It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Snow dances down from the heavens, peppermint and pine scent the air, and jolly carols play wherever you go. It’s also the time for holiday baking and cookies covering every surface of your kitchen counter. Delicious as all these holiday treats are, baking is very time-consuming.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to ensure that there’s still joy infused into this holiday tradition, rather than being overwhelmed by the need to bake and bake and bake. Here are some of our top tips for holiday baking to help you get the most out of the holidays!

#1. Practice, Practice, Practice

If you can start baking sooner rather than later, this gives you the time to make some test batches. Taste-testing these practice batches allows you to fine-tune your baking for the tastiest possible treats. Plus, holiday baking takes a while, but the resulting treats are gone in the blink of an eye. Practicing also gives you and your loved ones more goodies to try before the real holidays roll around.

#2. Prepare Thyself

While cooking is an art and something that you can really experiment and have fun with, baking is more of a science. A measurement that is off or a batter that is over-mixed can impact the end result. Hone your skills by attending a cooking class or two.

If you’re a scratch-baking beginner, we actually have an ongoing blog series of tips and tricks to help you out! To learn more about how to better prepare yourself for success in holiday baking, check out the following blogs:

To give you the general gist of those articles: ensure that you have everything that you need prior to getting started and follow the recipe to a T. The more organized you are and the more careful you are to follow the instructions, the more likely it is that your holiday treats will turn out well!

Another way you can prepare yourself is by making some goodies in advance! Check out our previous blog, How Far In Advance Should You Start Holiday Baking? 6 Helpful Tips For Storing Cookies, to learn more.

#3. Ensure That Your Ingredients Are Fresh

How long exactly has that flour been sitting in your cupboard? While some dishes, like casseroles, are great for tossing together random ingredients that you want to use up before they go bad, when it comes to holiday baking, you want to ensure that your ingredients are fresh. The fresher the ingredients, the tastier the treats.

It’s good to be aware of the shelf-life of baking basics.

Flour’s shelf life depends on the type of flour that you have. Wheat flour usually lasts about 6 months when unopened. White flour can last up to a year. To help your flour last longer, refrigerate it.
Sugar can last you up to 2 years before it is recommended that you dispose of it.
Baking soda can last up to 3 years unopened, and up to 6 months after opening.
Baking powder can last up to 18 months unopened, and up to 6 months after opening.

Keep an eye on the expiration dates. Remember that depending on your environmental conditions, some ingredients may vary in how long they last before they expire. How you store them impacts how long they remain fresh too. If you’re unsure of whether or not the ingredients are still good, it’s best not to risk it.

#4. Mind The Decorations

One of the best parts of holiday baking is decorating your treats festively. Be careful with this, though. Not all decorations that can be used on food are edible. There’s a difference between something that is food-safe, which means that it can safely come into contact with food, and something that is safe to eat.

It can be confusing trying to figure out what decorations are actually edible. A tip for you: if the decoration is edible, it should say so on the packaging. If it does not and only sayings something like “food-safe” or “nontoxic”, it’s best to err on the side of caution and assume that it will make your treats look pretty, but that it isn’t safe to eat.

#5. Make It A Family Affair

Bring magic and new traditions to the holiday season by getting your loved ones involved in holiday baking. Many people enjoy decorating sugar cookies and the like. Holiday baking together is a wonderful way to form memories together and to start new traditions you can continue to enjoy for years to come.

Remember: holiday baking is supposed to be fun! If you find yourself getting overwhelmed and stressed, there’s no shame in using box mixes or picking up a box of cookies from your local grocery store or bakery.

Quality Baking Ingredients And Equipment For Your Holiday Baking

Kitchen Kneads is here to provide you with the quality equipment and ingredients you need for your holiday baking. Click through our site or stop by our store in Ogden, UT, and let us help you bring tasty magic to the holiday season.

The holidays are just around the corner! As such, you may wonder when you should start holiday baking. Is it best to start holiday baking right before the holidays, or is it something that you can do in advance?

