Hip2Save This Holiday: Cookie Day Tradition
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Tuesday, December 11th, 2012 at 2:40 pm.
Hip2Save This Holiday Guest Post submitted by readers Rachel and Allison…
My sister and I have a Christmas ritual that has become more exciting than Christmas Day itself. It started 6 years ago when we were looking for inexpensive holiday gifts and decided to see how many cookies we could bake in one day to give to family and friends. We made 12 different kinds that year, and every year since we have a goal of outdoing the previous year by one or two new recipes. We start the week after Christmas to prepare for the next year- stocking up on tins and gift boxes at 90% off. We search for recipes all season long – the more complex the better!! As it gets closer, we stockpile ingredients during the Thanksgiving day baking sales, by pairing the sales with coupons we can usually get the essentials for fairly cheap. And we even made our aprons from materials we bought at AC Moore using the weekly 40% off coupons in the paper!
On Cookie Day, we wake up at the crack of dawn and get to work, stopping only for emergency ingredient runs and Starbucks coffee (our ONE full price splurge)!! It’s usually a 14-16 hour day-as much as we have perfected our time management when it comes to mixing, shaping, and decorating the cookies, we only have one oven!! We double or triple our favorite recipes, and stick to single batches if we are trying out a new cookie. Our kitchen takes a pretty big hit as there is no time for cleaning in between – it’s a continuous cloud of flour! Last year we hit 19 different recipes in one day and aim to surpass 20 this December. Safe to say it is the BEST holiday in our household and is becoming quite well known in our circle of friends and family!! I think this year we are going to get some taste testers, as trying every cookie in every stage of creation leaves us in a sugar coma. 
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Cindy says:
Ummm, I’m invited, right?
gail says:
That’s awesome! Sounds like a blast!
Gina says:
I really want to eat some cookies now
Deborah Auen says:
Wow….I love this and the fact that they plan and look forward to this tradition…..and even use discounted items….Amazing and looks so yummy…..
Lisa P. says:
That’s an awesome tradition! Thanks for sharing!
Michelle735 says:
M y Mom and I also do cookie day with about 20 different kinds, usually 2 batches each. We have been doing this for 20 years, my whole adult life! I have found it helps to make up the cookie dough and put it in the freezer . Then I just pull it out a few days before cookie day and have ahead start.
Heather says:
This is such a wonderful idea!! I’m going to start this tradition with my little ones as of next year .. after Christmas sales here we come!
Laura C says:
When I saw the picture of all the cookies on the table, and so close to the edge, I could only think “they don’t have a dog!”
Summer says:
or a child!!!
Awesome job girls.
Rachel says:
I love this haha no we definitley do not have either! Yet..
Jeannette says:
Ahahaha! Laura, I was thinking the EXACT same thing!
Kym ODonnell says:
Love!
Lianne says:
What a fun tradition! I would love to know those 2 lovely girls
Cindy says:
This is so cool!
Molly says:
My daughter likes to make cookies and candy for her friends and teachers. For the last 3 years she makes them and then I help her put them in containers, and since she usually stays up late to finish I feel bad and send her to bed, but the next day it literally takes me hours to clean up the mess, flour and chocolate in every inch of the kitchen plus dishes and baking sheets all over the place. At the end of the day if it makes her happy, I am happy too.
cjs says:
Wow – what fun! I want to be a tester!!!
kim says:
I do this with all my customers as well. Except I start after Halloween and every Sat. I bake a batch and put them in individual bags and put them in the freezers. The 1st of the month in December I start handing them out to my customers who I see once a month.
mary says:
finally someones kitchen looks like mine – awesome cookie baking!
Lorri says:
Oh yeah, I want a cookie now! What a wonderful and fun tradition.
Sharon says:
Rachel and Allison, tell us what kind of cookies you gals made. The cookies look beautiful and I’m sure delicious!
Rachel says:
Thank you all SO much for your awesome comments!!! They are so wonderful to read, and it’s so fun to hear about everyone else’s baking traditions and cookie days! Every comment put a smile on our face. We will get all the recipes together and post some of our best in the morning for anybody interested… We do have some great ones! We are in the process of finalizing our list for cookie day 2012… This post was times perfectly because now we are EXTRA excited
Collin thank you for sharing our favorite “holiday”!!!! 
Destinee says:
Out of curiosity…on cookie day, what do u girls do for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
Jennifer says:
If it were me, I’d just eat cookies for my meals lol. Not very healthy but well worth it haha, Great job girls! I love baking cookies too!
Rachel says:
Jennifer – pretty much! We make every effort to get some fruits and vegtables in for breakfast and lunch to absorb all that sugar. But sadly it doesn’t always work! By the time dinner comes we are so digusted with ourselves for injesting so much cookie dough and frosting we can’t even look at food!
linda says:
Very impressive! The table looks divine. lol on the comment about no dog or kids.
I have a cookie tradition with 2 of my girlfriends as well. We live some distance apart and it’s the one time a year we see each other. I gave each of them a Flirty apron that I scored this year thanks to Collin. Like you, we bake all day. However, I think you have us beat by about 4 hours. Well done! I hope you had a day to recover. I didn’t read all the comments so maybe you already mentioned but what are your most requested cookies?
