Christmas Cookies...It's Time

One of my recent assignments in my day job as a writer was to compile a list of cookie recipes, take pictures of the results and try not to gain 15 pounds. Easier said than done, I might add. It seemed like a no-brainer until I realized I had missed a word in the article description...Christmas. Christmas cookies?? In November?!

Thankfully, there are a lot of gals out there with their brains already in December who were willing to share their tucked away family treasures with me. It made me try some recipes I never would have otherwise. And a few that I will never try again...see Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies above. They are evil. I think I made 4 dozen of those things and the above pictured cookie is the only one that was photo-worthy.

As I was popping baking sheet, after baking sheet of cookie dough into the oven, I started realizing that in a month and a half, I would be doing the exact same thing all over again. All of that work. All of that time. All of that money spent on ingredients.

If only there were a way to make them last until December...

My initial thought was vacuum bagging. But (1) I don't have a vacuum sealer and (2) I didn't want to crush the delicate cookies I had just invested hours of my life in made. So I improvised.

To vacuum seal without vacuuming (make sense?), all you need is a zip-top baggie and a regular ol' straw. I put the cookies in gallon-sized bags and then sealed them all the way except for just enough room to insert a drinking straw.

Then I sucked as much air as I could out of the bags, quickly removed the straw and sealed the zip-top. The result is "vacuum-sealed" cookies that aren't crushed.Now I've got 3 gigantic batches of cookies pre-made and ready to go for the holidays. No stressing over holiday baking for me this year. Do you plan to join the November Christmas cookie bandwagon, too?

What's that?... You saw FOUR different types of cookies pictured and only THREE types remain in my freezer? You do the math...