Baking & Desserts
When Should You Start Your Christmas Baking?
Photo courtesy gpointstudio/Adobe Stock
Baking & Desserts
When Should You Start Your Christmas Baking?
It’s the sweetest time of year!
We wait patiently all year to jump back into baking holiday cookies, cakes, and decadent desserts. When else is it more than acceptable to spend an entire weekend rolling out dough, whipping up fillings, and decorating with sprinkles and icing?
But as the festive season rapidly fills up, it’s easy to get distracted from your sweet mission at hand. To maximize your decorating time—and to make your treats stay fresh through every holiday party—here’s when you should start baking.
When should you start baking Christmas cookies?
Recipe: Hot Chocolate Cookies | Photo by Ronald Tsang
If you want to get a head start on your holiday baking, cookies are the best place to start. Many recipes can be made ahead of time and frozen until you need them. You can start your cookie —as well as many bars and squares—baking as early as mid-November.
Some dough—such as gingerbread—can also be frozen ahead of time. Simply pull out your dough once it’s time to bake and roll it out once it’s defrosted.
What about cakes and other desserts?
Recipe: Chocolate and Pomegranate Layer Cake with Mascarpone Icing | Photo by Jodi Pudge
Some cakes can also be baked and frozen for up to two months. Ensure your bakes are fully cooled and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap to avoid freezer burns, and take them out a few hours before using them. You’ll want to leave your icing and fillings until decorating day.
Other desserts, such as tarts and layered desserts like trifle, are best made either the day before (to let them rest) or the day-of.
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