Its been awhile since i've posted. I'm new to the cookie thing. Last year i sent out gift baskets with for christmas various goodies. I just had a baby a little over a mo ago and i'm sure this year i wont have the time to make lots of different things to send out for christmas so i was thinking of doing a homemade cookie tin. What i wanted to ask was:

-I'm thinking of doing the cookie press cookies - which press do you recommend. Are the wilton ones from michaels any good?

-Any really good recipes you guys dont mind sharing that can be used with a cookie press and that would work for christmas?

-I guess i'm looking for a type of cookie that would still be good if its eaten a few days after its made. Any recommendations?

I;m sure i'll have more questions for you all but the baby is crying so i gotta run.

Thanks in advance.

Okay...I don't have any answers to your cookie questions, but I just wanted to say a couple of things...1) Congrats on your bundle of joy!! 2) Christmas isn't THAT far away...I'm already thinking, too. Have started putting my kids wish list together. Be here before we know it! Jodie

I have the Pampered Chef cookie press and LOVE it!

I have this thread saved, I'm sure you'll find something here that'll be suitable! I'm sure going to get some of these made for my shop stock this Christmas!:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-11675.html

I prep pretty early for my Christmas Cookies, usually I get together with a few aunts and my dh's cousin. We all bring 1 or 2 large cookie recipes each different. 2 recipes are trippled because they are our families favorites.

We meet usually the week-end after thanks giving and bake all day we make out batters the night before. The coffee pot and the oven both go on at 8am we use 12 cookie sheets and we go 'till 5pm.

We use the ironing board covered with a couple of table cloths for when the cookies come out.
Drawers get used as extra counters space. We all work on the table. It's a huge project and it's loads of fun.

Our DH's take care of the kids for the day. It's a lot of fun.

We pack all cookies in their own tupperware and we keep our cookies either in the freezer or just outside (most of the time here in MN it's just fine).

Our cookies are good til New Year, that's if they make it that long.

recipes we tripple:
Almond Crescents - dipped in Chocolate
Fairy Drops -- almond sugar cookie with almond frosting -

Recipes we double
Chocolate Crinkles
Lemon Drops
Russian teacakes or Mexican wedding cakes

other recipes
pecan puffs
gingerbread cookies made with honey... yum
and 2 other cookies we usually rotate.

I'm getting hungry already.....

Good Luck.

Cookie Press Cookies are a staple in my family! Quick and easy to do.

My mom and grandma both use the old style metal presses (that you can't buy anymore) with modifications to the disks. Since they won't let those out of their site, I used a Wilton automatic one, Cookie Master Plus Cordless Cookie Press

http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E319FF8-475A-BAC0-5AAB92912166B161&fid=3E333454-475A-BAC0-56BFAF0BBF18FC5A

which I find incredibly easy to use. I do however, use rechargeable batteries in them since if you do alot of cookies, it can eat them up.

As for recipes, the ones provided with the press are fairly good and if kept in an airtight container will keep (and still taste good) up to 3 weeks on the counter, 3 months in the freezer.

Also that other link provided (excellent!) has some srptiz recipes and I usually modify my butter cookie recipe to make it softer to use the press.

Happy baking and congrats on the new baby!

I also have the Pampered Chef cookie press and I love it. I make a TON of sprintz cookies with it every Christmas (and throughout the year). What I love about the cookies is that they keep really well and they're small...perfect for my kids! Shh...it also means I can eat 6 of them and not feel too guilty! You can find sprintz recipes anywhere online and change the flavorings in it to suit your taste.

Even before I did cookies as a business, I'd pump out 1000 cookies every Christmas. About 10-13 different kinds. Dough would be made up ahead of time, scooped out into balls using a cookie scoop and boxed up and put in the freezer to await baking day. Baking day was one big assembly line, with plenty of tupperware containers ready to hold the baked items. I would 2-4 days vacation just to do all of this.

I'd have plenty of BIG trays and we'd make up trays, one each for: my daughter's home; daughter's work; hubby's work; son-in-law's work; a couple for the neighbors; one for my work ... and then we'd try to figure out what to do with the leftovers!

My favorite activity! Especially the next year when daughter/husband/son-in-law's co-workers started asking "when are the cookies coming in?"

I also make truffles, but I make those closer to the events we attend or have to make sure they are fresh.

I use the truffles and the cookies for gifts also. Just pack them nice. I take a picture of a package and then I made a card with it, lettign everyone know what in the package. I think our single guy friends really appreciate little bites at home!

Debbie2881, congrats on your little bunble. With a little planning and prep and some help and a lot of patience you will get it done.
This year will be interesting for us too, we now have 3 boys, 5, 3, and 3 months. Christmas will be so much fun.
Has anyone started shopping yet? I know I'm really bad, I just have a few gifts I have to ship to Montreal, Vancouver and Rome Italy, so I have to get those out early... procrastination does not work for these. Been there done that! Not this year.

Good Luck

gateaux CONGRATS!! on your baby also. I also have 3 boys, Ryan will be 4 Dec 3, Aryn will be 2 Sept 25 and Dylan born July 19th. You can say i have my hands full and thats why i'm thinking of christmas now. I wont have much help with the cookies but DH will take care of the boys so thats all i'll need. Its going to be alot of work but its great to give homemade gifts.

Thank you all for your help with my questions.

Debbie,

It's so fun, our oldest will be 6 March 12, our #2 was just 3 on July 19th and our #3 was born May 28th. I'll think of you next July when our boys celebrate their b-day!

I know how you feel, I found it much easier going from 2 to 3 then it was from 1 to 2, not sure why. I just think you recover and figure things out a lot faster and that's all good!

All the best to you and your boys!

Good Luck

gateaux wrote

We haven't started shopping yet, but we always get ours done early. We will go in October. We take one whole day and do everything for our kids. That way we don't have to deal with crowds nor do we have to worry about things being sold out. And we don't miss out on any of the deals because stores will give a price adjustment. I just hold onto my reciepts and check the weekly ads. The only thing we ever do in December is stocking stuffers...and of course our baked goods.

Long long ago, in a land far far away, I used to have my christmas shopping done by July!! I'd buy sweaters during spring close out sales, necklaces, books, records, games, etc. (yes, back in the day when you bought RECORDS!) It was really easy when the kids were little-little. One year, my daughter got her little kitchen set .... I bought the refrigerator in May, the stove in June and the sink in July.

I never went to the mall after THanksgiving.

Last year was the first year we did the Friday-after-Thanksgiving thing. OMG, it was great! THere were 3 of us .... a friend was in charge of the cart, daughter ran straight to the toy sectin, and I was in charge of logistics .... finding the quickest way in and out and the shortest check out line! We used cell phones to find each other, but this year, I'm taking the walkie-talkies....way faster to connect! We were done by 10:00 a.m. and that included time out for breakfast at McDonalds!

I blocked my calendar and will not book anything for that weekend. IT's our new family tradition!

walkie-talkies ... too funny and a great idea!

Good Luck!