Monday, December 19, 2005

I'll never bake again



Cranberry & Pisatchio Biscotti before they get dunked in white chocolate


Every year I dream about giving out the perfect little package of holiday cookies to my coworkers and friends. Every year I pick three recipes, buy some cute bag to put them all in and anticipate spending some quality time in the kitchen. Every year, about three hours into the creaming of the butter, the rolling of the dough, the chopping up the chocolate and the trying-to-remove-the-cookies-from-the-sheet-without-breaking-any, I start to get a bit irritated. Five hours into the washing-the-mixer-for-the-sixth-time-in-order-to-start-yet-another-batch and divvying up the cookies into even packages, I start to get downright pissed. By 11:00 PM when I am still tying little ribbons to enclose each set of cookies, I just want to kill myself. OK, maybe suicide isn't in order but you get the idea. "WHY OH WHY do I even bother?" There is no "Baker Of The Month" award at work. I doubt I'll get promoted thanks to the time and effort put into creating little packets of cookies.

I guess, at the end of the day, no matter how frustrated and tired I am after the baking frenzy, I soon forget the bad feelings and just look forward to baking like a madwoman again 12 months later. It's the holidays- when else do you have an excuse to share so much baking with so many people? The reward of seeing a cubicled coworker receiving homemade presents (from their fellow cubicled coworker) makes all the work totally worth it.

The final package: Brown Butter Crisps, Chocolate Sparkle Cookies, Pisatchio/Cranberry Biscotti w/ White Chocolate

Just remind me that I was swearing at the bag of sugar and sticks of butter as if they were people before I start my baking whirlwind next year.

6 comments:

Nic said...

Delicious. Biscotti are just about my favorite holiday cookie, since they're the most acceptable to have for breakfast. Great gifts, too!

Anonymous said...

You are to be commended. They think you are SuperWoman.

Too late this year but I'll try next year.

santos. said...

fantastic assembly line you've got there! thanks for inspiring me--i'm doing my big bake-off tonight and i'd rather be potato-ing on the sofa. i guess it's time to start!

Anonymous said...

the packages are so cute!

dang i wish i had coworkers to bake for.

i bake and i end up eating everything myself.

LOL!

Anne said...

Thanks for the compliments.

Nic: I only hope I can be as diligent as you in my baking!

Terila: You're too kind;)

Santos: Wow- welcome! I have been a fan of tsgb for awhile.

Sarah: my fellow LA girl. You need to start your own business! Do it do it do it.

Barbara said...

Your treats look great! You co-workers must love you.

My Christmas cookies will be New Year's cookies this year since I have not finished making them yet. But the staff at work won't care, they'll eat anything.