Weekly Tip: Make Ahead Holiday Cookies

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Cookies are a holiday essential that can be made for eating or for giving. Get a jump on your holiday cookie baking by following some simple tips:

Write down each type of cookie and how many of each you want to make this year. Figure out how much flour, sugar, butter, eggs, etc you will need. Add one or two ingredients to your usual shopping list starting this week and you will spread out the cost over several trips.

When making dough for drop cookies, use a small stainless steel scoop to save tons of time. Make your dough up, scoop out onto a tray lined with wax paper and freeze for two hours. Remove from wax paper and place in zip-top gallon freezer bags. Place in freezer and all you have to do is thaw them slightly on a cookie sheet and bake them!

When freezing dough for rolled cookies, make up the dough and flatten it out in a circle between two sheets of wax paper. Place in a freezer safe zip-top bag and freeze flat. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before kneading dough slightly and rolling out to cut.

To freeze baked cookies, cool cookies completely on a cooling rack or clean towel. Line disposable aluminum pans or other freezer-safe container with wax paper. Layer cooled cookies with wax paper until the container is full. Cover tightly with heavy duty foil or freezer safe lid. Thaw at room temperature.

When those crazy December days are here, you will be so glad you took the time early in the season to make your dough or cookies ahead! Make one recipe each weekend and you'll be ready to whip up cookies at any given moment!