I have four cookie bouquets due on Tuesday, the 22nd. I need to have the cookie bouquets done by Sunday (20TH) so that my sister can come and pick them up and deliver them to her co workers on Tuesday the 22nd.

Normally I would bake on Friday, ice on Friday night and most likely package them all up Saturday night/Sunday morning. However, I may or may not have company coming this weekend. I need to plan as though I will be having company just in case they show up I won't be in the middle of cookie making.

Is it ok to make the NFSC dough today, fridge it overnight, and bake tomorrow morning/afternoon and decorate with Antonias icing tomorrow night? Package them up friday night so they are ready to go on sunday and still have them be fresh on tuesday? They will all be individually wrapped in cello bags.

If I absolutely had to, I can always bake friday morning and decorate friday afternoon/night and then possibly package them on Saturday afternoon if that will make the cookies taste better.

Thank you for any timeline help!

can anyone help me?

I haven't tried this, but many people freeze their cookies. Use the forum search for "freeze" and "NFSC" to see the multiple posts on the subject.

I haven't tried that either but I don't know if it would make sense to freeze for perhaps only a day or two? They need to be picked up on sunday, and will be delivered on tuesday. The earliest they would be baked is Thursday and the latest I can bake them is on Friday because we might have out of town guests coming in on Saturday. I just wondered if they would still taste fresh if baked on Thursday and ate on tuesday or later?

I make NFSC all the time and their self life (in a baggie) is 2 weeks. I had a friend who ate one almost a month later and said it was great.

great thanks pattycakes!

I would say if they have to be done by this sunday..go ahead and bake them now, decorations to follow. I wouldn't worry 'bout it, they'll be fine.

yes they need to be picked up by my sister on sunday, she won't pass them out till tuesday at their Christmas party. But my inlaws may possibly be arriving this weekend and I don't want to be caught off guard and have to make the cookies while they are here. I plan to bake tomorrow and ice tomorrow night. Package up in bags Friday and set aside till sunday at pick up time. They will all be in individual bags tied up. As long as they won't taste stale and won't cause any kind of illness I will feel alright with this plan!

I already made my cookies yesterday and am working on them today and tomorrow to give out on Christmas Eve. No worries here, it is what I do every year

great thanks again patty!

I also bake and decorate/package about 4-5 days in advance.The cookies stay fresh for quite some time.

thanks kiddie!

Also..for future purposes...if you bake your cookies ahead of time and are worried about them drying out or getting too hard, put them in a tupperwear container with a slice of white bread. Change out the bread once it goes dry..every few days will do. It will soften them up ever so slightly, you'd never know the difference.
I made some cookies at halloween and had alot of leftovers, i put them in the container with the bread at about the two week mark. My husband and son were eating them at least a month or more afterwards and they said they tasted wonderful.