Christmas cookie emergency

[Tsiyu]

It has taken all of my will to assemble everything required for cookie baking. I am in a physical funk. But my family will hurt me if i don't do some of my cookies, so i am forcing myself (LOL.)

Lo and behold, I get the Pecan Crescents almost mixed up and find out I have NO frickin' all purpose flour in the house. Got cornmeal, self rising and bread flour for months, but no all purpose.

Does anyone have a cutout (sugar) cookie recipe or a Kolacky recipe using self-rising flour?


I have to go check the crescents, but they are toast. I'm sposed to be mailing these to Connecticut tomorrow. :shrug:

[Tab]

1. Buy some pre-made slice-me sugar cookie dough from the store

who the hell's gonna know?

[Tsiyu]

3. They will know, but thanks for the thought, Tab!

I think I am going to give up for the night and get some all purpose in the morning.

So I have three pounds of room temp butter and five packs of cream cheese I have to hide from the cats.

But thanks for your suggestion. I was really starting to get into it when i noticed the flour absence. Oh, well. *sigh*

[Tab]

7. I'm sure yours are better

but over the years, I've learned not to get stressed over the holidays. Ultimately, people just want to be together, and they know some years are more difficult than others to accomplish everything you want to.

Hope I'm not oversteping my bounds here, but there's just some point where the stress vs. joy balance tips the wrong way, methinks.

[Tsiyu]

9. Not overstepping atall, Tab

I have tried to keep things very low-key this year because I don't want to stress. I really do enjoy making cookies, though. I've gotten spoiled having been a baker for a time at a Swiss bakery and later for a time at a bakery in Sewanee.

The Swiss bakery had an oven bigger than my living room, with thirteen rotating racks. Talk about some quick cookie making! I look at my pathetic little oven and grow nostalgic for those big mixers and convection ovens and all the ingredients at my disposal!

Also, my kids found my long lost Christmas cookie cutters this summer. 26 years of cookie cutters I've been missing for a few years! SO I HAVE to make cutouts!
Thanks for worrying about me, though. :hug:

Hope your holiday is peaceful and bright!

[bettyellen]

2. use less leavening- no baking soda or powder

if there is any in the recipe- or egg whites.
you have to look up the equivelent and see how much baking powder is in your mix. if it's too much, see if you can do something to weigh down the mix- more butter maybe?

[Tsiyu]

4. I think I could get away with that for the sugar cookies

but it just didn't work with the crescents. They are more like shortbread when they're done right. The ones I just screwed up taste great, but they are too crumbly.

The kolackies are made with cream cheese and they might work as well, but I need all purpose so I'll just go to bed and try in the morning. i feel like such a slug, but it's in the twenties outside now and I just want to sleep.

Can't the holidays wait another week?

Thanks for the tips, bettyellen, and Happy Holidays to you!:hi:

[bettyellen]

5. sorry sweetie! good luck...

i'm running to the grocery for my cookie ingredients right now. wish i could share some flour w/ you!
B

[SW FL Dem]

6. LOL been there twice in the past two days for my ingredients

Got half my baking done today, more to do tomorrow. At least it's cold enough that I don't mind running the oven for hours.

[bettyellen]

8. I am cross refrencing 4 different choc chip recipes

trying to recreate those ones the baker wouldn't tell me how to make!
LOL!
good luck to all of us!
happy holidays
B

[Tsiyu]

10. Thanks for the flour thought!

The secret to most cookies I love is butter, butter, butter.


My pecan crescent recipe: ( multiply as needed)

1/4 C powdered sugar
1/2 C Butter
1/4 tsp flavor (vanilla, almond, orange- your choice)
1 and 1/4 C flour
3/4 C. chopped pecans
Powdered sugar to coat


Cream butter and sugar, add flavoring and mix, add flour, then nuts (you ususally have to mix with your hands, like with meatballs, at this point as the dough will be stiff).

Roll into crescent shape ( about 1-2 inches long ). Bake at 325-350 for 15 minutes (til slightly browned on edges). Let cool a few moments, then dredge liberally in powdered sugar while still warm.

These will melt in your mouth but you have to use real, lightly salted butter.

:P

[Tsiyu]

11. Same here with the oven

It's in the teens this morning, if it's that high! The oven helps keep the place warm. But I'm bundling up and heading out to the store (if I can get off DU!)

Happy Baking to you, SW FL Dem!

[Warpy]

12. I never have "all purpose flour," I use bread flour for everything

The all purpose flour is bread flour that's been bleached. Who needs that?

Rarely, when I'm doing a cake, I'll get pastry flour.

Use the bread flour in the sugar cookies. The self rising flour might be weird, and they'll notice.

[wryter2000]

13. Bread flour

I think you can get away with bread flour if you're careful not to overwork the dough. You don't want to develop the gluten.

[Tsiyu]

17. See next below and thanks

I used to measure all sorts of bread from scratch - 15 pounds of rye flour, 2 pounds yeast, etc., on an old fashioned scale. We used two kinds of bread flour - a high gluten and a lower gluten. I'm not sure about the content in the store-bought, but you are correct to advise against getting it all worked up in a cookie!

Seasons Greetings!:+

[Tsiyu]

16. Thanks for the suggestion

I can always taste that extra oomph in the bread flour.

I'm all about the butter, baby, but I may do a test batch to see if your suggestion will work with the Kolackies.

Happy Everything!!!!!!

:)

[demnan]

14. I used to have this same problem

but I have scaled down every year now, so I'm only making 2 batches of cut out sugar cookies at Christmas. I don't know what a substitute would be. I think it's a bit late now, but Swiss Colony makes some wonderful confections and cheeses. I just send these now where I used to bake.

[Tsiyu]

15. Well, part of my low budget holiday is the cookie-as-gift program

I just didn't plan very well. I bought everything I need today so i'll just have to bake tomorrow and send the package Tuesday. Once I get started, I really do get into baking.

My family is used to my tardiness and they actually look forward to getting a package later in the season after all the other goodies have been consumed, I just wanted to be more together this year.

My old bod has not been cooperating but a week of rest has done me some good, so I'm staying mentally positive anyway! :hi:

[Warpy]

18. I just couldn't face that 10 dozen cookies for the neighbors

this year. I found a pan that makes small loaves of whatever, and so far I've done butter cakes, spice cakes, and carrot cakes. I've got a batch of cookie dough ready to go for early afternoon, and while it's baking, I've decided to go all out and do a batch of cream puffs.

I know the spice cakes are especially good. I had some leftover batter and threw it into a muffin tin. It was breakfast this morning, and it was SO good...

[Tsiyu]

19. Yum

We got a couple plates of goodies froma neighbor today. The kids consumed them in no time- banana bread, cream cheese brownies, choco chip cookies and peanut putter divinity.


Geez, my wasteband's getting tighter every second.

[demnan]

20. I know what you mean

well I went over to Mom's yesterday and I was given a hint that some post-Christmas holiday cookies would be much appreciated, so I guess I'll get my butt in gear as well. :hi:

[bettyellen]

21. wow that pecan cresent recipe looks good.

tardy, butter loving baker here too.
now what's a kolkaky?