This depends on the type of baked goods you want to make! There are indeed some treats that you can make ahead of time and just pull out of the freezer when you’re ready to have them. However, there are other treats that don’t last very long, freezer or no. These, you’ll want to make within a day or so of when you want to have them.

Here is a general overview of when you should start holiday baking, as well as tips for storing cookies so that they last longer. Let’s jump into it!

gingerbread cookies and gingerbread cake Kitchen Kneads Ogden, UT Kitchen Supply Store

Get A Head Start Holiday Baking With These Recipes

The holidays are usually busy as busy can be, with shopping, decorating, and fun events, such as catching a Nutcracker ballet. You can save yourself time by knowing what recipes you can make ahead of time – and what you can’t.

You’ll be pleased to learn that most homemade cookies keep well in the freezer. You’ll typically have better luck if you freeze the cookie dough rather than the cookie. However, many cookies can actually improve with age.

Here are some of the cookies that you can start holiday baking with right away!

Cookies That You Can Freeze After Baking

Some of the popular holiday cookies you can go ahead and make, then pop in the freezer include:

Gingerbread men.
Shortbread.
Mexican wedding cakes.
Sugar cookies.

Generally, if the cookie is on the drier, crunchier side, it can be frozen for weeks, if not months at a time. However, if the cookie is on the softer, cakier side, these are best if you have them sooner than later. They can be frozen for a week or so. If you have a cookie that is custard-filled, you don’t want to freeze these.

Important note: If your cookies have nuts in them, you’ll want to have these within a few days. This is because nuts can go rancid if stored too long.

Cookies You Can Freeze The Dough For

If you want freshly baked cookies without the time spent mixing the dough together, you can make the dough in advance, then freeze it. You can do this with many different types of cookies – so convenient!

Some of the popular types of holiday cookies that you can do this for include:

Chocolate chip cookies.
Gingerbread cookies.
Shortbread cookies.
Sugar cookies.
Peanut butter cookies.
And many, many more!

Bear in mind that this doesn’t work for all cookies. The more liquidy the batter, the less likely the dough or baked cookie is to hold up well in the freezer.

Tips For Storing Cookies

So, you got a headstart holiday baking. Now, you want to know how to go about storing cookies that you made ahead of time for optimal results. We’ve got you covered!

We’ll break this up into two sections, one for cookie dough and one for baked cookies.

Tips For Storing Cookie Dough

Generally speaking, you can start holiday baking months in advance if you do this. Depending on the type of cookie, cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months at a time.

#1. Flatten It

To help your cookie dough both freeze and thaw faster, you’ll want to flatten it. You can roll out the dough into a flat disc, then pop it in the freezer on a sheet until it gets firm. This usually takes about half an hour or so. After the dough has become firm, you can then store it in a plastic bag in the freezer.

#2. Label It

You’ll see this tip pop up with storing baked cookies too. Make sure that you label when you made the dough and what type of dough it is. You may even put the baking instructions on the plastic bag to make baking the cookies easier on your future self.

#3. Put It In The Fridge Overnight Before Baking

This will allow the frozen cookie dough to thaw properly and help you avoid cookies that are too soft. If you don’t have the time to thaw the cookie dough overnight, you can thaw the cookie dough on the counter for a couple of hours before baking. Just know that they will likely be softer than you may like, depending on the type of cookie it is.

Tips For Storing Cookies

Some baked cookies you can store at room temperature or in the refrigerator, while others would fare better if you stored them in the freezer. If you start holiday baking in advance, it’s important to know how to properly store your cookies so that they still taste good when it’s time to eat them.

Baked cookies will usually freeze for a couple of weeks, but depending on the type of cookie, they may last up to a month.

#1. Cool Them All The Way Before Freezing

If you stick your freshly baked cookies in the freezer when they’re fresh out of the oven, they’ll be more likely to stick together.

#2. Store Them In Airtight Containers

This helps them to stay fresher, longer. This is true for both if you’re putting them in the freezer and for if you just want them to stay fresher on your counter for a few days.

#3. Don’t Mix Cookies

Labeling will help with this. While you may be tempted to store different types of cookies together, this can affect their taste. Instead, use appropriately sized containers for each type of cookie and label them properly. You’ll want to list when they were made, as well as what type of cookie they are.

