bag them (fun family time activity, so they sort of look all crazy, but who cares) and give them/mail them— sometimes still a bit frozen. No one seems to mind, they thaw in about 4 hours.

I have my cookie recipe books out here--everyday food is a great go to for cookies I think, but that Cooky Book lurking back there is my favorite. It's been a little dicey this year making the dough with the 3rd baby, but we will prevail.

In other exciting news, this week I am going to a cookie eating exchange at Mariko's. We are not supposed to make a ton for this, just a batch to share and actually eat at the party. Brilliant! I made sinful apricot crumbles with a stupid amount of butter. Just dumb. But they are pure heaven. I add extra ginger when I make these. I have made them more often than I care to admit, with different jams and when we were discussing what I should bring Mariko mentioned these cookies about 10 times, so I took the hint.

Comments

[Laura]

oh my... these apricot crumbles look divine! I must try them tonight, but I don't have any fresh ginger on hand. Do you think these would work with raspberry preserves and no ginger (until I can get to the market for the apricot and ginger)?

[Alisha]

The Cooky Book was probably my first book to bake from. My mom has had the book for longer than I can remember. You can tell by the well-worn, food-stained pages that it gets a lot of use. I always smile when I see it.

[Kate]

My great grandmother gave my mom that Cooky Book back when she got married, and my mom gave me a copy as a Christmas gift a few years ago. It rocks.

[amyehodge]

wow, a bunch of cookies sounds REALLY yummy. i went for hand sewing most of my gifts this year, but baking next year sounds really nice! Reminds me of the cookies that my grandmother used to ship to us for Christmas when we were little.

[Samantha]

I love the idea of giving consumable gifts. They are perfect for my children's school bus driver, principal and everyone else in the school. The Barefoot Contessa's lemon loaf is a favorite in my household. I like to bake them right in the container I'm going to deliver them in. Makes life easy and I'm all for that. There are these cool paper loaf pans that you can bake right in. I found mine at http://www.thinkgarnish.com in case anyone is interested.

[Jennifer]

With the crumbles... if you double the recipe could you put it in a 9 1/3 x 11 pan?

[AllisonF]

Thank you so much for your wonderful recipe cheat sheet! I love it - I made your apple galette last night! I am in LOVE. So good and so easy. I am going to try your crepes tomorrow morning with fruit syrup. Yum

[Meredith]

I've really considered just doing baked goods gifts as well. Maybe next year I will try this. I agree - who doesn't like treats to eat?

[grace]

Oh I love cookies as gift and this will be my second year.
No one ever complains about recieving baked goods at Christmas. who would?
I want to add some sort of jam cookie to my list this year though.
Have any suggestions?

[Victoria E]

I've been looking for something to give my family and friends that doesn't involve hitting the mall and I'm really liking the baking idea ...

[Bethany]

I *love* the betty crocker cooky book! (though most of our family's hooliday cookies come from elsewhere, actually). I remember picking cookies from the color photos along the bottom of the pages before I knew how to read. Also legendary in our family was the time my grandma (the Cooky Queen) accidentally made the molasses crinkle cookies with twice the molasses... they were so malleable and soft and delicious!

[Tanya]

I make a bunch of cookies and treats every year and have always hesitated about freezing the dough. I'm guessing that you don't have any problems with them if you've done this for several years. I'm going to have to give it a try this year. Thanks for the tip!

[Pauline]

Oh the Betty Crocker Cooky Book! My Mum had it when we were small and we used to drool over it. We could never actually make anything from it because the recipes contained ingredients you couldn't get in NZ at the time - but it was fun to look.

[June]

I've been busy making cookie gift packages for all our neighbors and friends, too. I agree that we don't need more "stuff" and cookies are a happy and tasty treat to give as well as receive.

[Caron]

It's gently snowing here, and the smell of ginger and apricot would make an even more festive ambiance.

[Samantha]

Giving frozen cookie dough can be fun too. Just roll it into a log, wrap it up cute and then all the person has to do is slice and bake. A nice treat for when all the holiday goodies run out!

[Tina]

I just finished making several batches of cookie dough for the freezer myself! I'm big on cookies that can be squeezed from a pastry bag, like meringues and a MS recipe for cat's tongues (which I plan to dip in chocolate). I've been collecting cookie recipes since i was a kid.

I like the idea of baking gifts, each year I package them differently with homemade tags. This year it's Chinese take-out containers with red sparkly ribbon.

[Johanna]

OOOOOH! That Cooky Book? The one lurking at the back? Put it this way- my sister and I refer to it simply as The Bible... And I have secured two extra copies for my own kids for when they grow up! Yay!!

[ellen Crimi-Trent]

I am getting hungry!! looks yummy!

[laurie]

Cookies are my diet downfall, but they have to be homemade. One year I made 21 different kinds for Christmas, never repeated that but still make a fair amount. I like the idea of giving the dough...

