Frozen Dough, Favorite Cookies and Creative Gift Giving

I love to bake, and I love to share what I bake, especially with my Dad.  Dad is a great guy, but is, shall we say, difficult to shop for. He encourages creative gift-giving, which is tough when he has everything he needs. But it just so happens, he loves cookies.  Last year for Father's Day, I researched Cookie of the Month Clubs. The few that I found cost A LOT for a few cookies. Then I realized that my cookies are better than most, so my gift to him was a list of our top 10 favorite cookies, with optional raisin and nuts, and a batch of homemade cookies of his choosing shipped monthly.  He likes the gift so much that he asked for it again this year.

So, Tip # 1 is to think outside the box, or in this case, inside the oven, when giving gifts.  This is the season for graduations and wedding, so be creative when you think about your friends and family, and consider that what they really want may be some of your time or talents, and not just $$ or a gift in a box (thought those are lovely, too!!).

While I was baking today, a reader responded to my recent menu planning blogs and reminded me of a fabulous cookie-related tip I had to share! I often suggest this tip around the holidays, but as this reader proves, it is a great idea all year around!

From Laura: "As I was making cookies for my teenage son and his friends yesterday, I thought it would be a good idea to cook half of the cookies and make the remaining batter into frozen pucks like the ones we purchase for fundraisers, to use later. I also thought it might be a good idea to put the dough in mini muffin tins while they freeze, to help with consistency of size and shape. Freezing the dough also helps eliminate the temptation of mom eating the cookies! Next time the boys are over, it will be easy to bake up a couple dozen fresh, homemade cookies."

Tip #2, Take cookies all the way to ready to bake on the cookie sheet, but pop them in the freezer instead of oven. Once frozen, place in a freezer bags then bake as needed, no need to thaw. A few caveats: do not tell your family that there are frozen dough balls in the freezer. And store them in an opaque container, labeled something un-interesting or even undesirable like "beef tongue" or "brussel sprouts" if you want them to stay around for a while. :)

And Tip #3 is the actual recipe for our current favorite cookie: Our secret is adding 1 1/2 cups dried cherries to the The Traditional Nestle Oatmeal Scotchie Recipe.

Thanks to Laura for sharing her idea, and I hope you try and enjoy the cookies with the cherries!