Kitchen Kneads is here to help you start holiday baking. We provide cooking classes to teach you new skills or how to hone your current skills. We also carry a wide selection of baking equipment and baking ingredients. Feel free to click around our site or to swing by our store in Ogden, UT. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

This year, we’ve had so many spring holidays all in one month – Easter, Passover, Ramadan, and just spring in general! Whether you’re celebrating a special holiday or you just want to host a gathering with seasonal dishes, these delectable spring holiday dishes help you shake off the cold of winter and welcome spring’s new life and sun. We’ll tackle the holidays in alphabetical order and give you one dish for each, plus two that are perfect for the spring season in general.

You don’t need to celebrate a holiday to enjoy these dishes! They’re wonderful for everyone to try, regardless of what you do or do not celebrate the holidays they can be served during. Spring is associated with new life, so why not try something new, after all? From sweet, to savory, and back again, you’re sure to find something you enjoy with these delicious spring holiday dishes.

Kolachi Nut Rolls

This Eastern European sweet nut roll is a delicacy often enjoyed on holidays, such as Easter. Kolaches themselves are incredibly variable depending on where you are. For some people, a kolachi is any type of cake; for others, it’s like a fruit or cheese danish. The kolachi we’re talking about is a sweet nut roll that is often enjoyed during Christmas and Easter and other special occasions.

Also called orechovnik, this spring holiday dish consists of a slightly sweet bread with a nutty filling. In order to make it, you’ll mix together a sweet enriched yeast dough and then spread the filling across it and roll it up in a log shape. You’ll need to allot time for the dough to rise before you put the filling on it.

Once baked, you can brush it with oil, drizzle some icing on top, or sprinkle some powdered sugar before cutting it up and serving.

Matzo Ball Soup

There are many dishes people enjoy for seder, including matzo ball soup. Children and adults alike love to see this chicken soup with matzo balls among their Passover seder courses. Matzo ball soup is tasty and easy to make, though it causes some division: some people prefer light and fluffy matzo balls that float while others like the denser dumplings that sink in the broth.

As such, recipes vary, according to personal preference. In general, though, you’ll start off by making your matzo balls. Refrigerating them and then cooking them prior to adding them to the soup ensures that they won’t fall apart. Then, you’ll make your chicken soup and add the matzo balls. You’ll want to simmer until the matzo balls are cooked all the way through before serving.

Stuffed Dates

It’s traditional to break fast with dates. After not having had anything to eat or drink since before the sun rose, stuffed dates are quick and easy to make as it’s setting, so you don’t need to spend forever waiting for them to be ready. Stuffed dates are a delicious dish to serve for Iftar, and can be done in many different ways, both sweet and savory.

Some ways that you can make this healthy treat are:

Almonds, dark chocolate, and coconut make your dates taste like a chocolate bar.
Stuffing your dates with peanut butter and covering them in chocolate is perfect for those who like the peanut butter chocolate combination.
Almonds and crème fraiche garnished with toasted almonds is the ultimate in quick and easy.

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus is in season, making this a perfect spring holiday dish. Not to mention, it’s quick and easy, like most of these other spring holiday dishes. Asparagus is very healthy, and when you use olive oil to roast it, you’re using a healthy fat, too! This is a fantastic side dish, as it compliments many different main dishes, from pasta to chicken and more.

Since this is roasted, you’ll cover your asparagus spears with your garlic and parmesan mixture and then stick them in the oven until the topping has turned that perfect golden brown. So yummy and flavorful, so easy, so quick, and pretty healthy!

Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

These soft buttery cookies are ideal for spring luncheons, especially with the floral element the lavender provides. Combining edible flowers with melt-in-your-mouth lemon shortbread makes for a perfectly seasonal treat that people won’t be able to have just one of! Lemon and lavender compliment each other beautifully, and using powdered sugar in your recipe ensures that your cookies will have that enviable texture.

Kitchen Kneads has a wide variety of appliances and ingredients to help you make whatever spring holiday dishes you desire. Take a look through our catalog and contact us if you have any questions.