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Our very small local library is having a yard sale/silent auction/baked goods sales to help jump-start a building fund - will be this Friday/Saturday staring at 8 AM. I want to contribute as many baked goods as I can but would rather spread the work out over Weds/Thurs instead of a marathon baking session on Thursday into the night.

So, if making cookies, cupcakes and brownies, any way to make some 2 days ahead - should I freeze or just refrigerate? Also would love any ideas of how to package them? Would like to have the cellophane like florists use but no idea where to find it around here - Cling Wrap would work for flat ones like brownies - but what about the cookies and cupcakes?

Appreciate any help or suggestions....

FYI - the paper baking cups around cupcakes will fall away if they are frozen.

Unless you are using all butter in cookies, those could be baked and packaged on Wednesday.

Quick breads are better made a day ahead to mellow flavors before serving and refrigerate a day or two without problems.

Cling wrap used to come in assorted colors if you have a large supermarket to shop, but I haven't looked lately.

I purchase my cellophane at the Party City type card & paper serveware store. I also buy it at a wholesale floral supply where I have an account.

Cookies and cupcakes and muffins look good in the cello bags you can get at Wal Mart (it's with their Wilton/party stuff). I put several cookies in a bag and tie with a ribbon. One cupcake or muffin per bag (with the cupcake you have to be careful putting it in so you don't get frosting all over the bag).

Martha

Here is an example of the cupcakes -- of course, they're Christmas but you can get the idea!

And the cookies -- six to a bag is nice

Martha

These cookies I made for our Garden Club plant sale -- the cookie sales were a "bonus" -- they're bigger so I used 2 to a bag and we sold them for a dollar.

Martha

The cookies:

In the bag

Martha

BTW, the cookies I made on Thursday for the Saturday sale. Bagged they were fine on Saturday. (I had to do a "quality control" you know -- LOL!)

Martha

I make lots of different kinds of cookies at Christmas time & freeze them all! Then I "gift" folks with trays of an assortment. Mini banana breads go on my trays too and they also freeze well.

Thanks, everyone, for your responses!

Lurah, appreciated the words of warning re the cupcakes! ga.karen, glad to know the cookies will fare well if I freeze. And, Linderhof, your photographs are EXACTLY what I was thinking of doing. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions on where to find the supplies - just what I really needed to know!

So, I'm baking as I post! Making a triple batch of original Toll House chocolate chip cookies tonight; plan to make some lemon cookies and red velvet ones tomarrow, brownies on Thursday and, if time, some mini cherry cheesecake cupcakes that night. Wrap them up so they will be ready by 8AM for the sale Friday morning! Thanks again, everyone!

IR -- take pictures when you're all done, we'd love to see them!

I'm sure the library will appreciate all of your hard work.

Martha

Wish I could, Linderhof, re the photographs but I'm totally tech-stupid and have no idea how to post them. I do have a digital camera but trying to re-size to fit this forum is beyond me!

Just finishing up with my "goodies" for the bake sale - one more push - and then I am done. DH will take them in the morning. So what did I end up making? I thought the triple batch of Toll House chocolate chip cookies came out a bit soft - not sale quality - so I sent them with DH to his work... funny thing, EVERYONE loved them and several asked DH for the recipe! So who knows?

Final contributions: Red Velvet Cookies, 4th of July Cupcakes (white/white with red,blue and white sprinkles) and several dozen Brownies - one intact with chocolate frosting since it was the first time I have ever had an entire pan of brownies stay intact! Hope everyone likes them!

IR -- I'm sure they will. Did you find those little bags at WM to put the cupcakes in? I bet they were pretty --

Martha

Funny story to end this thread - I've learned a lot about baking ahead thanks to all of you. Anyway, the Fourth of July cupcakes came out really beautiful! I used a white cake mix (I know - not from scratch but I had a LOT of baking to do) but the fun thing I tried was this: since I had some left-over batter from the Red Velvet cookies, I partially filled the papers with white, dropped a bit of red velvet dough in the middle and then finished with more white....

Wasn't sure how they would turn out so swirled the tops with vanilla frosting and lots of red/white and blue sprinkles - made exactly 36 so DH was elected "taster" for one. It was beautiful (if I say so myself ) with a burst of red inside! And, according to DH, tasted just as good!

Now, the funny story? I sent all of my hard work with DH this morning - the cookies, cupcakes and brownies - to take to the library ladies and then discovered something this afternoon! People really liked everything and they sold out early ESPECIALLY the cupcakes!

Seems DH delivered everything and then turned around and bought back all of the cupcakes as a Fourth of July gift to his co-workers since he is taking next week as vacation and won't be there! Don't know whether to be mad at him or flattered since his response was "no way was I going to buy something from a bakery when those cupcakes were available - you snooze, you lose!"

PS. Linderhof, I wish I had been able to get those bags but didn't have time as the nearest WM is nearly an hour away - two hours round-trip - but, thanks to you, I now know where to get them and, believe me, I WILL be stocking up on them next time I am there! I just created my own packaging - probably twice the work than the baking was - next time, the bags for sure!

IR -- we live in a little town so I know what you're talking about (fortunately, or unfortunately we have a WM here). The bags come 25 to a package and I always have a package I'm working on. They're great to have on hand -- for if I want to "thank" someone for something -- six cookies make a nice package and it is a nicer presentation IMO than 6 cookies on a plate.

Martha

IR,

Love your baking goodies story. LOL, that your DH is such a great helper. So nice that he was contributing to your library's cause. Win-Win!