Sweet seasonal treats
When December rolls around, my thoughts always turn to baking holiday cookies.
With age, has thankfully come the ability to do chosen tasks well enough in advance so I won’t be stressed out as the clock ticks down to zero hour.
After I’ve chosen the recipes, I translate them into weight measurements using a spreadsheet. If I’m feeling a little lazy, I’ll convert as I’m preparing the dough.
Weighing ingredients for baking gives the most reliable results, and for me, flinging around cups of flour, sugar and butter takes twice as long and makes twice the mess of weighing.
Then I move on to pantry inventory and creating the shopping list. Once everything is purchased I can start making the doughs in advance.
Baking takes up a lot of space and I find it easier to make the different cookie doughs and refrigerating or freezing them. Then I can bake when I have some time.
I steer clear of anything complicated. What’s complicated to me is rolling out dough, using a cookie cutter (except when making shortbread) making exact rounds that have to be sandwiched together with a filling, or piping icing. All of this is way too fiddly.
I don’t mind multi-layered bars as they can be made leisurely and one tray usually makes a lot, which is good. I stick to cookies that can be scooped, sliced or flattened. And above all, the cookies have to be delicious.
This year I thought it would be interesting to choose or adapt cookies that reflected flavour combinations I like.
Lime and cardamom reflect my love of Indian and Thai food. And densely rich almond with chocolate reminds me of marzipan chocolate bars.
Of course I’m going to add in some of the classic favourites that I’ve made for so many years. The giveaway cookie boxes wouldn’t seem as warm and friendly without them.
Tips for Happy Festive Baking
■ Get yourself some parchment paper or non-stick silicone mats. Cookies slide right off the sheet, bars and squares won’t stick and silicone is a perfect surface for letting chocolate-dipped items set up.
■ Cookie scoops make portioning a breeze. Get assorted sizes, from 1 teaspoon (five millilitres) to two tablespoons (30 mL).
■ Take out the butter the night before to soften, and the eggs an hour in advance to come to room temperature.
■ Check your baking powder and baking soda for the expiry date.
■ If you have limited counter space, clear off the counters to make as much space as possible before you start to bake.
■ Have the sink filled with hot, soapy water for cleaning utensils immediately after use.
■ Arrange the oven racks before heating up the oven.
■ Always place cookie dough onto a cool baking sheet. Placing the dough on a hot baking sheet will melt the dough and make your cookies spread out.