My Weekend in Photos

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What. a. weekend. I’m going to need a few days to recuperate, plus about 45 high octane workouts to burn off the 56 pounds of butter I inhaled as I baked. As I’ve already told y’all, my mother bakes about 35 different kinds of cookies a year. And I’m not just talking 35 batches of a dozen each. I’m talking 35 batches of at least 3 dozen each. This year, we made roughly 1200. As soon as I got off the train (15 hour ride, I’ll save that gem for another post), I was put to work in the kitchen. I barely made a dent in the production because my mom, her best friend Mama P and my cousin Liz dominated the baking!  Since I’m still delirious from cookie dough consumption and am bleeding butter and sugar, I’ll let the photos tell the story.

It all started innocently enough with me snapping some photos of my mom’s ornaments.

There was also some lovely snowfall when I arrived. Sadly, it’s all gone and it’s like 60 degrees here today. I want some snow for xmas, darnit!

And then the mass pandemonium ensued. To begin with on Friday, the fridge decided it didn’t want to work anymore. Just, stopped working. So all the dough we made that was being cooled had to be baked, THAT NIGHT. A little bit of a bend in the road, don’t you say? Luckily, without my help since I had a mental breakdown due to negative hours of sleep, they were able to get them all baked!

Gold trimmed cranberry and white chocolate cookies

Cranberry orange bites

Key lime pie thumbprints

Chocolate ganache

and a little peanut bark, just to name a few.

Now, before we get on to more cookies, you must first see the “room of ingredients.” Since NO ONE believes me when I say we use about 500 pounds of butter, I’ll just let you see for yourselves. I’m fairly certain just looking at this room will give you Diabetes or cause you to gain an absurd amount of weight.

So, yeah, that’s real life. Just take that in for a moment. As scary as it is, each semisweet chocolate chip and each pound of butter found a lovely home in each one of these delicious cookies.

And no, we didn’t JUST eat cookies this weekend, although there was quite a bit of that to be had. Mama P, who is an AMAZING cook, whipped up a delicious shrimp soffrito, fried goat cheese salad and some homemade garlic bread. I can NOT WAIT until she shares the recipe with me because y’all are going to LOVE IT. It’s so good with just the right amount of Cuban spice. Oh and the goat cheese salad? I can’t talk about it. I just, can’t. It’s SO incredible.

We also dabbled in a little bit of cocktail tasting since my recipe creator position this month requires me to concoct 12 different drink recipes. I know, what a ROUGH life. [Can’t wait to share them with you!]

Yesterday as we were finishing up our last batches, we took inventory of the kitchen, which sort of looked like a tornado had ripped through it. But, that’s the life of a baker, especially a baker who makes 1,200 different kinds of cookies.

If you look close enough, you can see little ol’ me frosting some peppermint sandwich cookies!

The troops have left the battle station, cookies in tow, and all that’s left now are the remnants of flour on my clothes, the butter and sugar coated spatulas and a pretty exhausted family. But heck, that’s what the holidays are all about, right?

Does your family have any baking traditions? What are they?

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Comments

  1. Posted by Lindsay McLaurin on
    Monday, December 19th, 2011
    I just went into diabetic shock....
  2. Posted by Kira on
    Monday, December 19th, 2011
    "So, yeah, that’s real life." Are you sure you don't live in heaven??
    • Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
      Monday, December 19th, 2011
      hahahah, I might :)
  3. Posted by Maggie Wescott on
    Monday, December 19th, 2011
    This is amazing!!  I am so impressed with you ladies.  That would be my heaven to bake that many cookies with that many lovely ladies...unfortunately the holidays are usually such a whirlwind I do all the baking myself and show up with gobs of goodies for everyone else.  What does your mom do with all these cookies?  She must have a LOT of friends!  :-)
    • Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
      Monday, December 19th, 2011
      Aww, thanks! We have a HUGE family and a huge Christmas Eve party every year so people eat it!!
  4. Posted by Emily on
    Monday, December 19th, 2011
    Insanity. I'm literally scared to go there during "Baking Weekend." I won't do it. I will, however, enjoy many cookies on Christmas Eve with you, my mom, Capital L Lover, and Liz (and everyone else...too many to write out.)
    • Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
      Monday, December 19th, 2011
      Oh captial L. :) I love you.
  5. Posted by Anonymous on
    Monday, December 19th, 2011
    You guys definitely take your holiday baking seriously!  But the payoff looks well worth it =)
  6. Posted by Bake Your Day on
    Monday, December 19th, 2011
    Holy moly that table is awesome!
  7. Posted by Carly D. on
    Monday, December 19th, 2011
    I think that's what Paula Deen's kitchen look's like every day... so it's ok. :)
    • Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
      Monday, December 19th, 2011
      hahaha!!!
  8. Posted by Eila Johnson on
    Monday, December 19th, 2011
    you are my weekend HERO. love it!!! 
  9. Posted by Jessica Trimble on
    Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
    Woah. Seriously cookie mayhem!! Now, when can I move in??
  10. Posted by Carolyn on
    Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
    LOVE all that food and all that butter!  Well, I would, wouldn't I, being a low carber?  ;)
  11. Posted by Kristi on
    Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
    PLEASE, PLEASE, the recipe for those white chocolate cranberry cookies!!
    • Posted by admin on
      Friday, December 23rd, 2011
      I'll get it from my mom and send it to you!
  12. Posted by Kiri W. on
    Thursday, December 29th, 2011
    Wow. I'm not even sure what to say! Haha, it all looks amazing, and like you, I'd need such a break after! Well, I do anyways, but I'm trying to be good.
    Your mother sounds like a buttery force of nature!