[melissa]

i love the cooky book. i made the molasses jumbles last night.

[Mary]

Cookies! I love cookies. The baking. The eating. The sharing. Especially the eating.

[Violette Crumble]

I do the same thing (make Martha recipe cookies and candies). It's so fun!

I love the dresses you made so much by way. Also, I just saw these in the Wisteria catalog and thought of your paper cutting post:
http://www.wisteria.com/prodinfo.asp?number=W2140

[elizabooth]

Good on you. I've already made nine batches of different cookies (I'm six months pregnant, so I did it in November while I still had energy) and I'm so pleased every time I open the freezer and see them. I'm so obsessed with all the holiday baking magazines -- for me variety was way more important than quantity. So many cookies to try, so little time!

[Jan]

A cookie exchange at Mariko's sounds like the ultimate in holiday fun! Love the *eating them* twist.
I'm definitely going to try those Apricot Crumbles.

[Mary Beth]

I too am a big cookie baker and freezer around Christmastime. I like to make little plates of cookies to take around to the neighbors. I swear by the freezing method for having fresh cookies available throughout the season.

[Heidi]

I love the Cooky Book too. Check out our family's cookie baking weekend at my blog!

[Nicole]

I am jealous. I tried it last week... the whole Christmas cookie thing, but it wasn't working. I learned two things: Don't use extra large eggs unless the recipe calls for it because your cookies will turn into cake. Secondly, make sure all the little people really want to help, are fed, diapers changed, and an alternate activity planned.

I am dreaming of your cookies!

[LeeAnn]

Alright! Now you convinced me to get to baking! I might try biscotti this year.

[martha]

ummmm.
do you need my address?:)

[tamara]

I love consumable gifts *yum* I'm not sure my waist line does.

[Lynne Nelson-Berg]

Thanks for the great recipe - cant wait to try it. Could i ask what do you send your cookies in? Do you just buy nice little boxes or do you use something else

[Robyn]

Martha Stewart came out with a great holiday cookie magazine about 2 years ago and I make about 1/2 a dozen cookies for different family members and friends every Xmas. I love it - and I try to think up all kinds of different packaging ideas to change it up each year. Last year I painted platters and presented it on that. This year it's baskets with all different types of goodies.

[Lauren]

Oh I love the Cooky Book (the spelling always reminds me of Mrs. Tiggle Wiggle books) and Everyday Food. I made cookies for everyone two years ago and my great-grandmother refused to eat them because she wanted to keep what I had made. They're still in her deep-freeze. I'm 21 and she has everything I've ever made while I was at her house in a box somewhere!

[Lauren]

I just realized I typed Tiggle Wiggle instead of Piggle Wiggle! My apologies to Mrs. Piggle Wiggle fans!

[diana]

We have always given treats/cookies as gifts. I am the oldest of 7 and remember making yummy treats for days with my mom and sisters. Like you know every ones loves them!!! Rock on with the baking!!!

[Kristen and the herd]

These look wonderful, yummmm!
If you need more cookie recipes, this is my secret weapon;
Maida Heatter's Cookies
so goes the secret!

[adrienne]

I do similar cookie gifting for the holidays. I love to bake and this lets me sent a little bit of cheer to relatives far, far away. I also learned to bake from my mom and The Cookie Book. Ours amazing will fall open to the chocolate chip cookie recipe. We always make the candy cane cookies for Christmas. We sometimes add peppermint schnapps in place of the peppermint extract. LOVE IT! =]

[anne]

I wonder if my mom still has the Cooky Book? I used to bake from it all the time! Thank you for resurrecting many happy memories. And now I have to go call Mom . . .

[Angie]

I don't have the Cooky Book, but I have another great Cookie cookbook that I use every year, and I LOVE it! It has everything from bars, to mastermixes, to holiday cookies, to the old stand-bys. There's just something so comforting about baking cookies during the holidays!

[molly]

my father has only allowed the receipt of "consumable" gifts for as long as I can remember. I always did a big batch of lemon squares for him--he prefers a cookie that makes his salivary glands go on overdrive.

I've had some cookies from the Cookie Bible which were really yummy. Maybe another one for your collection.

[Katie]

Freezing the dough/cookies is a great idea. I am planning on doing cookies, etc, and it hadn't even occurred to me to do that. Now I start the dough and not be stressing the week before xmas!

[Kathleen]

COOKIE BOOK! The only cookie book you will EVER need! I grew up baking with my Mom out of this book and was so hoping to get hers when she eventually passes it on. When I found reprints at Sam's a few years ago I told her I now had my own cookie book, and she had me get 6 more copies for my brothers, sister, and co-workers!

[Sarah]

i know that making that many cookies isn't CHEAP, but because i'm a little eensy weensy bit short this month, i was considering giving home made cookies instead of purchased gifts. i was a little nervous about how it might be received, but if YOU'RE doing it, then it must be a classy thing! thanks. :)