Time to bake the donuts – no, wait, that’s an old television ad. Time to make the cookies, Even though it’s October, it’s not too early to start the planning for the holiday baking. In my case, it’s not too early to actually START the holiday baking, but more on that another time.

I like to start with a list of what I am going to bake this year. I list all of the usual cookies I bake and then start searching for recipes of new ones. When looking for new recipes, I try to balance the flavors and colors with what I am already planning on baking. In my case, chocolate and peanut butter are favorite ingredients and I force myself to look for recipes with spice, cranberry, fruit flavors and bright colors to them. The table can look boring when it is all shades of brown.

Because I use so much butter, flour and sugar each year, I watch for the sales at the grocery stores. The best deal is when butter is on sale. I freeze my butter. Hit the sales during the late summer and early fall and you will have the basics to get started.

Other things I have on hand are zip-lock style of storage bags, shirt boxes, and parchment paper. If I ever stop baking, the zip lock storage bag stock will drop. Just this weekend I was able to start my stock of shirt boxes, so now I can move forward on some cookies waiting to be baked. Zippy bags and shirt boxes are how I store my cookies in anticipation of my big party. Each cookie will get placed in a zippy bag and layered in shirt boxes. Then I label the shirt boxes in sharpie on the top and on the front with what cookie is inside. When the cookies are stacked in the freezer, I can read the front spines. When they are waiting to be placed on platters, I can read the tops. Makes for easy re-loading of the cookies during a party.

Parchment paper is a staple at my house. We use it under cookies, frozen pizzas, other baked goods and all kinds of things.

Once I have my list, staples, and storage needs ready I review each recipe for other ingredients. Then, I make a list of how many types of spices, chips, nuts and extracts I may need. This way I can start to add ingredients every time we go to the store and I don’t have to buy everything all at once.

This year, I made my list in September so that I could get a jump on the baking. Most people don’t need to start as early as I do, but it is still better than being at the store the night before a cookie exchange trying to figure out what to buy.

Try it this year…make a list of the 5 cookies you need to bake. Add a new one or two and get ready to get ready. It makes a difference.