Five Days of Baking

You’ve heard of the 12 Days of Christmas, but I tend to celebrate days of baking during the week of Thanksgiving, in preparation for my church’s holiday fair, and for Christmas gifts.

This year I might have gone a bit overboard with 5 Days of Baking.

But I did have fun with it, starting with the gluten-free items to avoid any cross-contamination.

On the first day of baking, I made brownies with pumpkin – they didn’t taste anything like pumpkin, but they did taste fabulous. And in keeping with the fall theme, I also made pumpkin cookies.

On the second day of baking, I tried a new recipe for cranberry sugar cookies, and they came out really well. Always a nice surprise, especially since it was an internet recipe, and you just never know how those will turn out.

On the third day, I made gluten-free ginger crinkles, complete with candied ginger.

On the fourth day, Thanksgiving, I made the sugar cookies I always used to make with my mom.

And finally on the fifth day of baking, I made all the items with gluten: ginger crinkles, pumpkin cookies, and the old standby, chocolate chip.

But it was only at the end of it that I realized how wonderful and strange it is that I can do this.

I can make batch after batch of cookies – without feeling the urge to binge on cookie dough.

I can have all the baked cookies and brownies (oh, and I forgot that I also made chocolate truffles!) in my freezer, waiting for the holiday fair – and they’re not calling to me.

Of course, I have tried some of the cookies, because I need to make sure they’re good enough to share. But I don’t feel guilty about it, or ashamed of having them.

Instead, the baking is simply a fun way for me to spend my vacation. And making the sugar cookies is a good way to remember my mom.

Plus, I feel even better knowing that I’ll be sharing them with my family and friends and church community. All of this makes me so grateful, and therefore it’s a perfect way to spend the week of Thanksgiving.