Baking Day 1

After the flour incident other day, I remade new dough this morning, and started baking today! Below is how I roll my dough. I'd bet you never thought duct tape could be used in cookie making. I lay my paint sticks down, oh and they were never used for paint, only cookie making.

I use them as my guide for rolling the dough. I use duct tape to hold them in place, so they don't shift or move on my counter top. I then lay a piece of parchment paper on top of the sticks. *see below*

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Next, I put my dough on top of the paper and lay another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough.

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I place my rolling pin on top of the paper and roll out the dough.

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I pull the top piece of paper off and cut out my shapes. Ahh You see the shape and you think you know what design the final cookies will be, don't you? Well, don't be so quick to guess:)

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 Finally, the baking has begun!

I have more to bake, but six batches of dough are made, rolled, cut, baked, cooled and put up in containers, ready to ice and decorate.

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This is only some of the cookies that I made today, I couldn't get them all in the picture. Tomorrow I get to do it all again, but with chocolate too.

Day 1 Making Dough

It was a late night last night for me. By the time I returned home from work, did a few loads of laundry, got out the kids school clothes and backpack, then unwound, it was around 1:30 am before I got to sleep.

But, I told myself that when my other kids left for school this morning, I would start making the cookie dough, and I did.

After the kids left I got out what I needed and got to work. So please excuse my attire...I know the snoopy pj pants are so GQ, but I live in my pajama pants, when I'm at home, mainly because I'm too busy with my kids to worry about what I've got on. I'm sure a lot of you know what I mean:)

Here we go with Day 1 of making the dough. Oh and I was on dough batch #2 before I remembered to get my camera, then forgot to fix the timestamp when I changed the batteries. I could tell already it was going ot be 'one of those days'.  I guess my brain wasn't working yet and later I'll let you know why I definately know I was too tired to do this first thing in the morning. Okay, here I am batch 2. Getting ready to cream the butter and sugar.

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While the butter and sugar are being creamed together, it gives me a 3 or so minute window and I jump over to the other side of my kitchen to unwrap more butter sticks. 

Yes, you'll note the Mountain Dew bottle, I admit, it's my morning coffee, so to speak.

 Now, I'd like to say that you couldn't see behind me in photo 1, or to the left of me in photo 2, there's a good reason for this. Okay, I'll let you look.

Here is what was hidden behind me. Mia insisted on being my helper today. I told her to say something when I took her picture, so she yelled "Somethingggg"..she just turned 4, I should've known:) Back to the cookie dough now.

I sift my flour, I do everytime I make decorated cookies, do you?  I just think it makes the dough have a nicer consistency. I also add the flour in 2 or 3 increments. Now back onto my kitchen aide for one final mix. 'Note my trusty helper is right at my side to make sure I can handle the task at hand.'

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Now that it's mixing for a minute or so, I'd like to show you the other sideline member. Gus is fighting a cold but he's so patient, sitting, watching us make a mess of the kitchen. I know he's wishing he could help too. Oh, and in his photo there's "a clue, a clue" to the style of cookies I'm making. Yes, you know it's for Valentine's Day, but I haven't told you what style yet. Did I just quote Blue's Clues...sheesh I've seen to many episodes of blues clues over the years I guess.

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We're on our last batch of dough for the day, it's time to make the kids lunch and get ready for work.

So, my trusty helper and I knead the 6th batch dough a bit, and wrap it up so it can be refrigerated to firm up.

 

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I Made my kids lunch and decided I'd make myself a sandwich before I get ready for work. I grab for the bread on the top of my refrigerator.  I had sat my flour on top of it earlier to get it out of the way. Anyway, I open the door to the fridge *yeah I call it a fridge a lot* and guess what?? Oh, it's not what your thinking I'll bet.

I realize that I had accidentally grabbed my bread flour and that is what I had been using all day to make cookie dough with!!! I was furious with myself!! I threw the bread at that dumb flour sack, and continued to be 'mad'. I couldn't believe I did that, ugh.

I headed upstairs to get ready for work, by the time I came down I was a bit more calm, lol. I decided I'd just make the kids cookies out of it for home, they'll eat them as long as it's cookie shaped, and I throw some sprinkles on them. lol.

So, tomorrow I start fresh, but will update you again, when I'm ready to bake the cookies!!







Ingredients & agenda to make 264 cookies

So here we go!

The final count is 22 dozen, which is 264 cookies!

These cookies are Valentine's Day cookies and they are needed by the week of Monday, February 7th. 

First, I'm figuring how much and what ingredients I'll need. As a rough guesstimate I figure that one batch of dough will make apprx. a dozen cookies (for the style I'm making). So I'll be making 22 batches of cookie dough. Each individual dozen will have an estimate of of  half of the cookies being sugar style and half of the cookies being chocolate. To sum it up I'll need to make 11 batches of Sugar and 11 batches of Chocolate dough. There will be 2 special design cookies for each dozen and the other 10 in the dozen will be various kinds of hearts.
I want the cookies to be as fresh as possible, so I'm thinking I'll start mixing dough and baking them around the 26th-27th of January. Which it will take quite some time to make and cool  all the cookies. My guess is about 3 days for this part of the process. Which then I'll be heading into the first part of February and when all the cookies are baked and cooled the decorating will begin!

Catching Up

Well, it's been a rough couple months & I'm catching up on things finally. I have received some emails asking if I'll be writing more and to answer them here and via email. I work a job outside the home & had to adjust to that, but now I'm ready to start updating my blog again.  I know of you that are reading and not a follower, so please become a follower. I've been asked by those readers what that means? It means you will get a email when I post here, so you can stay updated and helps me to keep track of my traffic here:)

Without giving to much away on here, I have a extremely large cookie order (it's a surprise for some people who shall remain nameless..for now), because I know a couple of you are my anonymous readers. I'll be walking you thru (pictures too) the whole process of making apprx 20 dozen cookies for some well deserving people!