8+ Ways to Get Organized for Holiday Baking Season

Holiday baking becomes considerably less festive when you discover at 9 PM that you’re out of brown sugar or parchment paper or the one spice your grandmother’s special cookie recipe requires. 

A little planning now will help you decide what to bake, stock your pantry, prepare dough ahead of time and avoid trying to produce seven kinds of cookies in one frantic weekend. 

Jump to:

• Here's the Plan
• Decide what you're baking
• calculate how many batches you need
• make a holiday baking shopping list
• Check Your baking equipment
• Shop Packaging and Storage Supplies
• Make a realistic holiday baking schedule
• Christmas Baking Ideas for You
• make a realistic Baking Schedule
• Clean Your Kitchen and Cupboards
• what holiday baking can you make ahead?
• Comments

Here's the Plan

• Choose what you’re baking
• Calculate how many batches you need
• Check ingredients and equipment
• Shop strategically
• Schedule prep, baking and decorating
• Freeze whatever you can

Decide what you're baking

• Which family favorites are non-negotiable?
• What new recipe if any do you want to try?
• Are you baking for gifts, parties, or cookie swaps?
• How many people or households will receive treats?
• What recipes can be prepared or frozen early?

calculate how many batches you need

Using the Notes app on your phone--or a spreadsheet if you’re one of those people--list the following:

• The recipe
• Yield per batch
• Number of batches
• Who it’s for
• Make ahead or freezer instructions
• Baking date

make a holiday baking shopping list

1. Baking basics: flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
2. Refrigerated ingredients: butter, eggs, cream cheese, and heavy cream
3. Chocolate and Candy: chocolate chips, baking chocolate, melting wafers, candy pieces, and cocoa powder
4. Flavoring: vanilla, almond, peppermint, spices, citrus, and espresso powder (Smell your spices, if you haven’t baked with them since the last holiday, you should probably replace them.)
5. Decorating supplies: sprinkles, sanding sugar, food coloring, and piping bags and piping tips 
6. Specialty ingredients: nuts, almond paste, pudding mixes, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cake mix

I also keep a few boxes of cake mix on hand for quick cookies and bars like these cake mix toffee bars.

Browse my collection of cake mix recipes when you need something festive without starting entirely from scratch. 

P.S. Is there an ingredient you always forget about until you’re knee-deep in flour and butter?

Check Your baking equipment

• Cookie sheets that aren’t warped
• Parchment paper or silicone mats
• Cooling racks
• Cookie scoops
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Kitchen scale
• Mixer and beaters 
• Rolling pin
• Cookie cutters
• Piping bags and tips
• Food storage containers, fresh batteries for the scale and digital thermometer if you have one

Shop Packaging and Storage Supplies

How are you going to package these fabulous homemade treats?

1. Parchment and wax paper
2. Freezer bags and container containers
3. Labels and permanent markers
4. Bakery boxes are disposable containers
5. Wax paper or tissue paper or parchment for separating layers
6. Ribbon or gift tags for people who are less allergic to cutesy than you are.

Make a realistic holiday baking schedule

• Choose the day you’ll deliver or serve everything.
• Schedule decorated cookies closest to that day.
• Bake sturdy cookies and bars earlier.
• Prepare dough several weeks ahead. (pro tip: freeze cookie dough into balls instead of a big lump of dough that takes forever to thaw in order to scoop).

Set separate times for shopping, mixing, baking, decorating, and packaging.

Packaging takes longer than you think it’s going to. I would set aside a couple hours, depending on how many people you are prepping treat boxes or bags for.

Christmas Baking Ideas for You

make a realistic Baking Schedule

• Choose the day you’ll deliver or serve everything.
• Schedule decorated cookies closest to that day.
• Bake sturdy cookies and bars earlier.
• Prepare reasonable dough several weeks ahead. (pro tip: freeze cookie dough into balls instead of a big lump of dough that takes forever to thaw in order to scoop).
• Set separate times for shopping, mixing, baking decorating, and packaging. Packaging takes longer than you think it’s going to. I would set aside a warning, depending on how many of your gifting things to. 

Clean Your Kitchen and Cupboards

I saved the best for last. Kidding. I would rather fund my retirement than pay someone to make my cupboard sparkle, so here we are.

Clear one shelf for holiday ingredients, throw away anything stale and make room in the freezer before the cookie dough starts arriving.

I bake more efficiently when I’m not moving six unrelated cans and an abandoned bag of coconut every time I need flour and probably you do too. 

what holiday baking can you make ahead?

• Drop cookie dough
• Slice and bake dough 
• Unfrosted bars
• Bark like Pecan Pie Bark
• Baked cookies that freeze well

Starting in September or October gives you plenty of breathing room but this plan still works if you blinked and suddenly it's December.