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Don’t wait until the last minute to begin your baking for the holidays

Baking plays a big role during the holidays. There are endless
opportunities, whether for gifts, for parties or just for family and
friends who are around the house during the holiday season. Being
prepared is key.

Waiting until the last minute to start baking can be stressful and
also can affect the quality of the baked goods.

* Plan your baking menu. Get out your favorite recipes and select the
cookies and confections you will bake for the holidays. Make a list
of supplies needed.

* Take inventory of your baking ingredients. Make sure you use fresh
yeast, baking soda and baking powder. Check the dates on these
ingredients.

* Check your baking equipment – cookie cutters, decorating tips and
cookie sheets.

* Count your containers. Do you have enough to properly store
finished baked goods? Do you have containers for baked gifts?

* The best cookie sheet is one made of heavy-gauge metal, so it will
hold the heat evenly and will not warp over time. It should not have
high sides, which would hamper the even flow of heat over the
cookies. Non-stick surfaces work well for cookie sheets, but dark
surfaces cause the bottoms of cookies to brown too quickly. Double
insulated cookie sheets will keep the bottoms of cookies from
browning too quickly.

* Measure, do not guess. In baking, accuracy really counts. For
measuring liquids, use a transparent, marked measuring cup. Set the
cup on a flat surface to check the measurement. For measuring dry
ingredients, graduated measuring cups make it easy to obtain the
exact amount needed by leveling off with the sweep of a
straight-edged knife or spatula rather than judging by sight.

* Use a scoop for placing cookie dough on the cookie sheet rather
than a spoon. The cookie size will be more consistent.

* Line baking sheets with parchment paper, heavy aluminum foil or
nonstick liners

for easy cleanup. Liners seldom need to be buttered.

* Two cookie sheets in the oven may require a longer baking time than
one sheet. One of the pans may be ready sooner than the other.
Reverse the pans in the oven for evenly baked cookies.

* Store different flavored cookies in separate containers. A butter
cookie could absorb the flavor from a spice cookie. Store soft and
crisp cookies separately. If crisp cookies are packed with soft
cookies or moist bars, they can absorb moisture from the other
cookies and lose their crispness.