I'm getting ready for 2013 Holiday baking

[Kim, Cookie Master]

Well, this week I made 1 batch of cookie dough (so far) and froze it, all dosed out into balls. I got 86. I will be making another dough today and dosing and freezing that tomorrow. I will repeat this next week with 2 more batches and will freeze those as well. This year I am planning on 6 kinds of cookies, 3 pans of caramel bars, 2 pans of oatmeal bars, 1 of dark chocolate raspberry bars, and 1 pan of a new thing I found in an old magazine that uses graham crackers as a base.

2 of the cookies I'm making may not freeze too well, so I am going to make those the day before I want to bake them. I am making a mixed bag of things I've made before and new things, which I said I wasn't going to do anymore, but well, it's me.

What are your plans for this year?

[Kim, Cookie Master]

I have around 400 cookie dough balls in my freezer and have 6 bar cookies to make starting later on this week. I will most likely be making bread (quick breads) as well at the very last. I don't feel like I have enough.....

[Kim, Cookie Master]

I'm almost done. I baked 10 dozen on Sunday and 8 dozen on Monday. Today, with luck, will be another 12 dozen. I did all six batches of bar cookies and I have one more treat to go tomorrow. I hope to get 4-8 loaves of bread done on Friday and frost the 8 dozen that need frosting on Saturday to start delivery on Monday.

I'm tired.

[Kim, Cookie Master]

So, I wisely talked myself out of the bread and I decided to not make one of the cookie recipes that I had originally planned on due to time. All in all, I baked over 60 dozen cookies and bar cookies this year and almost all of them are with the recipients. I am tired, yet happy.

[Narzain]

And never once did the phrase "I'm never baking again!" fall out of your mouth! :)

[Kim, Cookie Master]

No, it did not. I had an item not turn out the way I thought it should, and I have noted that on the recipe. (I have been known to say "I am NEVER baking again!" when I have a not so minor disaster, like quick breads flowing out of their pans, or the like.) I was not happy with the instructions in the recipe, but I feel that I can correct that. It involved jam and using a teaspoon measure dotted all over the pan, but it did not spread out, but pooled. I feel that 1/2 tsp. measures may be better and possibly taking a knife and dragging the tip through the jam may help it spread better.