Making cookies at Christmas used to overwhelm me a bit. There are so many people I want to make cookies for....and so little time. I still don't get them made for everyone on my list (the church choir has been on my list now for 2 years and still has not seen one cookie), BUT I've learned how to de-stress the whole process and just have fun with it. Maybe the choir will get their cookies this year, after all.
First...take a look at your supplies. You're going to need:
- meringue powder
- food coloring
- cookie cutters
- ingredients
- icing bags & squeeze bottles
- couplers & tips
- parchment paper
- individual treat bags
- ribbon
- boxes for packaging
- boxes for shipping
- shipping supplies
OK....next. Start early. Cookie decorating is really more fun if you break it up into chunks.
Do one of the following to make life easier:
- make the dough ahead and freeze (thaw in the fridge overnight)
- bake the cookies and freeze (thaw at room temperature for a few hours)
- bake the cookies the day before decorating
- make the icing a day (or so) before decorating (if you are doing fine detail work, you'll want to make this the same day you are using)
If you are making hundreds of cookies, you might want to make and decorate a few dozen at a time, THEN freeze...yes, cookies decorated with royal icing can be frozen. I individually bag the cookies, then place in freezer baggies, then place those in plastic containers to prevent crushing. Thaw at room temperature in the packaging for several hours.
Shipping...after all of that hard work, you really want your cookies to arrive intact. Check this post and this video for info on shipping.
So, who's decorating cookies this season?
These few tips work for me; I hope they work for you, too!
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