Make- ahead cookie tips

Wouldn’t you like to be that Mom that bakes fresh cookies for her kids all the time? Serves them up with a big glass of milk and a hug? We all want to be her but frankly our lives are so busy it’s hard to add cookie baking to our already never ending to -do lists.

Here’s a tip: When you do get that moment to bake, make extra batches of dough. Shape the cookies but don’t bake them. Freeze them, well wrapped and labeled with the name of the cookie and the bake time. That way, when you want to be that cookie baking Mom it’ll be that much easier. Just pull them from the freezer, pop them in the oven and -voila! Fresh baked cookies.

You’ll be glad you’ve stashed the cookie dough for the inevitable time your child let’s you know -at bedtime- that cookies are needed at school the next day. I find making and freezing cookie dough helps keep cookies a special treat instead of an over-indulgence. You can package them into just the right number to bake and enjoy- no need to bake off several dozen when all you really want is 6 or 8 cookies.

This week I’ve got recipes for cookie jar favorites like classic Honey Roasted Peanut Cookies, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies and Peanut Butter and Jam Pinwheels. You can find these recipes plus all kinds of baking tips at Jif.com