Is it time for the Holiday Baking thread yet?

[The empressof all]

I was just posting elsewhere about the Velveeta Fudge and I made 6 quarts of Green Tomato Mincemeat this past weekend. It is absolutely excellent and very easy to make in my 8 quart Nesco. I'll be using it to make Mincemeat Cookies as the rest of my household doesn't care for Mincemeat Pies (They're heathens I know but I still love them)

So of course I'll be making Spritz, the Fudge and the MM cookies. I usually do a tray of double choc. Peppermint bark and a vat of Carmel as well. I'm not making any fruit cake this year. I'm the only one who eats it and I'm dieting so I don't need that temptation. I'll pilfer my one piece from someone elses house this year.

So has anyone else gotten into the baking mood?

[Warpy]

1. Only if you're doing a gingerbread haunted house.

For heaven's sake, woman, it's not even Halloween yet!

[The empressof all]

2. Oh Stop Sucking my Joy Already!

:hi:

I'm making Witches Hats for Halloween. Take a regular sugar cone and Dip the outside in Chocolate. Adhere the bottom to a large Flat cookie with more chocolate as the glue(This will be the brim of the Hat) Then go to town and decorate with candy corn or icing. Some times I fill these with mousse or even just with M & M's. When my kid was little I was the most popular mom around Halloween time.


When the leaves turn it's time to make the fruitcake.

[supernova]

3. LOL You two are cracking me up!

:rofl:

One year, I looked up how to make cordials of various kinds, and I'm thinking of getting those out again this year. I've found some lemoncello recipes that shouldn't be too hard to follow.

So no, it's not too early for me! ;-)

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Sounds like fun. Might I suggest spun sugar for the hair...

and a cupcake for the head.

(Or is that heading for a sugar coma?)

[blue neen]

5. Believe it or not, I HAVE been thinking about Holiday Baking!

My work schedule is pretty tight this year, so I was thinking of trying to make one or two kinds of cookies each weekend starting the first week in November.

Do you think they'll freeze well for 5 to 6 weeks?

[The empressof all]

7. Yes...But what is even better....

Make the dough and freeze the raw cookies. Then Bake them up fresh when you want them. You can cut them out and freeze them directly on Parchment or even to the cookie balls. If you just want to do pressed cookies or round flat cookies Freeze the dough in a tube shape.

[grasswire]

6. I'm going to be overloaded this year

A family member who owns an espresso cafe a few blocks away is begging me to come in and bake specialty pies and Christmas type cookies to order for the holidays, and that means reporting for duty at 4 a.m. I'm not sure how to manage this with other duties -- getting teenagers off to school, managing the household, babysitting a toddler, etc.

Anyhoo, I'm looking for recipes for pies that have not-too-costly ingredients but wow power. I'm thinking of a cranberry hazelnut, for one thing. But I would appreciate any suggestions. I'm going to run the cost on David Rosengarten's pecan pie -- I think it is a delicious recipe, but a little more costly because it has more pecans.

We're going to do assorted cookies in vintage cookie tins. Ha! I think that will be fun.

[The empressof all]

8. Do rustic fruit tarts.

You use less fruit and people think they are "fancy".

Try throwing some candied ginger in a strusel topping for pumpkin or Sweet Potato Pie.

Pear Pies are overlooked. The trick is to pre bake the bottom crust for a few minutes and to use hard fruit. I like candied ginger in the Pear Pies too. Either chopped fine and added directly to the fruit or in a topping. Another option is to add Almond Paste whipped with an egg on the bottom crust before you add the fruit.It's heavenly with the pears. (Leave out the ginger though)

Pina Colada Pie is terrific with a Brulee type melted sugar crust.

[sandnsea]

9. I have 20 lbs of apples

that I have to make use of. One can only do so many pies. I need to make a bunch of apple bars and freeze them.

A friend of mine dumped about a half a bottle of rum on her fruit cakes. I never heard anybody complain about those!

[MagickMuffin]

10. I started this thread about Sugar Cookies

They are extremely good. I :loveya: Sugar Cookies and this is by far the BEST Sugar Cookie recipe I've ever made. One of the extras that make these special you don't have to chill the dough. You can roll them out and start cutting with cookie cutters.

Recipe here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x49292

[eridani]

11. Merry Thanksgivoween!

http://www.toilette-humor.com/halloween/thanksgivoween.shtml

[Left Is Write]

12. I'm thinking about my holiday baking already. I have to.

I have to plan what recipes I'm going to make, how much I'll need to make for entertaining/gifts/our own eating, and I have to plan what groceries to buy accordingly. I'll spread out the purchases over 3-ish weeks or so, and get started baking in mid-November.

[The empressof all]

13. Nows the time to watch for sales

I scored Guittard chips for a dollar a bag last week. I've seen coconut for as low as $1.49 a bag and may stock up on that this week. When I can get butter for $2.00 a lb I feed the freezer. I haven't seen many markdowns on sugar or flour yet but I haven't looked at yesterdays ads yet.

[Left Is Write]

14. Yep, I do the same thing (especially with butter!).

I have two Rubbermaid containers that hold 5 pounds of flour each; I store extra flour in the freezer.

I do a good amount of baking throughout the year anyway (I bake most of our bread and all of our cookies, cake, etc.), but I always stock up during the pre-holiday sales.

While looking through my recipe file for the pie recipes I posted earlier, I found a grocery store receipt from 10/12/2007. Among my purchases were a carton of 18 eggs for 1.97, cans of evaporated milk for .40, a quart of eggnog for 1.68, and several pounds of butter at 1.98 each. How prices have changed in the last year!