FARGO — Holiday baking season has begun and we’re giddy with excitement. These first few weeks are a great time to plan, stock your kitchen, and fill cans and freezers with special dishes that will last all season. This time of year is my favorite time to bake bread. A little foresight and preparation can go a long way in making sure you have enough Christmas treats on hand before the season gets into full swing.
First, make a list of the snacks you want to make. The list currently consists of 21 items. This is where realism comes into play, as well as elegance. Because it’s highly unlikely that you’ll go through every item on your list. But that’s okay. Once you’ve made your list, divide it into manageable sections, first decide what you’re going to make, then make a list of all the materials and equipment you’ll need to get started.
Sara Nasero / The Forum
The first week I always make my family’s favorite Christmas candies and snacks.
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You will get a large batch and store it in cans for several weeks. Start with these classic holiday treats and you’ll know that no matter how much baking you’re able to do (or not) later in the season, you’ll have something festive on hand to serve to family and friends. Masu. What’s more, it also makes a great gift for teachers, party hosts, and colleagues. Dollar stores are a great place to buy holiday cans and storage containers.
Certain candies, such as toffee and brittle, may require special equipment, such as a candy thermometer. So if you want to make this first step easy, we recommend starting with basic recipes like peppermint bark and traditional or spicy chex mix. These are easy, stress-free recipes that I made with my mom when I was a kid and that my son Giovanni has been making since he was a toddler. Once you’ve made your candy and snack mixes, store them in traditional cookie tins in your seasonal walk-in cooler (aka your garage) to keep them fresh until Christmas.
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Sara Nasero / The Forum
Once you’re done making these treats, turn to things like cookie dough that you can make now and freeze to bake and decorate later.
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Cutout. These doughs can be stored in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for several months. If you have enough time, roll the cookie dough into shapes before freezing. Baked cookies can be refrozen until ready to decorate if desired.
Nothing tastes better on a cold winter morning than freshly baked scones. Since the dough can be cut into scones, I always make them in batches early on and freeze them so I can bake them in small batches throughout December. We have a variety of recipes perfect for the holiday brunch season.
savory too
Bacon, blue cheese and chive scone recipe
Perfect for cocktail parties or evening snacks.
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Sara Nasero / The Forum
With a can of candy and snack mixes and a freezer stocked with cookie dough and ready-to-bake scones, you may be able to move on to more advanced or other specialties that require additional time or special equipment. got it.
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. You may or may not make all 21 items on his holiday baking wish list, but you’ll probably end up making something close to his 12 items listed here. At least if you plan and start early, I think you’ll reap a lot of benefits throughout the season. Everyone, let’s have fun baking for the holidays!
Here are links to each holiday specialty mentioned in today’s column.
Bacon, blue cheese and chive scones
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