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Only 100 Dozen!
Or, How To Survive Making Lots of
Cookies in An Ordinary Kitchen
by Tracey Harris
I remember it well, the day my husband, Scott, came home and asked me if I
could make cookies for his company Christmas party.
“Of course,” I said.
“Could you make 100 dozen?”
Now, that’s a different story all together. But I love to bake, so I
said I would.
Later, when I started thinking about what kind of magic it would take
to pull 1,200 cookies out this old kitchen…Panic time! I was stuck though; I
said I would do it.
So, I sat down to figure out how many batches I would need to make and
how much of each ingredient I would use. Once I got organized, the project
didn’t seem so daunting. One hundred dozen doesn’t sound as many as 1,200.
So, that’s a start. I figured it would take only 15 batches of cookie dough.
Mmm, sounds better all the time.
Then I figured the project would really only require 25-30 cookie
sheets worth since I use very large 13” x 18” solid aluminum cookie sheets.
The more I broke down the job, the easier it began to seem.
Well, all the cookies got made that first year, and now I have
supplying the company Christmas party with cookies for four years now. This
year, they asked me to bake for the Easter egg hunt, too. The slope gets
pretty slippery when it’s covered with eggs and butter.
If I had been thinking more clearly the first time around, I would
have bargained with Scott for a new kitchen before attempting such a huge
project. But that he knows how manageable the project really can be, I’ll
have to think of some other way to get my dream kitchen.
For those of you who may be asked to make dozens of cookies for a bake sale,
or who want to give homemade cookies at the holidays, here are a few tips I
learned along the way:
GETTING READY
Completely clean your kitchen before you begin. Not only is this a food
safety issue¾others will be eating what you make¾but it helps to get you
mentally prepared for the challenge.
Water the plants. Pay the bills. Make plans for the kids. Do whatever needs
to be done so you can focus as much as possible on your baking.
Carefully figure how much of each ingredient you will need. How big a cookie
scoop or cookie cutter are you going to use? How will this effect your yield
from a batch of cookie dough?
MAKE YOUR MIX
Doubling your recipe might seem like an easy shortcut, but changing the
quantities will change other things as well. Mixing times may have to be
longer because you still want all the flavors mixed thoroughly and the
texture consistent. Will the larger batch burn out your mixer? Or wear out
your arms? Will the dough the will overflow your bowls?
Invest in a good stand mixer. Don’t try this with a hand mixer. On the other
hand, if you want a tennis pro’s forearm, use a whisk.
Most cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to one week in an airtight
container, and frozen up to six months. Use this to your advantage. Mix up
all the dough before doing any baking. And, you’ll only have to clean your
mixer once!
I increase the extract or flavoring called for in the recipe by 1/4 to 1/2.
This will ensure that the last cookies made taste as good as the first ones
made.
After rolling and cutting out the first portion of dough, mix the scraps
with fresh dough before rolling again. A good measure is two parts fresh
dough to one part previously rolled dough. This will keep the dough you are
rolling from having too much extra flour that can make your cookies taste
like cardboard.
BAKE, BAKE, BAKE
Invest in good quality cookie sheets. I use DOUGHMAKERSâ Great Grand Cookie
Sheets because they are the largest I can find. They are solid aluminum so
they heat evenly and I never lose any cookies to burning. I can get almost 3
dozen cookies on a sheet.
Avoid dark, coated cookie sheets because bottoms will tend to burn and the
cookies will spread as they cook. This can make them crisp and dry. And
avoid steel bakeware because with all the in and out of the oven they will
heat up and cool down unevenly.
Have plenty of cookie sheets on hand: typically three times the number
you’ll use in your oven. This way while some bake, and others cool, you can
be prepping the next batch.
If making a variety of shapes, make all of one shape for each pan. Generally
consistent shapes let you get more on each sheet. The same goes for
decorating: one style per sheet. Things will go much faster this way.
You might be able to mix in a marathon session, but I advise against baking
it all in one day. I typically bake on three days. My goal is 30 – 40 dozen
each day, which takes about four hours including clean up and packaging.
TIDYING UP
Makes notes on your progress. I keep a pencil and paper near my cutting
area. As soon as the sheet is ready to go into the oven, I write down how
many cookies are on it. I also have a column for cookies that break, so that
the final count is accurate.
Don’t forget to set a timer. With 100 dozen as your goal, you hate to throw
out any because they’ve burned.
I use 10”x14”x4” boxes. Even though you could use fewer boxes with larger
ones, there is a greater potential for the bottom layers of cookies to
break. If you are giving them as gifts, your packaging will be probably be
smaller.
Placing wax paper between each layer of cookies keeps them from sticking
together. The wax paper also helps prevent breakage.
Completely fill each layer of cookies in the box or the top layers will slip
down against the sides of the box and break.
If freezing the baked cookies, seal the boxes tightly with tape to avoid
freezer burn. Remove boxes from freezer at least 12 hours before needing to
serve the cookies.
Ms. Harris is a Wilton-trained cake decorator and an avid home baker who
lives in Terre Haute, Indiana.
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