Improving Baking Efficiency

When it comes to baking Christmas cookies, some years I am all about baking up batches of our traditional favorites. Then there are years like this year, where I want to experiment with new recipes. I read a number of baking blogs so it’s hard not to get enticed by all the amazing-looking treats baked by the pros. This year, I found it really hard to narrow down my recipe choices into something manageable – so many tasty options! Thus, I currently find myself in the midst of a Christmas baking blitz ~ in the works are espresso shortbread cookies, orange cranberry bars, possibly peppermint bark cookies, and gingerbread men.

For anyone else who is baking up a storm in the few days left before Christmas, I thought I’d post a few easy baking efficiency tips that I’ve found over the years.

• If you are making multiple cookies in a short period of time, I find it useful to mix up the dough one day, refrigerate overnight, and bake the next day. Many recipes call for chilling the dough anyway, and by splitting up the mixing and baking processes, it makes things a bit more manageable.
• For the mixing day, keep the sink filled with soapy water for dirty bowls/measuring cups/etc. You can put them in to soak as you go, making the washing process go faster.
• Usually butter needs to be softened to room temperature. I like to slice up the appropriate amount I need and put it on a plate to sit out for a bit. Slicing it into smaller pieces helps speed up the softening time.
• Invest in parchment paper! For a long time, I would see baking bloggers post recipes that specified using parchment paper, and didn’t know what that was exactly. I finally bought some and it definitely helps simplify the baking process. Basically, it’s non-stick paper (kind of like wax paper) designed for baking. You tear off a piece the size of your cookie sheet, put it on the sheet, and put the cookies directly on the paper. This eliminates the need for greasing, makes it really quick to transfer cookies to cooling racks (as you can slide the paper sheet directly over), and best of all – no washing cookie trays in between batches!

Hope to post some updates of the final results a bit later!