Cookies are the ideal treat or dessert for virtually any event. But, if the intended event requires a large number of cookies, the task of baking may seem daunting, especially if you are tight on time. Have no fear; we have compiled expert tips from some of our readers. These tips are sure to help you with making an abundance of cookies in a short amount of time.
Courtney Hunter
Courtney Hunter, Food blogger at Courtney’s Homestead.
Organize For Efficiency
Here are some tips for preparing a lot of cookies in a short amount of time.
1. Separate your cookie recipes by whether they need frosted, [left] unfrosted, or [need] any chill time.
2. Once you have that figured out, you can come up with your baking schedule. I like to start with a frosted cookie. After the batter is mixed, I will make all the dough balls and place them on a Silpat or parchment paper (this way, you can get them on the cookie sheet quickly to keep cookies constantly cooking), then place 12 cookies on your cookie sheet and cook them as the recipe states.
3. While they are cooking, I wash out the mixer and start a batch that needs to be refrigerated. Then place the dough in the refrigerator, clean the mixer and start on my next batch while baking the first original batch. I always like to start with the frosted ones because they need more time to come to room temperature before frosting.
4. Then you just repeat the next cookie recipe; this would be your third set of cookie dough. Make them into balls and place them on the Silpat.
5. Then repeat with the next cookie. This way, you’re in constant motion cooking a big batch of cookies. You will circle back and cook your chilled dough and bake those.
6. When you’re done with your baking, start on your frostings. I like to make each frosting and place them in a bowl when I’m finished so I can wash out the mixing bowl to start on a new frosting and then frost them all at the same time.
This makes for super-efficient cookie-making when you’re trying to prepare a lot of cookies in a short amount of time.
Make Dough Ahead of Time
If you’ve got a bake sale or event coming up, a great way to ensure you’ve got everything prepared is to make your cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it.
Almost any type of “drop” cookie dough (chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, etc.) can be made days or weeks ahead of time and then quickly baked without any prep time. That means you can take your time preparing your dough over the weekend or on your day off, refrigerate them, and then simply bake them off for 12-15 minutes the evening before you need them.
Annie Singer
Annie Singer is a food entrepreneur and founder of Reciple, a premium ad-free recipe platform that’s equitable for creators.
Fatima Batool
Fatima Batool, from The Chef Nexdoor.
Prepare and Conquer
- Cookie dough balls should be made and frozen ahead of time.
- Dry ingredients should be mixed and stored in a ziplock bag for cakey cookies, ready to be dumped into a wet mixture.
- Two cookie sheets should be baked simultaneously, switching sheets top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking.
Speed Up The Process
For those who have little time, [baking cookies] can be long and requires quite a bit of patience. Luckily there are some things you can do to speed up the process and keep your sanity!
- One trick is to bake cookies in bulk. This way, you do not have to wait for each batch to finish baking before moving on to the next one.
- Another tip is to pre-measure all ingredients into separate bowls or containers. Then when it comes time to mix them, they go much faster because you don’t have to measure out every single ingredient again.
- You can make cookies ahead and freeze them! Just wrap each cookie individually with plastic wrap before freezing so they won’t stick together. To reheat, simply place frozen cookies directly onto an ungreased baking sheet until heated through.
Ethelyn Dietrich
Ethelyn Dietrich specializes in cooking with kitchen decor and as well she’s writing on the Cooker Query blog about healthy living, cooking tips & products.
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