Anita says:
That’s awesome! I’m sure your efforts are well loved and appreciated! Keep up the great work!
vanessa says:
I’ve been doing the same thing (in some respects) for over 10 years. When my daughter (now 13) was born I was on welfare and in school for about 3 years. I couldn’t afford presents, but I was in culinary school, so making a bunch of cookies was a regular day at school. I choose a day and call it the Great christmas cookie bake off. I invite friends and family over to decorate and bring their cookie batches. Were as the girls in the story bake in one day, I actually try to make batches of cookies ahead of time and freeze. We also make fudge, other candies, cupcakes, and or mini quick breads. We end up with about 6 dozen of 7 different types of cookies, 3-4 different types of fudge, brittles and or lollipops, then several types of single serve cakes, such as pumpkin bread with a walnut struesal topping and a pinapple humingbird cake with rum icing. For an extra bonus this year I’ve been thinking of writing a mini cookbook to go with the basket of goodies, everyone is always asking for the recipes later.
Veronica says:
Awesome!!! Would you guys mind sharing your recipes?
SingingDiva says:
Thanks for sharing! I had to smile because it brought back memories of growing up when my mom and her best friend, who had a daughter my age, would do this. Somehow us two girls would be “sick” on cookie baking day and have to stay home from school
mary g. says:
what a fun tradition! you have inspired me to do this same thing with my kiddos – so excited
thank you!
Debbie says:
I’d love to see your list of cookies you incredibly motivated ladies make- I’m exhausted just making eight dozen of one kind for the cookie exchange at the local library! Collin- thank you so much for doing these holiday themed posts. They’ve been wonderful, fun and inspiring!
Patricia N. says:
I make a ton of cookies for Christmas gifts, too, but not quite as much as you do. I always freeze dough ahead of time. If you do not make palmiers, you need to make these easy and delicious cookies. Dough can be frozen up to a month ahead of time. I use the ladies who work in my doctors’ offices as my testers. They are always so appreciative and look forward to this every year.
Tisa says:
LOVE this – I do the same thing!
I’m known as the cookie fairy.
Rachel says:
So here they are. Our #1 HANDS DOWN favorite is the White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprint. If you are looking to try out a new recipe DEFINITLELY make it this one!
White Chocolate Raspberry
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/white-chocolate-raspberry-cookies/
Other favorites:
Chocolate Cherry Tea Cookies
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/chocolate-cherry-snowballs
Lemon Cookie
http://www.ldsliving.com/story/64185-food-dish-cookie-recipe-contest-winner-recipe
Chocolate Crinkle Cookie
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/chocolate-crinkles/
Chocoate Peppermint Biscotti
http://my.foodnetwork.com/show-us-your-cookies/White-Chocolate-Peppermint-Biscotti/detail.esi?oid=26464868
Paula Deen’s Oatmeal Cookie
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/paulas-loaded-oatmeal-cookies-recipe2/index.html
Orange Dark Chocolate Blossoms
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/scandinavian-almond-cookies/
Scandinavian Almond Cookie
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/scandinavian-almond-cookies
Red Velvet Blossoms
http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2011/08/18/red-velvet-blossoms
This year we are trying Chocolate Turtle Thumbprints and Shortbread Cookies!
http://pixelatedcrumb.com/2012/01/11/chocolate-turtle-cookies/
http://www.buttercreamcouture.com/?p=260
A few others in the photo are Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Cranberry Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles, and Linear Tarts! Our classics include gingersnaps, peanut butter blossoms, macaroons and meringues (the red and green ones!) and we have stuck with these from the beginning, just varying up the recipes every year. We have a had a few mishaps – including a Spicy Hot Chocolate cookie with cayenne pepper that was a bit too hot for our tatse buds, and anything we have ever tried to dip in caramel always breaks somebody’s teeth. (as well as destroys our microwave!) But we love the trials and errors! Thanks to everybody for sharing their recipes too – we are looking forward to trying them as well!
Kathy says:
Rachel, The Orange Dark Chocolate Blossoms sound interesting but the link is not correct. What is the correct link for the recipe. Thanks & Happy Baking.
Rachel says:
Whoops! Sorry about that. I better get my multitasking in check before baking day. Heres the real link –
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/orange-dark-chocolate-blossoms/
They are quite tasty! I love the flavor combination.
Jessica K says:
Man! I thought my SIL and I had baking days. You just put us to shame! I think that is awesome, and so fun! Can you share some of the good recipes with us?
Merry Christmas!
Jacque says:
My mom and I used to do this every year, but now with kids it’s harder o find a time to get together. I still bake about 9-10 different cookies, but its not the same without mom there.
Jeannette says:
What an epic adventure!! I LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing your story, pics, and secret recipe lineup for Cookie Day – you made me smile
When we were little we used to help Mom make cookie plates for friends, neighbors, our mailman… I used to love some really simple ones that we divided the dough, colored half red, made dough snakes and then twisted them into candy cane shapes. Haven’t done an epic Christmas bake in years. You make me want to get crackin’ again!
Donna says:
Thank you so much for sharing your story . And to find the recipes posted toward the end was wonderful.