Yikes! Baking for Christmas parties at school, church, clubs, work and Scouts, with Christmas cookies, cakes and breads to have on hand at home and give as house gifts takes time, effort and attention. Add to this list your job, housekeeping, shopping, decorating and all the other things you need to do, and it’s “Hello, holiday stress.”

How can you simplify your baking and take away some of the stress?

Choosing recipes

• What are you famous or infamous for making each year. That’s necessary to include, if you don’t want to hear too many grumblings from family and friends.
• Look for recipes you can vary to make at least two kinds of cookies. That way, you get “two for the price of one.” Choose two different recipes that will give you four different kinds of cookies.
• Search through your collection to find no-bake cookie recipes. Choose at least two.

This will give you six or more different kinds of cookies.

Make sure you have all your ingredients on hand. A roll of parchment paper is a great investment for keeping your baking sheets clean. It also has the advantage that you can use the same sheet a few times before you throw it away. Plug in your mixer to be sure it works. (That one, I learned the hard way!)

Making the cookies

Not enough? Ok, get on your computer or phone and contact at least six people to set up a “cookie exchange” date where you each bring 3 dozen cookies separated into packages of six cookies. Exchange with each other so that you each take home 3 dozen different cookies.

Still not enough? Organize a cookie bake with about a dozen people at your church or club, offering an assortment of the goodies produced for their use. This can be fun for everyone involved, and get many cookies baked in a day. Just be sure the kitchen you’ll be using is 1). Clean before you use it, and 2). Clean after you use it.

• Ask people you know are good bakers to participate. Each person should plan to make two different kinds of cookies.
• Everyone should bring enough ingredients to make all their own cookies. If you’ll be using a kitchen equipped for large gatherings, they should have enough baking sheets to make the work go quickly.
• If needed, people can bring their own mixers and decorating equipment.
• For those planning to make refrigerated dough cookies, they can mix it and chill it at home, then bring it in to prepare it for baking.
• Work in teams of two or three, and you’ll be surprised how rapidly the cookies will accumulate! Of course, you get the added benefit of sampling the results of some new and different recipes. (As an added benefit, I have a friend who insists that nothing you eat at church has any calories! Sounds like a good idea, even if not accurate!)

Yes, both the cookie exchange and the cookie bake involve extra time, but it will be time shared with others – and spending time with others going through many of the same preparations you are, laughing and talking together, is a great stress reducer.

Still too much work and time? OK, try these hints.

• Use prepackaged cookie dough of various varieties, decorating them to suit.
• Pick up an ice cream cake or two from your local market and pop it in your freezer.
• Pay a neighbor or friend (who likes to bake) to make your cookies.
• Buy a few boxes of specialty cookies – peffernusse, macadamia or cashew drops at your market to stretch out what you’ve already gotten or made.

Breads and cakes

You can find a great time saver for Christmas quick breads in the cake mix aisle of your market. Most of the boxed mixes have suggestions on how to make their mix into your own special creation. Try some of them.

Some communities have clubs for people with roots in other countries. Many of those organizations have members who love to do holiday baking and are willing to take orders for special items such as stolen or lebkuchen. Contact your local clubs for information.

Fruitcake

If your family loves and expects fruitcake, but you didn’t start it in October, forget making it yourself – just buy a good quality one. Then write a note on next year’s September page of your calendar to get your ingredients together for starting the process in October!

If your family doesn’t love it, and there’s always some left on July 1, don’t bother with it at all.

Kids in the kitchen

If your children or grandchildren expect to be involved in cookie making, consider their ages. For young children, prepackaged cookie dough with lots of decorations to use is a great idea. You can roll the dough out and use your own cookie cutters, or you can buy the kind that has holiday shapes already in the dough, slice it and let little hands have fun with the decorating.

Older children can have fun making cookies. It’s great practice for both boys and girls in kitchen arts, including how to clean up messes! It’s also gives practical lessons in fractions and following directions. Let them do as much as possible by themselves, with your supervision. It can be real quality time for both you and the children.

Holiday baking is all about family and friends. Including them in many of your plans will make good memories and relieve you of the stress of feeling you have to do it all yourself. If you follow a few of the suggestions above, and from the articles below, you’ll find you have a much less stressful Christmas.

See also:
Christmas Dinner with Less Stress
Christmas Decorations with Less Stress
Christmas Gifts with Less Stress