How to Fill Your Cookie Tins in under Two Hours

For many years, the day after Thanksgiving signaled the beginning of holiday baking. It wasn't unusual to find me forming loaves of stollen and baking dozens and dozens of all kinds of cookies. These cookies would be frozen until I'd amassed a few gross and could make up platters of cookies to give to family and friends. I get tired just thinking of how many times I'd have to wash those bowls and cookie sheets! I've long ago given up this marathon baking. For one thing, if you've never tasted frozen cookies, you don't know what you're missing. Those treats would call my name. Nowadays, I choose one or two favorites each year and bake them as close to Christmas as possible so I know there will be other people "responsible" for eating them.

However, for the past several years I've been volunteering in my local community, assisting seniors and adults with disabilities with transportation to doctor's appointments, friendly visits, minor repairs, and clerical chores. At Christmas, our group delivers a pointsettia and a goody bag of cookies to each of those neighbors, so it was time to grease those cookie sheets and get my cookie on.

I had just a few hours to accomplish this task, so I chose 3 drop cookies--sugar cookies, Snickerdoodles, and mint chip cookies--to produce the 10 dozen cookies I needed. With the help of my Kitchen Aid, Silpat mats, and 3 basic recipes, the cookies were baked, cooled, and wrapped in under 3 hours. Recipes are from the Good Housekeeping Cookies cookbook.

MINT CHIP COOKIES
Makes: 36 cooikies

1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
3/4 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz mint chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt.
In a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just blended. Stir in chips with a wooden spoon.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart on two ungreased cookie sheets (I use Silpat mats). Bake until golden around the edges, 10-12 minutes, rotating cookies sheets halfway through baking. Repeat with remaining dough.
Use a wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

DROP SUGAR COOKIES
Makes: 42 cookies

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until blended. Reduce speed to low, beat in flour mixture just until combined, scraping bowl with rubber spatula.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons, 2 inches apart, on two ungreased cookie sheets. Bake until edges are browned, about 10-12 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking.  Repeat as necessary.
Use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

SNICKERDOODLES
Makes: 54 cookies

3 c all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, cream of tartar and baking soda.
In separate large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/3 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, beat in flour mixture until well blended.
In small bowl, combine cinnamon and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. With hands, shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture, and place on ungreased large cookie sheets, 1 inch apart.
Bake until set and lightly golden and crinkly on top, 12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet on wire rack 1 minute. With wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cook completely.
Repeat with remaining dough.
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TASTE NOTES
When you have a limited amount of time, a drop cookie is your best bet. The ingredients for these 3 cookies are staples in most kitchens and the recipes don't require any wait time in the refrigerator. The sugar cookies had a delicate crunch; the Snickerdoodles perfumed our house with the smells of Christmas; and, the mint chip cookies added a festive look to my goody bag. You really don't need a lot of time to bake homemade treats.